We stood up for the digital rights of all libraries today in court! The Southern District of New York heard oral argument in Hachette v. Internet Archive, the lawsuit against our library and the longstanding library practice of controlled digital lending, brought by 4 of the world’s largest publishers.
We fought hard for libraries today, and we’re proud of how well we were able to represent the value of controlled digital lending to the communities we serve.
Take action!
While we wait for the judge’s decision, here’s how you can show your support:
Join the Battle for Libraries ✊
The internet advocacy group Fight for the Future has launched the Battle for Libraries, an online rally in support of the Internet Archive and digital lending. Visit the action hub to engage with other supporters & share messages with your followers across social media to spread awareness about our fight. Get started now!
Read a book! 📕
Check out a book from Open Library and read it online using the library practice of controlled digital lending.
Stay connected 🔗
Sign up for the Empowering Libraries newsletter for the latest updates about the lawsuit and our library.
I support Archive.org.
I first created my page on your site on Jan. 25, 2013. I am a composer, electric flutist and concert producer. My Archive.org page contains all my music: scores, parts, videos and more.
https://archive.org/details/@lee_mcclure_composer_electric_flautist
Sincerely,
Lee McClure
NYC
Hi there you know that the judge is being a jerk.
Don’t agree at all. The judge seems fair and even-handed to both sides (or at least telling by the oral arguments). I think the judge is doing what a judge should be doing.
Note, this past comment of mine was before the judge handed down his decision. Austin Buchanan was right and I was wrong.
all a judge needs to worry about is retirement and not getting fired! Many of us in .GOV service are the same NOT .EDU .COM or .ORG FYI. May G-D have mercy on his poor soul….. a SADHU
tell the judge we prison libraries Jpay as well. That book’s covered is gonna be severly judged in public for the families and lives he/she destroy for a few lousy 100k. Those poor children have no parent because of you (the ilk) what they do to you and your family
analog rights to; I suppose
Pwedeng humiram wag lang kokopyahin o e print
Will you take this to the Supreme Court if this clearly biased judge throws your case?
The supreme court would be even worse! Even if the judge rules against IA it might be on minor grounds. If the supreme court gets a hold of it theyd probably try banning physical libraries too with some insane anti fair use decision. The supreme court right now has a majority of insane far right howler monkeys, they would set some insane precedent that lets copyrighters stomp all over all fair use. Even if this judge rules against IA I doubt the ruling would be as bad as what the supreme court could decide. Even if IA loses i hope like hell they don’t take it up to the supreme court. Appealing to the district court should be safe enough though. But any cases involving copyright need to stay FAR away from the supreme court. They would make much worse rulings than this judge would.
Ruling would not be as bad*
(Typo fix)
Thank you! Please don’t allow the rich to ruin our libraries, and NEVER remove any of the books republicans are trying to ban (I know that’s slightly unrelated, but it’s another threat to our libraries that needs to be addressed)
Thanks to Publishing companies like this, I’ve begun sharing my collection of nearly 10 million digital works 24/7/365.. Greed and Censorship have no place in the 21st century. Knowledge is power and power to the people.
Hyper capitalism really is its own worst enemy, and these type of lawsuits show just how out of control our system really is.
Internet Archives leads to a wider access for the equal distribution of knowledge around the world
The archive led me to discover several books which I purchased, and without it, I would have remained unaware of their existence. Therefore, in my experience, the archive has had a positive impact on the publisher’s profits. I suspect that my experience is not unique.
This is about libraries. The books are fully paid for.
I agree, T. Not only that, but the IA has a read-aloud function for every book — which allows my visually-challenged (he’s actually legally blind) student to listen to books he’s been assigned that he CAN’T read in print OR online. I also have ESL students who need to listen WHILE they read, so they can learn English faster. I’m a librarian, and I found most of the assigned readings for my students on the IA. It will be a sorrow and a pity to lose it.
So I think we librarians should boycott those publishers (I know about Hatchette, but who are the others?) and buy NOTHING from them till they drop this. Librarians buy a LOT of books — but I won’t be buying ANY from a publisher in this suit. There are lots of other publishers… These guys need to FEEL THE WRATH of ANGRY LIBRARIANS!!! (beware!! we’re feisty when you rile us up!)
The Battle for Libraries site seems to be broken, after adding my name and filling out the boxes and hitting “ADD YOUR NAME”, it brings up the “don’t panic” screen saying an error.
It is too late for that we are already in the burden guys.
Pingback: Lessig for the Internet Archive | Dewayne-Net Archives
First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the editor-in-chief of this invaluable digital library, which has provided free information to such a large number of people, be it in the form of manuscripts, photographs or watchable films and videos. Stories are all great valuable content and rare information is also included in it and I am willing to support you as much as possible.
It is too late for that we are already in the burden guys.
Much research worldwide is powered by archive.org. It’s the best thing to have happened, probably since Gutenberg. The attack is an attack on ordinary people’s right to access to knowledge.
The Internet Archive is a strong advocate for the digital rights of all libraries, and it has been fighting to preserve and provide access to digital content for over two decades. As more and more information becomes available in digital formats, it is important that libraries have the ability to collect, preserve, and provide access to this content for future generations.
The Internet Archive has been at the forefront of this effort, working to ensure that digital content is preserved and made available to everyone, regardless of location or financial means. The organization also advocates for copyright laws that balance the rights of creators with the needs of the public to access and use information.
By standing with the Internet Archive in its fight for digital rights, you can help ensure that libraries are able to continue to provide access to a wide range of information, including historical and cultural materials that might otherwise be lost. This is important not only for current generations, but for those to come, who will benefit from the wealth of knowledge and resources that the Internet Archive and other libraries provide.