Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and other record labels have settled a lawsuit with Internet Archive over a project to digitize 78rpm records.
Internet Archive is a non-profit library that creates a digital archive of text, movies, software, music, websites, and more. It’s known for The Wayback Machine which allows users to view archived versions of websites. The organization’s mission is to “provide universal access to all knowledge.”
With its Great 78 Project, Internet Archive is seeking to preserve 78rpm records. “While the commercially viable recordings will have been restored or remastered onto LP’s or CD, there is still research value in the artifacts and usage evidence in the often rare 78rpm discs and recordings,” the project’s website says.
In August 2023, a group of record labels filed a lawsuit against the organization and specifically the Great 78 Project. The labels said that the project was infringing on copyrights and taking away profits that the labels would earn from streams on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music, claiming that the damages could be as high as $412 million.
Internet Archive argued that people wouldn’t be using their collection as a free alternative to streaming platforms. Brewster Kahle, digital librarian of the Internet Archive said in response to the lawsuit: “When people want to listen to music they go to Spotify. When people want to study 78rpm sound recordings as they were originally created, they go to libraries like the Internet Archive. Both are needed. There shouldn’t be conflict here.”
Today, the organization shared a simple blog post, saying “As noted in the recent court filings in UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Internet Archive, both parties have advised the Court that the matter has been settled. The parties have reached a confidential resolution of all claims and will have no further public comment on this matter.”
The two sides expect to formally dismiss the lawsuit within 45 days, according to the notice filed today.