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The Internet Archive notes

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Under 37 Code of Federal Regulations § 202.18, the Library may provide limited

on-site access to groups of newspapers electronically submitted for registration,

as well as electronic serials and books submitted for mandatory deposit. The Copyright Office has proposed expanding

the categories of electronic deposits covered by the phone number database regulation

with the same limitations on access as are currently in place.

Specifically, the works may only be accessed under

The supervision of Library staff through computer terminals in the Library’s reading rooms. These terminals are not connected to the Internet and the input/output connections (USB, etc.) are disabled. Libraries support expanding on-site access rules. To new categories of deposits to ensure that over time,

the public can continue to access works in the Library’s collection.

During a public comment period

For this proposed rule, groups representing rightsholders surfaced concerns about infringement, and urged the Office to heighten security academic librarian end to controlled digital and protection of electronic deposit copies before instituting its proposed rule. As SPN observes in its reply comments, there is no serious basis for these concerns, as the security measures in place already render electronic materials less accessible and less susceptible to misuse than traditional print formats.

Rightsholder groups also suggest

That licenses are necessary when the Copyright Office transfers deposits to the Library, and when the Library provides digital access to works.  That a licensing regime is not necessary to permit access to the Library’s collections, explaining that “the Copyright Act has always allowed libraries to preserve and provide access to works in their sault data collection without permission or authorization from rightsholders.” Indeed, “Congress has never required the Library of Congress, or any other library, to pay licensing fees to preserve or lend items in their collections.”

Not only are these security concerns and licensing proposals meritless, they are a distraction from the Library of Congress’ critical role as collector and preserver of our cultural heritage to benefit the public interest.