What is Controlled Digital Learning?

Why in News?

In the United States, four publishing houses filed a lawsuit against IA (Internet Archive) for violating copyright laws and misusing the principle of fair use. 

 

What is Internet Archive?

• IA is a not-for-profit organization that is focused on building a globally accessible digital library.
• Most of its archived materials are outside copyright protection and accessible without restrictions.

 

The reason behind Publishers' lawsuit

• Publishers claim that 3.6 million books that are available on IA are copyrighted.
• The publishers' main concern is the "National Emergency Library" which was set up by IA at the peak of Covid19 pandemic.
•  National Emergency Library relaxed the condition for content lending.

 

But publishers claimed that this setup violated copyright laws for 127 titles which are published by them.

Internet Archive's Argument

• Responding to publishers' objections, IA said in its defense that books that are under copyright protection are lent through "Controlled Digital Lending". And that's why this should be considered "Fair use under United States Copyright Laws".

What is Controlled Digital Lending (CDL)?

It works on three core principles:

1. CDL is a developing process in which a digital copy of a physical source is lent in a Lend Like Print Manner.
2. The library must obtain its copies by only legal means.
3. The library must maintain "Owned to Loaned" ratio, simultaneously lending no more copies than it legally owns.

 In simple words, CDL is a model by which libraries digitize materials in their collection and make them available for lending. 

 

Controlled Digital Lending and Public Interest

• In recent years there's been a decline in lending physical copies of reading materials. It doesn't necessarily imply that people have stopped reading or they have stopped going to libraries. 
• It’s just people have changed the medium; by switching to online mode. This change is visible across Indian universities also.
• The unprecedented event of the pandemic just accelerated the process of people finding reading materials on their smartphones and other gadgets.
• Amidst all the uncertainty when physical libraries were closed, CDL gave the public an online platform and it can be said that CDL democratised the usage of libraries.
  It gave an equal opportunity to all sections of society; in urban and rural areas, privileged and underprivileged.
• The idea of CDL proved beneficial for places where there's not a single library or where libraries are far and difficult to access.
• It also provided access to many books that may have gone out of print. All in all, the concept of CDL is hugely beneficial for public interests in countless fields including education, research, and cultural participation.

 

The concept of CDL in India

• As of now, there's no significant progress in this field on the scale of IA. But there are some universities in India such as NLSIU that have started digitisation of their libraries and other reading materials. This initiative can pave for CDL in the future.
• India needs to build a robust system to benefit millions who live in remote villages and tough terrain.

 

Conclusion

• The outcome of this lawsuit in the US has ramifications for all and everywhere in the world. The judgment needs to balance the interests of corporate publishers on one hand and the interest of public at large on the other.

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Source: The Hindu