05
Sep
In a landmark legal battle with lasting implications for digital archives, the Internet Archive faced a setback when a federal appeals court ruled against its practice of offering free access to scanned books without the proper license. The decision, handed down by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, underscores ongoing tensions between copyright holders and digital libraries. The controversy began during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Internet Archive took an unprecedented step. As physical libraries and schools closed across the country, the organization expanded its collection online, allowing public access to its digital archive…