Record Labels Sue Internet Archive for Alleged Copyright Infringement
Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and other major record labels have filed a lawsuit against nonprofit organization Internet Archive, accusing it of copyright infringement. The record labels claim that the Archive’s Great 78 Project, which offers a streaming collection of digitized music from vintage records, operates as an illegal record store by hosting copyrighted songs from renowned artists such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, and Billie Holiday.
According to the lawsuit, the Archive has allegedly infringed upon 2,749 sound-recording copyrights, potentially resulting in damages as high as $412 million. The Internet Archive, based in San Francisco, is a digital library that archives websites, books, audio recordings, and other materials. Its goal is to provide universal access to knowledge. However, the organization is already facing another copyright infringement lawsuit from leading book publishers in Manhattan for its digital-book lending program.
The Great 78 Project is an initiative by the Internet Archive that encourages the donation of 78-rpm records, which were the dominant record format from the early 1900s to the 1950s. The organization digitizes these records to ensure the preservation of cultural materials for future generations. The collection currently includes over 400,000 recordings.
The lawsuit filed by the record labels claims that the project includes thousands of copyright-protected recordings, such as Bing Crosby’s White Christmas, Chuck Berry’s Roll Over Beethoven, and Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing). The labels argue that these recordings are already available on authorized streaming services and, therefore, do not face any risk of being lost or forgotten.
Both the record labels and book publishers assert that the Internet Archive’s activities are in violation of their intellectual property rights. While the case with the book publishers has already favored the plaintiffs, with a judge ruling in their favor, the Internet Archive plans to appeal the decision.
This legal battle brings to the forefront the ongoing debate between copyright holders and digital archivists. The record labels emphasize the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and ensuring that artists receive fair compensation for their work. On the other hand, organizations like the Internet Archive are driven by the desire to preserve cultural heritage and provide broad access to historical content.
The outcome of these lawsuits will have significant implications for how digitization and archiving efforts are conducted in the future. Balancing copyright protection, fair compensation for artists, and the accessibility of cultural materials remains a complex and contentious issue. As both sides present their arguments in court, the world watches to see how the case will shape the landscape of digital preservation and copyright enforcement.
