ISP Altice Ordered to Reveal Identities of 100 Alleged BitTorrent Pirates in RIAA Lawsuit

• The Altice Internet Service Provider was ordered to hand over several customer names, emails, and more.
• A music label lawsuit says 100 client accounts are suspected of music piracy via torrents.
• The ISP allegedly did not take action against repeat pirates following numerous infringement notices.

Altice has been ordered by a Texas federal court to disclose the identities of 100 subscribers accused of pirating music via BitTorrent. This court order is part of an ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit initiated by nearly 50 music labels.   

Under the court's ruling, Internet Service Provider (ISP) Altice must provide names, email addresses, and physical addresses for 100 internet subscribers flagged for suspected piracy. These individuals were among those who allegedly ignored multiple warnings about their activities.  

However, all disclosed subscriber information is labeled “highly confidential” and will only be accessible to attorneys representing the record labels. Subscribers will be notified of the data handover and can present objections to the court.  

This information is expected to provide evidence supporting the music labels’ claims while highlighting potential lapses in Altice's anti-piracy policies. There’s no indication yet that the individuals implicated will face lawsuits, as the current focus remains on the ISP's role.  

The lawsuit, backed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), alleges that the parent company of Internet provider Optimum failed to take meaningful action against repeat copyright infringers on its network despite receiving numerous infringement notices.

These notices, issued by the RIAA and third-party anti-piracy firms, pinpointed accounts accused of illegally sharing copyrighted material via BitTorrent. The music companies assert that by neglecting to address these violations, Altice essentially allowed its network to be a platform for "mass infringement." 

Similar cases have targeted providers like Frontier Communications and Cox Communications, the latter of which was forced to pay $1 billion in damages for failing to act against repeat piracy on its network.