The companies have only themselves to blame, says Ryan Singel, a fellow at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society. “They absolutely made this bed for themselves,” he said.

Singel said California’s law—and its legal victory this week—will likely spawn copycat bills in other states. “The stakes of passing your own version of the California net neutrality law have gone down significantly,” he said. “It’s a pretty clear message to other states that they are legally in the clear.”