Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment · ¶53

As the majority explains, this Court's cases have held that contributory liability for copyright infringement may attach in at least two circumstances. The first is when a defendant distributes or provides a product or service that is incapable of “commercially significant noninfringing uses.” Sony, 464 U. S., at 442. In other words, the product or service must be “ `good for nothing else' but infringement.” Grokster, 545 U. S., at 932. The Court applied that doctrine in Sony, 464 U. S. 417, and held that Sony was not liable for copyright infringement for selling the Betamax, a tape-recorder device that enabled users to record television shows for later watching. Id., at 442. Regardless of whether the Betamax could be used to commit infringement, the Court reasoned, it was also capable of “commercially significant noninfringing uses,” such as recording a show for personal viewing at…

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