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

A U.S. court ruled that the Internet Archive infringed copyright by scanning and lending digital copies of protected books, rejecting its claim of fair use. The judge determined that creating digital versions does not transform the work enough to bypass licensing requirements, effectively stating that the right to lend physical books does not extend to bulk scanning and digital distribution. This decision highlights the ongoing tension between traditional copyright enforcement and the expansion of digital access through controlled lending models. The ruling emphasizes that creative markets and authors rely on these licensing structures for protection, warning that allowing unauthorized digital lending could undermine the economic foundation of publishing and restrict the rights of content creators. For the open data and open knowledge community, this case is a critical precedent for understanding the legal boundaries of digitizing and distributing information. It demonstrates that simply having legal possession of a physical item does not automatically grant the right to digitize and share its digital replica, challenging efforts to build comprehensive, freely accessible digital archives without strict adherence to existing copyright laws.

Source: digbycourier.ca
Published on 2025-08-13

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

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