The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a ruling that overturned a lower court’s ruling that blocked Internet providers from blocking or slowing down websites for copyright infringement.
The justices said that Internet providers can’t block or slow down lawful content, but can block or throttle lawful traffic, such as email.
The ruling is a significant victory for Internet users who have been fighting online copyright infringement charges for years.
The U.K. Court of Appeal in January ruled that Internet service providers can be held liable for violating copyright laws when they fail to prevent illegal downloading or distributing of copyrighted material.