The decision (which may come
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2025 3:41 am
As a lifelong author, game developer and graphic novelist who makes my living primarily from royalties, I understand publishers’ desire to control and profit from content they own. But all of the games and books I’ve created were made possible by what came before—including other games, books, movies, and history I could access when I needed it, thanks to archivists and librarians. Their work is unsung, and often unpaid. I’d like to see it unpunished. Having benefited so much from their efforts, it’s painful to me as a creator to see them under attack.
Download the complete Vanishing Culture report.
The Internet Archive’s recent removal of 500,000 books whatsapp number database its online library, after being sued by a group of big publishers who called scanning and lending their books piracy, is now the subject of an ongoing court case. down to the U.S. Supreme Court) will have a major rippling impact on future preservation efforts and online archiving, including within the video game industry.
I believe in fair use, and I fear for a society in which our ability to document and preserve our history (including books and games we’ve purchased) is effectively hamstrung and blocked by large companies seeking to expand their control of digital platforms. For these reasons, I’m firmly on the archivists’ side.
I can’t help thinking that if the SNCF employees who took home those file boxes of train floor plans and route maps in the 1970s were to do the equivalent today—scan and upload them to a vintage railway enthusiasts’ website, say—they might well find themselves hit with a takedown notice and legal threats. Theft of intellectual property, violation of non-disclosure agreements, conspiracy to commit piracy. In today’s climate, I wouldn’t blame them for hesitating, or for letting their employer consign that history to oblivion.
Download the complete Vanishing Culture report.
The Internet Archive’s recent removal of 500,000 books whatsapp number database its online library, after being sued by a group of big publishers who called scanning and lending their books piracy, is now the subject of an ongoing court case. down to the U.S. Supreme Court) will have a major rippling impact on future preservation efforts and online archiving, including within the video game industry.
I believe in fair use, and I fear for a society in which our ability to document and preserve our history (including books and games we’ve purchased) is effectively hamstrung and blocked by large companies seeking to expand their control of digital platforms. For these reasons, I’m firmly on the archivists’ side.
I can’t help thinking that if the SNCF employees who took home those file boxes of train floor plans and route maps in the 1970s were to do the equivalent today—scan and upload them to a vintage railway enthusiasts’ website, say—they might well find themselves hit with a takedown notice and legal threats. Theft of intellectual property, violation of non-disclosure agreements, conspiracy to commit piracy. In today’s climate, I wouldn’t blame them for hesitating, or for letting their employer consign that history to oblivion.