Another one is close to biting the dust. Sci-Hub is out, Z-Lib got ran off like a dog and now IA is going to remove a host of books because these publishers just can't stop being money-hungry bastards.
This is why I support piracy. Knowledge should be free. To go after a nonprofit organization that just wants to make digital books and other formats accessible to everyone when majority of uploads can't be downloaded only borrowed, is just so devious and greedy.
I'm so tired of it. Laws around copyright and intellectual property need to be reformed. I feel so helpless :c
I can't believe these are the times we live in. The services of the Internet Archive are invaluable for scholars and students alike. No library can afford all the printed books/journals or licenses needed for an adequate approach to most topics. And to be honest, shadow libraries are also much needed when publishers lock away vital knowledge (which was often gained through support from public grants).
This seems just another example of how capitalism will bring about the downfall of our civilization as it hinders the progress of science.
I didn't say it was dead, most of its domains were seized by the US, so they were in fact run off like dogs. I made a post a month or two back mentioning the new domain they have.
I hope this is where it stops. Current laws aren't too favourable towards projects like these and the IA depends heavily on donations so I don't think they'd be able to withstand multiple drawn out court battles. I'm just waiting to see what gets affected exactly and to what extent.
Sci-Hub stopped adding new articles since its court case and Z-Lib had most of its domains seized by the US. I didn't say they were dead, but tried to convey that they were attacked and forced to either cease their operations or shrink significantly.
I was of the impression that the ia doesn't delete, but instead puts files in quarantine until copyright runs out. Else they'd have to digitize it again later.
Honestly, for Sci-hub I think it's just that Elbakyan got tired of maintaining and updating it constantly. That "waiting for court results" part was just an excuse, just because Indian law enforcement is too unequipped to go after pirates doesn't mean the country magically became lax on IP law. There was no good chance she could've won the dismissal plea.
That's what I read as well. You would think they would've gotten some leeway since it was done during an event comparable to war and they were following the footsteps of other digital libraries. They had a pretty stellar reputation and system in place for nearly a decade already, so I can only assume that they were simply waiting for an opportunity to target them.
Lmao I'm so sorry! I realised afterwards what was happening, but have no idea how to fix it since I'm still fairly new to Lemmy. I hope it didn't inconvenience you too much!