I trust #InternetArchive with government documents more than I do the government! (Or #AI for that matter...)

Internet Archive is now an official #USGovernment document #library

by Steve Dent
Fri, July 25, 2025

"The US Senate has granted the Internet Archive federal depository status, making it officially part of an 1,100-library network that gives the public access to government documents, #KQED reported. The designation was made official in a letter from California Senator Alex Padilla to the Government Publishing Office that oversees the network. 'The Archive's digital-first approach makes it the perfect fit for a modern #FederalDepositoryLibrary, expanding access to federal government publications amid an increasingly digital landscape,' he wrote.

"Established by Congress in 1813, the Federal Depository Library Program is designed to help the public access government records. Each congressional member can designate up to two libraries, which include government information like budgets, a code of federal regulations, presidential documents, economic reports and census data.

"With its new status, the Internet Archive will be gain improved access to government materials, founder Brewster Kahle said in a statement. 'By being part of the program itself, it just gets us closer to the source of where the materials are coming from, so that it’s more reliably delivered to the Internet Archive, to then be made available to the patrons of the Internet Archive or partner libraries.' The Archive could also help other #libraries move toward #DigitalPreservation, given its experience in that area.

"It's some good news for the site which has faced legal battles of late. It was sued by major #publishers over loans of #DigitalBooks during the #Coronavirus epidemic and was forced by a federal court in 2023 to remove more than half a million titles. And more recently, major music labels filed lawsuits over its #Great78Project that strove to preserve #78RPM records. If it loses that case it could owe more than $700 million damages and possibly be forced to shut down.

"The new designation likely won't aid its legal problems, but it does affirm the site's importance to the public. 'In October, the Internet Archive will hit a milestone of 1 trillion pages,' Kahle wrote. 'And that 1 trillion is not just a testament to what libraries are able to do, but actually the sharing that people and governments have to try and create an #EducatedPopulace.' "

https://tech.yahoo.com/general/articles/internet-archive-now-official-us-123036550.html

#BigPublishing #Archives #BigMusic #CulturalPreservation #DigitalPreservation #WaybackMachine #Archiving #FairUse #Archives #Capitalism #Corporatism #FightForTheFuture #EmpoweringLibraries

So, I figure if #BigPublishing can shut down the #InternetArchive's borrowing services, they should apply the same rules to #AI, right? (Personally, I'd rather have Internet Archive have access to books than AI).

#AIIndustry horrified to face largest #copyright #ClassAction ever certified

Copyright class actions could financially ruin AI industry, trade groups say. [GOOD!]

by Ashley Belanger – Aug 8, 2025

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/ai-industry-horrified-to-face-largest-copyright-class-action-ever-certified/

#AISucks #NoNukesForAI

Yesterday's highlight: I learned that my blog post/ rant about how fucked up scientific publishing is was picked up by a course on scientific writing 🤭. The PhD student in my project is doing the course and she spotted it as part of the reading list. How cool is that 😊.
https://marioangst.com/en/blog/posts/scientific-publishing/

#academia #scientificpublishing #bigpublishing

You know which #fediverse platform hasn't gotten enough love? #funkwhale.

The world of #music has long been subjugated under #bigpublishing and the last decade it's been consolidated under the likes of #Spotify. If you don't know why that's a problem, you haven't been paying attention. But how do we bridge that gap?

#Piracy? #Radio #licensing? Pushing #publicdomain and #creativecommons music? How do we get #KendrickLamar and #TaylorSwift over to the fediverse?

Courts Are Coming for #DigitalLibraries

A federal court recently said the #InternetArchive is not protected by #FairUseDoctrine.

C.J. Ciaramella | From the December 2024 issue

"In September, a federal appeals court dealt a major blow to the Internet Archive—one of the largest online repositories of #FreeBooks, media, and software—in a #copyright case with significant implications for #publishers, #libraries, and #readers.

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upheld a lower court ruling that found the Internet Archive's huge, digitized lending library of copyrighted books was
not covered by the 'fair use' doctrine and infringed on the rights of publishers.

"Agreeing with the Archive's interpretation of fair use 'would significantly narrow—if not entirely eviscerate—copyright owners' exclusive right to prepare derivative works,' the 2nd Circuit ruled. 'Were we to approve [Internet Archive's] use of the works, there would be little reason for consumers or libraries to pay publishers for content they could access for free.'"

https://reason.com/2024/11/10/courts-are-coming-for-digital-libraries/

#OpenLibraries #Libraries #PublicDomain #DigitalArchives #WaybackMachine #ILoveInternetArchive #MemoryHole #VanishingCulture #CulturePreservation #DigitalPreservation #DigitalLibraries #CorporatePublishing #BigPublishing #PublishingMonopolies

The #InternetArchive #library is being sued by 4 #corporate publishers who want to stop them from lending books.

Statement: Major Decision on Libraries’ Digital Rights A Step Closer on March 20

"Judge John G. Koeltl of the Southern District of New York has set March 20, 2023 as the date for oral arguments in four major publishers’ lawsuit against the Internet Archive’s digital library.

"The following statement can be attributed to Lia Holland (they/she), Campaigns and Communications Director at Fight for the Future:

"We’re eagerly awaiting the Internet Archive’s opportunity to have their day in court and speak up for the digital rights and future of all libraries in the US. This suit from major publishers has broad implications for libraries’ abilities to circulate digital books—namely, whether or not they are allowed to own and preserve digital books at all.

"Currently, major publishers offer no option for libraries to permanently purchase digital books and carry out their traditional role of #preservation. It is just as important to preserve digital books as paper books, given especially the rising popularity of digital books and the fact that many local and #diverse voices are not published in print. We want a future where libraries are free to preserve digital book files and ensure they remain accessible to the public as well unaltered. Instead, libraries are forced to pay high licensing fees that regard patron privacy as a premium feature, and the third-party vendors like Overdrive that offer such licenses are vulnerable to censorship from book banners. Under this regime, publishers act as malicious gatekeepers, preventing the free flow of information and undermining libraries’ ability to serve their patrons.

"This untenable situation is the direct consequence of shareholder #greed at Big Publishing #monopolies. Libraries owning and preserving books is not the reason that most authors are being paid ever less amid the past few years’ record publishing profits. The publishers’ suit against the Internet Archive’s library must be recognized for what it is: an attack on all libraries, conveniently aimed at a groundbreaking nonprofit that Big Publishing’s highly-paid lobbyists aggressively mischaracterize as a for-profit Big Tech company.

"With a similar preservationist ethos to the Wayback Machine, another Internet Archive project considered essential infrastructure for our digital lives, the Internet Archive’s library provides access to and preservation of out-of-print, midlist, local, and diverse voices in addition to popular books. In many ways, this initiative is similar to the Brooklyn Public Library’s youth censorship circumvention efforts—but the Internet Archive’s library is accessible to everyone around the world, not just youth in the US. The Internet Archive’s digital books also are used for citations on #Wikipedia, underpinning yet another core digital public good.

"We hope that on March 20th Judge Koeltl will resoundingly free this robust and beloved institution from the greedy maw of Big Publishing."

#BigPublishing #Censorship #FairUse #Libraries #Archives #WaybackMachine #Archiving #DigitalWorld #OpenContent #Capitalism #EmpoweringLibraries #FightForTheFuture

Source: https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2023-02-23-statement-major-decision-on-libraries-digital-rights-a-step-closer-on-march-20

I guess I should do an #Introduction too, then.

I'm a professional editor who may or may not be working for #BigPublishing, and who definitely is expressing all #editorial opinions publishers don't like to hear.

Strong feelings on #OpenScience & #ResearchIntegrity, nuanced opinions on editorial work.

Often tooting with #OverlyHonestEditor and related hashtags.