Internet Archive: Brewster Kahle Posts Shares Thoughts on the “Lending of Digital Books”

From a Post by Brewster Kahle: Digital Librarian and Founder, Internet Archive:

On Sept 4, 2024, the US Court of Appeals in New York affirmed the lower court ruling in the lawsuit filed against us by Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House. While the Internet Archive is disappointed by this opinion—it was never the Internet Archive’s intention to get into a lawsuit over lending digitized books—we respect the outcome.

To date, we have removed over 500,000 books from lending on archive.org (and therefore also openlibrary.org). While we are reviewing all available options, this judicial opinion will lead to the removal of many more books from lending.

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We respect the opinion of the courts and, while we are saddened by how this setback affects our patrons and the future of all libraries, the Internet Archive remains strong and committed to our mission of Universal Access to All Knowledge. Thank you for your help and support.

Learn More, Read Kahle’s Complete Post (Includes Comments About Access For Those with Print Disabilities & the News Below; about 315 words)

• Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and Independent Publishers Group (IPG) Announce Partnership to Provide Libraries with Permanent Ownership Rights Over Tens of Thousands of Digital Titles (August 13, 2024)

See Also: Second Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms District Court Ruling in Hachette v. Internet Archive (September 4, 2024)

Filed under: Companies (Publishers/Vendors), Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries