Internet Archive Under Fire: $700M Lawsuit Sparks Petition
Table of Contents
Bucharest — May 24, 2024 — The Internet Archive is embroiled in a legal battle, facing a $700 million lawsuit filed by major record labels alleging copyright infringement. The non-profit digital library, a vital resource for researchers and the public, is fighting back against these claims, arguing the suit threatens its mission to preserve digital history. The lawsuit targets the Archive’s “Great 78 Project,” which aims to digitize and archive obsolete recordings; the labels claim this violates copyright. For a deeper look on this complex issue, delve further into the article.
Internet Archive Under Fire: $700 Million Lawsuit Sparks Petition
the non-profit digital library fights back against major labels’ copyright infringement claims.
The Lawsuit: A David vs.Goliath Battle?
The Internet Archive, a non-profit online library providing free access to a vast collection of music, books, movies, adn more, is facing a formidable legal challenge. A collective of major record labels, including Sony, Capitol Records,Arista,and UMG,has filed a lawsuit seeking $700 million in damages.
The lawsuit, first filed in 2023,targets the Internet Archive’s “Great 78 Project.” This initiative involves digitizing and uploading now-obsolete 78 RPM singles to the platform, preserving them for future generations. The labels argue that the project, encompassing over 400,000 recordings from artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, and Louis Armstrong, constitutes “immense infringement” and “wholesale theft” of thier copyright.
Internet Archive Responds: “An Existential Threat”
In response to the lawsuit, the Internet Archive has launched a petition, urging the labels to drop their legal action. The petition, which has already garnered over 20,000 signatures, describes the lawsuit as an existential threat to critical infrastructure for the internet.
The Internet Archive emphasizes its mission to make fragile
78 RPM recordings available for research and to preserve voices and sounds that might or else be lost forever.
the association warns that the $700 million suit threatens its very existence
and the continued operation of its Wayback Machine.
At a time when digital data is being deleted, rewritten and erased, preservation is more vital than ever. We cannot afford to lose the tools that safeguard memory and defend facts.
Community Support and Previous Efforts
This week’s letter follows a prior petition, authored by nonprofit advocacy group Fight For The Future last December.The open letter—entitled “Save Music, Save the Archive!”—also urged the labels to drop their lawsuit in the name of 78 RPM preservation.It garnered signatures from over 850 musicians including Ron Like Hell, Lyra Pramuk, mary Lattimore, Lovefingers, Julia Holter, Tune-Yards’ Merrill Garbus, Matmos and more.
You can sign the latest petition, and browse Instagram for more information.
