EFF and heavyweight legal team will defend Internet Archive against publishers (torrentfreak.com)

Article summary

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is teaming up with law firm Durie Tangri to defend the Internet Archive against a lawsuit filed by publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, John Wiley, and Penguin Random House. The lawsuit targets the Internet Archive's Open Library and National Emergency Library, which provided unlimited borrowing of over a million books during the COVID-19 pandemic. The publishers claim that the libraries are pirate services that threaten their businesses. The EFF and Durie Tangri argue that the Controlled Digital Lending program is no different from what other libraries offer and is a vital public service.

Main themes

• copyright law
• digital lending
• Internet Archive
• publisher lawsuit
• EFF defense
• access to knowledge
• innovation vs legacy industries

What commenters say

• The Internet Archive's actions are seen as piracy and a threat to authors' livelihoods, and the EFF is on the wrong side of the law by defending them.
• The lawsuit is an example of legacy industries failing to adapt to new technologies and business models.
• Copyright laws are broken and need to be reformed to balance the rights of creators with the needs of the public.
• The Internet Archive's actions are a necessary response to the pandemic and the lack of access to educational resources.
• The EFF's defense of the Internet Archive is not about condoning piracy, but about ensuring that the judicial system is fair and that the public has access to knowledge.
• The publishers' lawsuit is an attempt to stifle innovation and limit access to information, and the EFF is right to challenge it.
• The Internet Archive's model of controlled digital lending is a viable alternative to traditional publishing models and should be allowed to continue.