Altice USA has reached a settlement in the copyright infringement lawsuit filed by BMG, Concord, and UMG Recordings after 20 months of litigation. The lawsuit accused Altice of failing to address repeat copyright infringement by its subscribers.

While specific settlement terms remain undisclosed, Altice's Q2 2024 earnings report revealed $46.6 million in "restructuring, impairments and other operating items," including "significant legal settlements." This marks a substantial increase from the $5.2 million reported in the same category the previous year.

The judge dismissed the claims with prejudice, with each party bearing their own costs and legal fees.

This settlement occurs amid ongoing copyright battles between major music companies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

• Warner Music, Sony Music, and others filed a separate $1 billion lawsuit against Altice in December 2023
• The majors secured a $47 million judgment against Grande Communications
• Verizon faces a new lawsuit filed in mid-July
• Cox Communications recently appealed to the Supreme Court following a vacated $1 billion jury verdict

The industry continues to watch how this settlement might influence other pending copyright cases against ISPs. Cox Communications' appeal particularly highlights the ongoing legal complexity, as the appellate court ordered a new trial to determine damages in February.

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