The Internet Archive vowed to appeal the judge’s decision in a landmark infringement lawsuit filed against it by major publishers. In that case, a judge ruled that the Internet Archive was liable for copyright infringement by a library that became popular in the early stages of COVID-19, reports Vice.
Three years ago, the Internet Archive lifted individual subscription limits on 3.6 million books to help countless teachers and students access the materials. This prompted the world’s four largest book publishers to file a lawsuit against Internet – archive for copyright infringement.
On Friday, a court ruled that the Internet Archive’s legal defense failed to demonstrate how the nonprofit library’s actions exempt it from violating the copyrights of publishers and authors. A few hours after receiving this news, the Internet Archive announced its intention to file an appeal.
This decision is a serious blow. The Internet Archive, which has become the epitome of a revolution for the rights of all libraries to own, borrow and store digital books, has lost its motion for summary judgment.
This marks a new legal precedent in American case law that will affect how courts interpret copyright infringement exceptions when it comes to how libraries provide temporary use of digital books. It will also affect the overall perception of controlled digital lending, the legal framework that more than 70,000 daily users of the Internet Archive have come to rely on.
It is currently unclear how this will affect libraries and digital ownership in the future, but one thing is certain: the fight will continue.
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