Live data from Hacker News

Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

publishers.org

31–40 of 358 posts

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#31
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMO, so long as they offer pre-payment for books, they will remain in existence. Prolific and profitable authors benefit from being paid ahead of time for their work, which can often take months or years.

I feel like that role is just waiting to be taken over by a kickstarter like model though.

It is for some authors. The bigger problem is that artists or developers or whatever need to pay the rent and buy food while they are in the process of creating.

UBI would fully transform that industry.

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#32

A gentle reminder that these are the same publishers who also advocate that harvested tree pulp industry does not impact the environment. As evil as they come. ;-)

Most trees for lumber and papermills are grown on farms like corn (in the US at least). Industrialized paper making can be harmful to the environment, but so is essentially all industrialized activity. E-waste is more problematic. Most phones don't last much longer 5 years and can't be 100% recycled easily while most paper products are biodegradable.

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#34
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Internet Archive recently started "The Emergency Library" or something to that effect where they are now lending out unlimited books-- not limiting what and how much they lend out based on what they physically own as they did previously.

Okay that seems like pretty brazen copyright infringement then. That's crazy! Maybe they hope to disrupt the publishing industry, but really just sounds like a way to get sued.

The books are still DRMd so it's not as crazy as one might expect.

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#36
The Internet Archive does great work and please support them if you can[1]. Still, they are a single point of failure[2] and if they should falter one day it will be a big loss. What we really need - in my opinion - is a second mainstay - an archive of the archive so to speak.

[1] https://archive.org/donate/

[2] Yes, I know about archive.today (formerly archive.is) but their extent is no way comparable to archive.org. Also, they don't archive pages from archive.org.

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#37

Why can't the publishing industry just hurry up and die? They provide fewer and fewer valuable services as the marginal cost of content distribution approaches zero and they just seem more like rent seekers.

IMO, so long as they offer pre-payment for books, they will remain in existence. Prolific and profitable authors benefit from being paid ahead of time for their work, which can often take months or years.

That just sounds like a loan. Or venture capital.

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#38

> Despite the self-serving library branding of its operations, IA’s conduct bears little resemblance to the trusted role that thousands of American libraries play within their communities and as participants in the lawful copyright marketplace. IA scans books from cover to cover, posts complete digital files to its website, and solicits users to access them for free by signing up for Internet Archive Accounts. I wond…

Actual libraries buy more than one copy. That is the issue.

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#39

> Despite the self-serving library branding of its operations, IA’s conduct bears little resemblance to the trusted role that thousands of American libraries play within their communities and as participants in the lawful copyright marketplace. IA scans books from cover to cover, posts complete digital files to its website, and solicits users to access them for free by signing up for Internet Archive Accounts. I wond…

If libraries weren't an ancient concept that preceeded copyright law they'd be illegal today.

I am certain you are right.

And with that knowledge would be locked away to those who could afford access (be it with money or some form of social capital to ensure inequality).

Re: Publishers File Suit Against Internet Archive

#40

> Despite the self-serving library branding of its operations, IA’s conduct bears little resemblance to the trusted role that thousands of American libraries play within their communities and as participants in the lawful copyright marketplace. IA scans books from cover to cover, posts complete digital files to its website, and solicits users to access them for free by signing up for Internet Archive Accounts. I wond…

Actual libraries buy more than one copy. That is the issue.

[deleted]
Post reply on HN