Reaffirming that no serious or informed person believes the Internet Archive’s self-proclaimed “National Emergency Library” is legal, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on intellectual property, Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, sent a letter to IA founder Brewster Kahle. “I am not aware of any measure under copyright law that permits a user of copyrighted works to unilaterally create an emergency act,” Tillis writes. “Indeed, I am deeply concerned that your ‘Library’ is operating outside of the boundaries of the copyright law that Congress has enacted and alone has jurisdiction to amend.” Tillis notes, “I deeply value […]
Legal
Authors Guild Joins Opposition to Internet Archive’s Uncontrolled Lending
On Friday the Authors Guild joined the AAP in expressing outrage at the Internet Archive’s self-declared “emergency” powers to lend scanned, copyright books around the world without limitations. “IA has no rights whatsoever to these books, much less to give them away indiscriminately without consent of the publisher or author. We are shocked that the Internet Archive would use the Covid-19 epidemic as an excuse to push copyright law further out to the edges, and in doing so, harm authors, many of whom are already struggling.” Authors Guild president Doug Preston says in their post, “IA’s Open Library is giving […]
Internet Archive Grants Itself Emergency Copyright Powers for Uncontrolled Digital Lending
“To make a real difference for the nation and the world,” the Internet Archive unilaterally granted itself emergency powers to lend a corpus of over 1.4 million ebooks without any restrictions, contrary to its own stated policies. They are calling it a “National Emergency Library to serve the nation’s displaced learners,” lasting at least through June 30. In a modest concession, authors can opt their books out [send an email to info@archive.org with National Emergency Library Removal Request as the subject line. Please include each URL of the book or books you would like to have removed]. They also “recognize […]
Briefs: People, A PRH Bonus, Sales News, Status Reports and More
At Simon & Schuster, Melissa Hurt has been promoted to telemarketing account manager. Tricia Orlando joins as telesales account manager. She was previously with Norton in the trade sales department. Sharismar Rodriguez has joined Macmillan Children’s as senior art director for Feiwel and Friends, Holt, Roaring Brook Press, and FSG Children’s lists. Previously, she was art director at HMH. At HarperCollins Children’s, Jane Lee has been promoted to associate director, social media; Tyler Breitfeller to senior marketing associate; and Michael D’Angelo to marketing associate. Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally, 81, died Tuesday due to complications from the coronavirus. Wine writer Michael […]
Authors Guild Issues New “Model Contract”
The Authors Guild has released a new version of their “model trade book contract,” the first update in almost a decade. The guild calls the model “both an advocacy initiative as well as an instructional tool.” They had the Association of Authors’ Representatives (AAR) and other independent agents review the model this time. (The model is only viewable by Authors Guild members.) AAR president Gail Hochman comments in the release, “We were pleased to provide suggestions to this new model that aims to recognize the differences between ideal and realistic terms that publishers may grant…. As the title ‘Model Contract’ […]
The Misfits Sues Abrams for Infringement in Photobook
Punk band The Misfits has sued Abrams Books for copyright infringement, claiming that the illustrated book Scream with Me, published in December, is “rife with large-scale, repeated, and unlicensed reproductions of Misfits A.D. intellectual property.” (Frontmen Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only created the Misfits A.D. company when they toured together in 2016.) The book’s cover features what the suit calls the Misfits’ “Fiend Skull design” trademark and, in doing so, “misleads consumers into believing that the photobook has been approved by, or is associated with, Misfits A.D., which is indisputably false.” In addition to an injunction on Abrams’ alleged infringement, […]