Oh, no.
The Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and other different forms of media published over the years. It was established in 1996 with the mission of providing “universal access to all knowledge.”
However, it seems that this said access may now be taken away from its public users. A group of book publishers has sued the nonprofit archive for scanning and lending digital copies of copyrighted books. These companies, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House accused the library of “mass copyright infringement” for loaning digital copies of books without permission (or compensation) from these establishments.
The Internet Archive countered this by saying that their online library is legal under the doctrine of fair use. Additionally, they also stated that entities that own physical copies of these books can lend out scanned versions through controlled digital lending. U.S. District Court Judge John G. Koeltl of the Southern District of New York sided with the publishers.
The Archive aims to appeal the ruling. "Libraries are more than the customer service departments for corporate database products," Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive founder said. "For democracy to thrive at global scale, libraries must be able to sustain their historic role in society—owning, preserving, and lending books."
Image credit: Element5 Digital