Internet Archive stops expanded e-book offer after complaints from publishers
Internet Archive is shutting down its National Emergency Library two weeks ahead of schedule after being sued by four publishers. The foundation is temporarily offering e-books without a waiting list because physical libraries are closed in the US.
The National Emergency Library will close June 16 instead of its scheduled June 30, after which Internet Archive will return to its “controlled digital lending” policy. According to the foundation, the reason for the early termination lies in the lawsuit that four publishers filed against Internet Archive on Monday.
Publishers Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Hachette and Wiley are suing the foundation, alleging that the Internet Archive has illegally scanned 1.3 million copyrighted books and made them available for free to users who create an account. According to the US publishing industry, Internet Archive appears to be one of the largest book piracy sites in the world. “The indictment shows that the Internet Archive is committing and promoting copyright infringement on a large scale,” according to the Association of American Publishers. The organization’s practices would have little to do with those of regular libraries, claim the publishers, who soon criticized the arrival of the Emergency Library.
According to the Internet Archive, the indictment specifically attacks the very concept of library ownership and lending of digital books. Many libraries use controlled digital lending, whereby a single reader can temporarily borrow an e-book, after which access is denied again thanks to DRM. Publishers also use this and the Internet Archive has been doing this since 2011, is the rebuttal. At the National Emergency Library, the policy was temporarily relaxed because libraries in the US are closed.
Educational institutions would be grateful for the removal of the waiting list to borrow e-books and academic publishers would support the project, the Internet Archive further points out.