Four months after the disappointing decision on summary judgment in Hachette v. Internet Archive, a number of papers were filed today in the district court, and then the judge is expected to make his final judgment. We expect that, at least while the appeal is pending, there will be changes to our lending program, but the full scope of those changes is a question pending with the district court. We will provide an update on those changes once the district court decision is final.
Our fight is far from over—We remain steadfast in our belief that libraries should be able to own, preserve, and lend digital books outside of the confines of temporary licensed access. We believe that the judge made errors of law and fact in the decision, and we will appeal.
Statement from Internet Archive founder, Brewster Kahle:
“Libraries are under attack at unprecedented scale today, from book bans to defunding to overzealous lawsuits like the one brought against our library. These efforts are cutting off the public’s access to truth at a key time in our democracy. We must have strong libraries, which is why we are appealing this decision.”
How to Take Action:
Stand up for libraries
Stand up for the digital rights of all libraries! Join the Battle for Libraries: https://www.battleforlibraries.com/
Support the Internet Archive
Support the Internet Archive to continue fighting for libraries in court!
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Can IA please clarify a point regarding Hachette v. Internet Archive?
My understanding is that the lawsuit was filed by:
John Wiley & Sons
Hachette Book Group
HarperCollins
and Penguin Random House
If I understand correctly, the latter three firms belong to the so-called “big five” publishing houses. Does this leave Macmillan and Simon & Schuster as the only two of the big five publishing houses that book-buying IA supporters can hand their money to without supporting corporate chicanery?
Don’t forget there’s the recent lawsuit with music labels that seriously needs to be addressed.
We have a difficult road ahead, of course, this court does not mean the end of our road and efforts.