In a major copyright case, the Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments about whether internet providers can be blamed for their customers’ acts of digital piracy.

Cox Communications , the cable provider, appealed a lower court ruling in favor of Sony Music Entertainment , Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and other labels. The record companies sued Cox in 2018, alleging that its users had illegally downloaded some 10,000 songs, and that the cable provider had ignored repeated complaints about it.

At trial, the jury awarded the labels $1 billion. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s ruling on willful contributory infringement, but overturned on another theory of infringement and ordered a new trial on damages — which Cox estimates could rise as high as

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