The Internet Archive created a program they called "Controlled Digital Lending" (CDL) -- where a physical book is scanned, turned into a digital file, and that digital file is then "loaned" out to people on the Internet. In 2020, The Internet Archive removed what few restrictions existed with this Digital Lending program, allowing an unlimited number of people to download the digital copy of a book.
That was incredibly dumb. It's just baffling that they didn't run this by a lawyer or even a highschooler. They put all their good work in jeopardy for what exactly?
I still believe that serious hoarders who want to ensure other can access it should try to do so anonymously. IPFS, torrents, or something like eMule over I2P would be the best solution for this. Then copyright lawsuits like these would be very very very difficult to do without de-anonymizing people.
The books they loaned are loaded with DRM though, which make it unusable after the loan period expires, so it's not like they're handing out unlocked pdf en-masse like z-library. They probably thought this restriction was good enough and publishers have enough goodwill to let it slide during the height of the pandemic.
That click bait title makes it seem like the Internet Archive itself will come crumbling down. Now that I skimmed read the article, it just seems like they are going to lose the court battle for this case. Maybe some other stuff, but I get to keep my MS-DOS abandonware downloads.
They’re facing hundreds of millions in punitive damages. Fragments of their servers will be in trophy cases in copyright enforcement agencies’ lobbies.
Sounds like this would at the very least remove $20-30m in revenue (according to the article) not counting if the copyright holders decide to go after them.
I think it puts them in a precarious situation overall.
