What is the Internet Archive and why is it facing a backlash from book publishers?

What is the Internet Archive and why is it facing a backlash from book publishers?

Sub: Science and tech

Sec: Awareness in IT

Context:

• Internet Archive, parent of Wayback Machine, is facing a serious legal hurdle from book publishers.

What is the Internet Archive?

• The Internet Archive is an American nonprofit digital library founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle. 
• It provides free access to collections of digitized materials including websites, software applications, music, audiovisual, and print materials.
• The Archive also advocates for a free and open Internet.

What is the case against the Internet Archive?

• In the case Hachette vs Internet Archive that began in 2020, traditional publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, Wiley, and Penguin Random House sued Internet Archive.
• These publishers have alleged that Internet Archive violated their copyrights and illegally made their books available to the public as well, by scanning physical copies and distributing the digital files.
• On March 24 last year, District Judge John G. Koeltl issued an order in favour of the publishers.

What is a Wayback Machine?

• The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.
• Using Wayback Machine is easy and free of cost, though results are not always guaranteed.
• While Wayback Machine is useful for personal research or to access information sources, users should be cautious about relying on the data obtained through such sources, as the saved information can sometimes be outdated or inaccurate.