Internet Archive to Appeal Copyright Lawsuit Loss Over Digital Library.

Internet Archive plans to appeal a federal court ruling that favored four major publishers who sued the nonprofit for copyright infringement. The publishers sued Internet Archive over its lending policies, claiming that it "creates derivative e-books that, when lent to the public, compete with those authorized by the publishers." Internet Archive argues that its digital lending makes it easier for patrons who live far from physical libraries to access books and that it supports research, scholarship, and cultural participation by making books widely accessible on the Internet. The ruling is seen as a blow for libraries, readers, and authors, and supporters warn that a future in which libraries cannot own, preserve, or control the digital books in their collections would be awful.