Internet Archive submits a document requesting that the copyright infringement judgment against ``National Emergency Library'' be canceled and recognized as fair use

The National Emergency Library, which lends out 1.4 million digital books, has been sued by a publisher for copyright infringement, and the Internet Archive, which operates a national emergency library, has been accused of copyright infringement. We filed a brief with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals requesting reversal of the district court's judgment. The Internet Archive maintains that digital lending is only fair use and not copyright infringement.

Internet Archive: Digital Lending is Fair Use, Not Copyright Infringement * TorrentFreak

The National Emergency Library was launched on March 24, 2020, in response to the new coronavirus pandemic, as a service that allows people to continue reading even if they are unable to go to the library. Since 2011, the service Internet Archive has been running the 'Open Library' service for lending electronic versions of books, but just like in a real library, the number of stocks and lending period are fixed, and popular books are not available for loan. There was a wait. The National Emergency Library has abolished the waiting list for lending, and you can now freely read up to 10 books at a time.

However, multiple publishers filed lawsuits alleging copyright infringement against the service, and in March 2023, New York District Court Judge John Koeltl granted the publishers' request for summary judgment, and the Internet Archive's 'Fair The court rejected the defense that the defendant was a youth.

The Internet Archive has decided to appeal the New York District Court's decision. In December 2023, we filed opening briefs with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. In its brief, the Internet Archive argues that 'the district court erred in rejecting the fair use defense,' and that 'the Court of Appeals held that the Internet Archive's controlled digital lending was fair use.' 'This practice, like traditional library lending, furthers copyright's goal of facilitating the public access to knowledge without harming authors and publishers.' I did.

Brewster Kale, founder of the Internet Archive, has issued a statement that ``reaffirms the Internet Archive's commitment to preserving knowledge for future generations.''

Internet Archive Defends Digital Rights for Libraries | Internet Archive Blogs

In a statement, Kale described libraries as 'not just repositories of books,' but 'custodians of history and published records,' and said that in a world where misinformation and disinformation are rampant, libraries are safe and secure for historic records. They argue that there needs to be a way to access it. And they warn that if the district court's decision is left alone, libraries will no longer be able to lend their books to digital learners.