Major record labels, including Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, have settled a legal dispute with the nonprofit Internet Archive after a two-year battle over the digitization and streaming of vintage vinyl records. A joint notice was filed in California federal court, requesting that all case deadlines be paused while they finalize the settlement. They expect to officially dismiss the lawsuit within 45 days.
The lawsuit originated in 2023 when record companies sued the Internet Archive over its “Great 78 Project,” which aims to digitize donations of 78-rpm records from the 1890s to the 1950s. The project has raised concerns for music publishers, as many of these recordings are still under copyright. The companies accused the Archive of running an “illegal record store,” violating copyrights on thousands of songs by notable artists like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. The suit included a list of 2,749 copyrighted tracks claimed to be infringed upon.
The Internet Archive defended its actions under fair use, claiming the project is intended to preserve cultural materials. The case was set to proceed toward trial before the settlement. The Internet Archive had previously lost a similar lawsuit regarding scanning copyrighted books and providing them for free online.
