Judge Compels Anna’s Archive to Delete Data, Compliance Doubts Persist

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio has issued a significant ruling regarding Anna’s Archive and its data practices. Judge Michael Watson’s court order addresses the illegal scraping of data from WorldCat.org, a leading library metadata collection.

Key Events and Findings

According to the court’s findings, Anna’s Archive began scraping data from WorldCat in October 2022. The plaintiff, OCLC (Online Computer Library Center), reported that their website endured continuous attacks for approximately one year due to these actions.

Details of the Breach

• The scraping involved the use of search bots that disguised themselves as legitimate search engine bots, such as those from Bing and Google.
• This activity not only resulted in website crashes but also caused significant server slowdowns.

Court Rulings

The court granted OCLC a default judgment for a breach-of-contract claim, which was connected to the terms and conditions of WorldCat.org. Additionally, a trespass-to-chattels claim was affirmed due to the alleged harm caused to the website and servers.

Rejections of Claims

While the court acknowledged some claims, it rejected the tortious-interference-with-contract claim. The plaintiff, OCLC, did not present all necessary components to support this allegation. Furthermore, the unjust enrichment claim was dismissed due to preemption by federal copyright law.

Mandatory Compliance Actions

The judgment imposes strict conditions on Anna’s Archive. They are permanently barred from:

• Scraping or harvesting data from WorldCat.org or OCLC’s servers.
• Using, storing, or distributing WorldCat data on their websites.
• Encouraging others to partake in such activities.

Furthermore, Anna’s Archive is required to delete all copies of WorldCat data and make this information inaccessible.

Impact on Preservation Efforts

The individual behind Anna’s Archive highlighted the importance of the data in creating a list of essential books for preservation. In an October 2023 blog post, they noted that WorldCat’s extensive library metadata collection was crucial to their mission.

This court ruling emphasizes the ongoing challenges surrounding data scraping compliance and copyright issues in the digital age, raising questions about the future of metadata access and digital preservation initiatives.