Sony's failed war against Internet piracy may doom other copyright lawsuits

Sony’s failed war against internet piracy has resulted in a landmark court ruling that may doom other copyright lawsuits by questioning the legality of mass subpoenas and ISP takedown tactics. In a 2-1 decision, the court found that Sony’s evidence included 40,000 IP addresses, only 12% of which led to confirmed infringers, a rate far lower than the average 35% success ratio in similar cases from record labels. The ruling sets a precedent that could invalidate pending lawsuits from three major studios, effectively making this case more consequential than any earlier copyright battle for the streaming era. By naming Sony’s specific IP-matching failure, judges declared that mass surveillance without probable cause violates consumer protections.