Internet Archive Fights Back Against Publishers' Lawsuit Threatening Digital Library

Four major book publishers are seeking to shut down the Internet Archive's online library and hold the non-profit organization liable for damages in a copyright lawsuit. The publishers object to the Internet Archive's efforts to scan printed books and make digital copies available online to readers without buying a license from the publisher. The Internet Archive argues that its Controlled Digital Lending initiative is fundamentally the same as traditional library lending and poses no new harm to authors or the publishing industry. The central question in the case is whether a library has the right to make a copy of a book that it otherwise owns and then lend the ebook it has made without a license from the publisher to patrons of the library.