Owner Lib.ru Convicted for Copyright Infringement

A Russian court has found the owner of Lib.ru, Russia's biggest online library, guilty of copyright infringement for publishing the works of a writer online without authorization. According to Russian internet pioneer Sergei Kuznetsov electronic libraries

"[...] regularly publish copyrighted material, including scanned versions of brand-new print publications, with the stipulation that writers who would rather not have their work published online can ask to have it taken down."

Kuznetsov says that this kind of mirrored copyright (reproduction unless opting out) stems from the open-source approach of the early days of the Russian Internet (RuNet). While previous lawsuits against Lib.ru's owner did not end in success, this conviction may prove to be a sign of a changing attitude towards (online) copyright in Russia. In the past months other courts have taken the side of copyright owners at the cost of online libraries, and more lawsuits are following.

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Related: Russia's Internet Self-Discipline