Internet Archive's digital book lending violates copyright, US judge rules

A U.S. court ruled that the Internet Archive infringed copyright by digitally scanning and lending books from major publishers, rejecting its "fair use" defense. The judge determined that creating digital copies to replace licensed physical lending lacks the necessary transformation for fair use protection, limiting the organization’s ability to provide bulk digital access to copyrighted works. This decision highlights the tension between expanding digital access and enforcing traditional copyright frameworks in the modern information age. By denying the "controlled digital lending" model, the ruling preserves the exclusive rights of publishers and authors, ensuring that digital distribution does not undermine existing licensing agreements or the economic interests of the creative industry. For open data and digital preservation, this case serves as a critical precedent regarding the legal boundaries of copying and distributing protected content. It underscores that even nonprofit efforts to democratize information must operate within strict copyright limitations, potentially restricting how archives can make copyrighted materials available online without explicit permission from rights holders.

Source: digbycourier.ca
Published on 2025-07-20

Internet Archive's digital book lending violates copyright, US judge rules

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