Copyright Keepers Just Destroyed a Huge Digital Library

"Gault points out that the court, while ruling against IA, still criticized the publishing industry for “screwing over libraries.” The court acknowledged that “eBook licensing fees may impose a burden on libraries and reduce access to creative work.”

“May,” indeed. They most certainly do. High licensing fees are a plague for libraries, limiting their budgets and access to books while also reducing funding for community services like internet access and gathering spaces. Meanwhile, HarperCollins, one of the plaintiffs, has recently seen profits “soar” as revenue increased 61 percent in 2024.

Fortunately, the appeals court overturned a lower court’s absurd ruling that the IA was engaged in commercial activity on account of, among other things, its heretical appeal for donations to sustain its nonprofit operations...."