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If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

sbstatesman.com

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Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#251

Post by [deleted] »

jahsome wrote: post #225
causi wrote: post #19

which made copyrighted books available for free during the COVID-19 pandemic. The publishers behind the lawsuit alleged that this entailed copyright infringement. Along with everybody with two brain cells to rub together. We all screamed "Hey, you idiots are going to ruin everything if you act like the pandemic has magically nullified the concept of copyright" and they fucking did it anyway, and now exactly what we s…

I appreciate your passion! Unsolicited advice: IME I've found being angry because I was right serves no one, least of all myself. I would recommend you soften your language. Harshness, even if warranted, turns people off, especially those who could learn most from what you have to say.

[deleted]

Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#252

Post by tech234a »

kwo wrote: post #146
ghaff wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pretty much "everything" (other than public domain) on the IA is on shaky ground. It's been mostly OK because very few people object to the archiving of their public web pages (especially given the IA respects robots.txt even retroactively) and, as you say, old magazines that basically have zero commercial value.

IA stopped respecting robots.txt in 2017. I had to issue a DCMA takedown to get my sites delisted. They are arrogant and think themselves above normal netiquette. They deserve to lose. https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/17/robots-txt-meant-for-sea...

A relevant (yet incomplete) list of exclusions: https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/List_of_websites_excl...

Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#253

Post by boomboomsubban »

causi wrote: post #221
tracker1 wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might be interesting to start a large "online library" that does physical books by mail. Similar to Netflix original dvd model, but for books. An annual membership fee of like $20/yr to help maintain storage infrastructure. Then ship those books to/from people in reusable boxes for bigger/unwieldy books or padded envelopes if that's sufficient for less expensive paperback. Small per-lend fee to cover the shipping cos…

I don't see how the shipping costs could ever be low enough for that to make sense. Even after my organization's massive UPS discounts, shipping a paperback one state over still costs $4.30. Would you rather spend five bucks to rent a used book or fifteen to buy a new one?

USPS offers media and library rates, which goes as low as $2.20 for any zone. That'd still be $4.40 round trip though.

Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#254

Post by jonny_eh »

boucher wrote: post #205
twblalock wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not the Internet Archive's job to be the first one to try to resolve fair use questions like this, and attempting to do so put the organization's orginal core mission at risk. They should have let someone else take the risk, and continued archiving the internet. That is all that most of their supporters expected of them, for good reason. Their attempt to pivot toward being a generic, universal library was bad sc…

Seems to me like the Internet Archive can determine for itself what it's job is, and they've determined that this is in fact part of their core mission. Your perception that their purpose is solely to archive the Internet is at odds with their actual demonstrated activities for many years (the home page says: "Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and m…

> Seems to me like the Internet Archive can determine for itself what it's job is

And commenters on HN can point out that they've made a huge, and obvious, mistake that risks their entire mission.

Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#255

Post by micromacrofoot »

I'm always surprised by how many people will come out of the woodwork to shame IA for defying some of the most idiotic laws conceived. I have great faith that even if by some legal disaster this destroyed the IA, it would invigorate the people that work and support it... because they're right.

Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#256

Post by causi »

Y_Y wrote: post #243
causi wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it was going to be tested, and IA are exactly the right organization to test it CDL being legalized is dependent on the concept that it respects copyright and is only a digital version of rights and practices that already exist. The NEL proved that as far as the IA is concerned, CDL is nothing of the sort and is in actuality just a method of keeping rightsholders from suing them and what they'd really rather be doing…

Not wanting to be a library isn't illegal. The actions of IA don't have any bearing on the legality of CDL. You've made it clear that you don't like what they did with NEL and that's reasonable enough, I think extrapolation from there is unwarranted.

They shouldn't have any bearing. In the real world lawyers and judges are flawed human beings whose decisions are influenced by emotion and impression. If being hungry can drop a judge's parole granting rate from 65% to zero, an organization showing they'd really rather be totally flouting the law can certainly influence the outcome of a case.

Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#258

Post by EleanorKonik »

CobrastanJorji wrote: post #214
schroeding wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree with the first part. > Controlled digital lending had a chance of getting off the ground. The IA's Emergency Library's unlimited digital lending burned it to the ground and stomped on the ashes. One of the problems libraries face is that many publishers will not sell them "real" licenses, but only "quota licenses" that allow a total of n borrows and m concurrent borrows. Once the total number of borrows…

This was not always the case because libraries weren't seen as a threat. Renting a digital book from a library was significantly harder than buying one from Amazon. The "Libby" app was a major motivator, at least in the US, because it made checking out digital books about as easy as just using the Kindle store. Usage went way up, and publishers panicked. Publishers aren't necessarily the villains here, except in the…

Honestly, in these days of the google play store taking its cut from Amazon, using Libby is actually easier than using the kindle app to buy books. Every time I hit that "you can't buy books from inapp" button I remember that I can use Libby instead and go there instead of the browser to buy my book, tbh.

Re: If we lose the Internet Archive, we’re screwed

#259

Post by VonGuard »

Honest question: what is stopping Brewster from filing for bankruptcy and transferring all assets to another non-profit. CA law specifically states that dissolved non-profits have to donate everything to another non-profit. All the hardware and data would be considered their core product. They could donate all of that to a new non-profit, and leave some token staff and office equipment behind for the bankruptcy to chop up and distribute. Happens all the time with for profit businesses....

Also, thumbs fucking down for society punishing Archive for doing something to help Americans during an extreme time of crisis. I feel like if an apocalypse ever happens, 10 years later, everyone left alive will be in court being sued for helping each other. America is so stupid and short sighted about EVERYTHING.

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