Publishers Allege Emergency Library Is “Massive Infringement”

On Monday, four major publishers, together with the support of the Association of American Publishers, announced a suit for copyright infringement against the Internet Archive

Earlier this spring, at the height of the COVID19 crisis, the Internet Archive announced its so-called National Emergency Library, which offers access to unauthorized scanned copies of print books to users around the world.

On Monday, four major publishers, all members of the Association of American Publishers, announced a suit for copyright infringement against the Internet Archive, reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.

“The suit is filed the in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, here in Manhattan, in Judge John Koeltl’s courtroom,” he notes. “I have been in Judge Koeltl’s courtroom, and I can tell you he is a no-nonsense judge who has a lot of rules for how cases proceed in his courtroom.

“As for the complaint,” Albanese adds, “the publishers allege that the Internet Archive’s scanning, public display, and distribution of PDFs of books is not allowed under copyright law. In the war of words that precedes the war in the court, AAP president and CEO Maria Pallante accused the IA of, ‘conducting and promoting copyright infringement on a massive scale.’”

Plaintiffs in the case are Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, John Wiley & Sons and Penguin Random House.

Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.