Internet Archive Loses Copyright Appeal, Removes 500,000 Books Including Banned Titles

In a copyright lawsuit, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the Internet Archive, favoring publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Wiley. As a result, more than 500,000 books were removed from the Open Library, which included over 1,300 titles that had been banned. This legal action commenced in June 2020, contesting the Internet Archive's National Emergency Library initiative that provided unrestricted access to digitized books during the COVID-19 pandemic. While publishers argued that free digital lending negatively affected sales, research indicated no adverse effects. The ruling poses a risk to wider access, with potential lawsuits from Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment threatening the Internet Archive. Generative AI firms like OpenAI are obtaining licenses from various publishers.