Category «Copyright»

300+ authors pen open letter supporting libraries’ rights in the digital age

“Signed by a vast and diverse list of authors, the letter decries conduct from major publishers and trade associations, including their lawsuit against the Internet Archive, demanding that they cease efforts to undermine the essential contributions of libraries to an accessible and inclusive world of books. Over 300 authors including Neil Gaiman, Alok Menon, Naomi …

Subjects: Copyright, Courts, Digital Rights, E-Records, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

KnowYourCopyrights.org Helps Library Advocates Assert Rights in Digital Era

[August 24, 2022] “the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) launched KnowYourCopyrights.org, a revamped resource to support library leaders, practitioners, and advocates in proactively asserting library rights in the digital era. Libraries, as well as the research, teaching, and learning activities that they support, enjoy special rights in US law, starting with the constitutional purpose of …

Subjects: Copyright, Government Documents, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

Could the Internet Archive Go Out Like Napster?

Slate: “Two and a half years ago, the Internet Archive made a decision that pissed off a lot of writers—and embroiled it in a lawsuit that many netizens fear could weaken the archive, its finances, and its services long into the future. In March 2020, as bookstores and libraries joined other businesses in closing their …

Subjects: Copyright, Courts, Education, Freedom of Information, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Librarians and Lawmakers Push for Greater Access to E-Books

Pew Trusts: “Librarians and their legislative allies are pushing publishers of electronic books to lower their prices and relax licensing terms, an effort that could make it easier for millions of library users to borrow the increasingly popular digital versions of books. Supporters say the e-book lending legislation in several states would allow libraries to …

Subjects: Copyright, Economy, Legal Research, Libraries

A major publishing lawsuit would cement surveillance into the future of libraries

Fast Company – The suit would erode the public’s last great venue for information free from corporate or government surveillance: “…Today, libraries generally are blocked from purchasing and owning digital books—and readers are in a similar boat. Instead, publishers offer only high-cost licenses for which libraries rely on emergency funds and may only be able …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Copyright, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries, Privacy

You Can’t Stop Pirate Libraries

Reason – “Where there’s demand for books, the internet will supply them. Shadow libraries exist in the space where intellectual property rights collide with the free-flowing exchange of knowledge and ideas. In some cases, these repositories of pirated books and journal articles serve as a blow against censorship, allowing those under repressive regimes to access …

Subjects: Copyright, Education, Freedom of Information, Intellectual Property, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

The fight between authors and librarians tearing book lovers apart

Washington Post: “At the start of the pandemic, teachers and librarians pleaded with a prominent nonprofit to make it easier for kids at home to check out books from its digital library. The organization, called the Internet Archive, agreed. While it traditionally loaned out its more than a million digital books one at a time …

Subjects: Copyright, Courts, Digital Rights, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

CRS Report – Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), July 20, 2022 [24 pages]: “Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have become popular as unique and non-interchangeable units of data that signify ownership of associated digital items, such as images, music, or videos. Token “ownership” is recorded and tracked on a blockchain (a digital database that records data on a decentralized …

Subjects: Copyright, Cryptocurrency, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

A copyright lawsuit threatens to kill free access to Internet Archive’s library of books

Popular Science: “Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library and a massive repository of online artifacts, has been collecting mementos of the ever-expanding World Wide Web for over two decades, allowing users to revisit sites that have since been changed or deleted. But like the web, it too has evolved since its genesis, and in the …

Subjects: Copyright, Courts, Education, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Libraries