Complaint claims organization’s “Great 78 Project,” which includes music from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and more serves as an “illegal record store”
I wonder how much these record labels paid their artists at the time, and exponentially how much more they have made in returns that these artists and their estates will never see, especially the African-American artists like Billie Holliday, Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald.
If the labels were smart, they’d leave well enough alone, considering what’s going on with the writers/actors strike right now. These labels have made literal billions off the work of artists, most of whom saw a fraction of that at best.
Not only is public goodwill not unlimited, the best way to ensure that something becomes archaic and then forgotten is to lock it up behind paywalls. Music that gets listened to is music that gets talked about. Music that cannot be heard or discussed, even under fair use, because copyright attorneys descend on on any playback of it like ravenous wolves, is music that gets forgotten.
It’s kind of crazy to see it all on there for individual download. It should only be available in bulk imo, to act more as an archive and not a pirate site.
Why would one not be able to get individual items from an archive? It’s there for people to access the stuff, not just for people setting up other archives.
To avoid being sued? The internet archive shouldn’t be acting like a new age limewire. I hate record companies as much as the next guy but I use torrents and youtube-dl. No need for the internet archive to be offering the service at such risk.
They hold a lot of important stuff, I just don’t want open season to be declared on suing them. Pick your battles kind of moment.
“In reality, Defendants are nothing more than mass infringers.”
Nothing more? Really? I mean it sounds like they are on shaky ground with this project, but that statement seems awfully reductive. It’s okay; they are allowed to be important and good and also be wrong (if they are, I’m not a lawyer).
Imo modern copyright and trademarks will be our downfall. Can’t get shit done because big companies can just lock shit behind a closet for almost over a lifetime.
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