Internet Archive removes 500,000 books from lending list after publisher wins lawsuit
In a case where a publisher had filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the National Emergency Library, which opened in March 2020 and has 1.4 million digital books, the Internet Archive has removed 500,000 books from the library's lending list after the publisher won the case. The Internet Archive is asking the publisher to withdraw the lawsuit, saying, 'We just want people to read the books we have in our collection, just like any other library.'
Let Readers Read | Internet Archive Blogs
Why are so many books listed as “Borrow Unavailable” at the Internet Archive – Internet Archive Help Center
https://help.archive.org/help/why-are-so-many-books-listed-as-borrow-unavailable-at-the-internet-archive/
Internet Archive forced to remove 500,000 books after publishers' court win | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/06/internet-archive-forced-to-remove-500000-books-after-publishers-court-win/
The 'National Emergency Library' is a service launched by the Internet Archive in 2020 as people spent more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally, the Internet Archive offered digital lending of books in its open library, but the number of books that could be borrowed at one time was limited, and waiting lists were set up for popular books, resulting in people having to wait for their books to be returned. The 'National Emergency Library' abolished the waiting list and allowed people to freely borrow up to 10 books at a time.
Internet Archive releases 1.4 million books available for free reading - GIGAZINE
The Internet Archive held that the use of the 'National Emergency Library' was fair use, but the publisher sued, claiming that it was copyright infringement. In March 2023, the New York District Court ruled in favor of the publisher.
The Internet Archive appealed to the Second Circuit, arguing that managed digital lending is a fair use and that the decision should be overturned.
But publishers, working with the Association of American Publishers and other non-participating publishers, demanded that the books be removed from libraries, resulting in more than 500,000 copies being removed from lending.
'We use industry-standard technology to prevent books from being downloaded and redistributed - the same technology that publishers use,' said Chris Freeland of the Internet Archive. 'But the publishers who are suing our libraries say we shouldn't be able to lend out their books. They've forced us to remove over 500,000 books from our libraries. That's what makes us attractive.'
'Our position is simple: like any other library, we just want people to be able to read the books we own when they come to our library. We believe in the right of authors to profit from their works. And we believe that libraries must fulfill their mission of providing access to knowledge, whether physical or digital, thereby upholding the principle that knowledge should be equally and fairly accessible to everyone, regardless of where they live or where they study.'
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