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Thoughts tagged "open access"

Short thoughts, notes, links, and musings by Molly White. RSS

well that sucks. apparently the ALA/Freedom To Read Foundation have trademarks on the phrase "free people read freely", which i use in a lino print i made into stickers a few years ago.

Why we're reaching outFreedom To Read Foundation recently let us know that they believe some of your listings infringe their intellectual
property (IP). In line with our Intellectual Property Policy,
we've carefully reviewed their report and have removed these listings from our marketplace.

Review the full report from Freedom To Read Foundation Freedom To Read Foundation Representative's Information [redacted] Freedom To Read Foundation Intellectual Property FREE PEOPLE READ FREELY trademark Trademark registration number: 7446426

A sticker made from a linocut print, which has the text “Free people read freely” in block capitals above a person in a dress reaching to take a book from a large bookshelf. The sticker is resting on a pile of old books.

i got the phrase from a 2023 speech by librarian and former ALA leader Tracie D. Hall. i didn't think to check if it was trademarked because, lol, what a wild thing to trademark. turns out the trademark had been granted two months before i made the print.

it's no big deal from a business perspective — i don't sell these stickers for much more than they cost, because i mostly just think it's an important message that i want to help people share. i've probably given away at least as many as i've sold, which i guess is now what i'll have to do with the rest.

anyway if you were wondering what happened to the stickers, now you know.

Shadow libraries and AI training

For those just learning about LibGen because of the reporting on Meta and other companies training LLMs on pirated books, I’d highly recommend the book Shadow Libraries: Access to Knowledge in Global Higher Education (open access).

I just read it while working on the Wikipedia article about shadow libraries, and it’s a fascinating history.

I fear the already fraught conversations about shadow libraries will take a turn for the worse now that they’re overlapping with the incredibly fraught conversations about AI training.

A scan of a linocut print, which has the text “Free people read freely” in block capitals above a person in a dress reaching to take a book from a large bookshelf

The Trump administration is explicitly targeting libraries, museums, and the press in the latest executive order.

Also going after services for the homeless, minority businesses, and community development.

The cruelty is the point.

i) the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service;
(ii) the United States Agency for Global Media;
(iii) the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution;
(iv) the Institute of Museum and Library Services;
(v) the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness;
(vi) the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund; and
(vii) the Minority Business Development Agency.

made some new stickers based on the linocut print i did earlier this year. the fight to protect libraries and access to information will be more important than ever.

A sheet of stickers reading “Free People Read Freely” in both black on white and white on black, and a larger sticker with the same text, above a print of a person in a dress reaching to take a book from a large bookshelf

store link

ah. well.

Thank you to everyone who helped raise $4,211 to support the Internet Archive’s Open Library!

Defend the Internet Archive
Bid on a print to support the Internet Archive's Open Library
Image: A 6x8" linocut print in black ink depicting a person in a dress reaching for a book on a large bookshelf. Above is “Free people read freely”; below is “Defend the Internet Archive”. The print is propped up against a shelf of books.
Organized by Molly White
$4,211
10 Supporters
Story

The recent Second Circuit decision in Hachette v. Internet Archive is only the latest battle in the war on libraries and the freedom to read. Support the Internet Archive's Open Library and fight to protect libraries and readers.

All proceeds go to the Internet Archive's Open Library.

Confirmation screen: Thank you, Molly! We deeply appreciate your donation of $4211.00. Your generosity helps us promote Universal Access to All Knowledge.h

6 × 8” linocut relief print, CC BY 4.0

Black ink linocut print of a person in a dress reaching for a book on a large bookshelf. Above is “Free people read freely”; below is “Defend the Internet Archive”.

Seen a couple takes about the Hachette case along the lines of “the Internet Archive should’ve stuck to just archiving the Internet and not testing new theories of copyright” and uhhh... I’m not sure what it is you think the Internet Archive does, outside of testing new theories of copyright.

People have gotten so used to the existence of the Internet Archive’s web archive that they forget how revolutionary and subversive it is. The idea that that is somehow safe while the book lending was not is completely flawed. They were just up against a more powerful group.

What was the alternative? That they only archive and distribute works that are copyrighted by people with sufficiently little power/wealth?

The Internet Archive lost its appeal in the Hachette case. What a devastating loss for all of us.

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