Major record labels are urging a Texas federal court to uphold its $47 million piracy liability judgment against internet provider Grande Communications, following the ISP's appeal of last year's verdict finding them guilty of willful contributory copyright infringement.

In their 89-page response brief, the labels argue that Grande knowingly enabled copyright infringement by:

• Refusing to terminate accounts of known repeat infringers
• Continuing to collect subscription fees from pirating subscribers
• Providing high-speed internet services to users they knew were infringing
• Only terminating accounts of non-paying customers while ignoring copyright violators

Grande's appeal relies heavily on the Twitter vs Tammneh ruling, claiming ISPs are even more removed from wrongdoing than social media platforms in terrorism cases. However, the labels counter that this ruling shouldn't apply to copyright infringement cases, as it would fundamentally alter contributory copyright infringement law.

The labels emphasize that ISPs play a crucial role in addressing online piracy since they're the only ones who can identify subscribers through IP addresses. They argue that by ignoring infringement notifications and failing to take action, Grande violated its legal obligations under U.S. law.

The case remains pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals. Should the original ruling not be upheld, the music companies plan to file a counter-appeal.

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