United States: Court Awards $322 Million Copyright Judgment Against Anna’s Archive

A U.S. federal court has awarded more than $322 million in damages to Spotify and major record labels in a copyright infringement case against the pirate platform Anna’s Archive, although enforcement of the judgment remains uncertain.

The ruling was issued on April 14, 2026, by Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, who entered a default judgment after the operators of Anna’s Archive failed to respond to the lawsuit.

Case Details

• Case Title: Atlantic Recording Corporation et al. v. Anna’s Archive et al.
• Case Number: 1:26-cv-00002
• Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• Date of Judgment: April 14, 2026

Background of the Case

The lawsuit was filed in January by Spotify alongside major music companies, including Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music, after Anna’s Archive allegedly scraped 86 million songs from Spotify and planned to distribute them through bulk torrent files.

Despite an earlier restraining order barring distribution, the site reportedly released torrents in February containing access to more than 2 billion illegal music files, with 120,000 files downloaded by Spotify’s lawyers as part of the case.

Court Awards Maximum Damages

In his ruling, Judge Rakoff held Anna’s Archive liable for violations of U.S. copyright law and awarded:

• $300 million to Spotify, based on 120,000 instances of circumvention of anti-piracy measures, calculated at $2,500 per violation
• $22.2 million to record labels, based on 148 copyrighted recordings at $150,000 per infringement, the maximum statutory damages

The infringed works included recordings by major global artists such as Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Cardi B, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Shakira, Michael Jackson, and U2.

Enforcement Challenges

Despite the significant monetary award, the judgment is largely seen as symbolic at this stage, as the operators of Anna’s Archive remain anonymous, making it difficult to enforce the damages.

Injunction Against the Platform

In addition to the monetary award, the court issued a permanent injunction requiring internet service providers to block access to the Anna’s Archive website.

However, enforcement may prove challenging, as the platform has a history of reappearing under new domain names after being taken down.

The case highlights ongoing difficulties in combating large-scale digital piracy, particularly where operators remain unidentified and operate across jurisdictions.