An appeals court upholds a ruling that an online archive’s book sharing violated copyright law

AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — An appeals court has upheld an earlier finding that the online Internet Archive violated copyright law by scanning and sharing digital books without the publishers’ permission. Four major publishers had sued the Archive in 2020, alleging that it had illegally offered free copies of more than 100 books, including fiction by Toni Morrison and J.D. Salinger. The Archive countered that it was protected by fair use law. In 2023, a judge for the U.S. District Court in Manhattan decided in the publishers’ favor. On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concurred.