Shadow library: Book publishers want to shut down Anna's Archive
The shadow library Anna's Archive remains accessible via three domains. Several book publishers now want to have it shut down by court order.
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A group of 13 publishing houses wants to have the remaining domains of the shadow library Anna’s Archive shut down. In a requested default judgment against the unknown operators of the website, they are asking a US court to order providers to block the remaining three domains.
The publishing houses had already filed their joint lawsuit (Case No. 26-cv-01850) on March 6. They accuse the shadow library of large-scale copyright infringement. The platform is said to host 63 million books and 95 million papers without a license. Because no representative for Anna’s Archive participated in the court hearing, they have requested a default judgment, which TorrentFreak has published. It provides for a total of 19.5 million US dollars in damages. This is primarily a symbolic contribution; without identifying the operators of Anna’s Archive, it cannot be collected.
Orders against remaining domains
The publishers' proposal to the court also stipulates that domain operators will be obliged, via a permanent, worldwide injunction, to block the remaining domains of Anna’s Archive. Anna’s Archive is currently still accessible via three addresses: annas-archive.gl, .pk, and .gd. A fourth domain with a .pm extension, which was accessible until recently, is no longer reachable. According to court documents, TELE Greenland, Tusass, PKNIC, and the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission in Grenada are responsible for the remaining domains.
The competent United States District Court in the Southern District of New York must still approve the proposal by the publishing houses, which include Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster. Even if the judgment is in favor of the publishing houses, it is no guarantee that the remaining domains will actually be blocked. Some operators not based in the US, for example, deny US courts jurisdiction.
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In fact, an injunction against the remaining domains of Anna’s Archive already exists: Spotify had also obtained a default judgment against Anna’s Archive in a joint lawsuit with several music labels. As part of the judgment, injunctions were issued against various domains of Anna’s Archive; however, the mentioned providers have not complied with this so far.
(dahe)
