Major record labels file copyright lawsuit against Internet Archive

Major record labels have initiated a significant copyright lawsuit against the Internet Archive’s Great 78 Project, alleging that the platform operates as an unauthorized digital storefront for nearly 400,000 historical recordings. This legal action underscores the intense friction between established copyright holders and non-profit digital preservation initiatives, challenging the boundary between fair use and commercial infringement. The labels argue that the archive’s distribution of pre-1972 recordings exceeds mere research purposes, representing mass infringement rather than preservation. With potential damages exceeding half a billion dollars, this case highlights the severe financial and legal risks facing digital libraries that prioritize open access over strict licensing compliance, potentially threatening the sustainability of similar community-run archives. This dispute is crucial to open data because it threatens the foundational model of free, unrestricted access to cultural heritage. If successful, the lawsuit could force the removal of vast amounts of public domain or historically significant data, setting a precedent that limits how non-commercial entities can store and share information, thereby narrowing the scope of open knowledge available to researchers and the public.

Source: mixmag.net
Published on 2023-08-15

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