No Library For You: French Authorities Threatening To Close An App That Lets People Share Physical Books

French authorities are claiming it's illegal to lend physical copies of books to people using an app. That's copyright infringement!? ​Article by Techdirt EFF's Parker Higgins recently tweeted a question detailing the truly messed up state of copyright law. What do you think would happen if someone invented the public library today? Can you even imagine trying to invent public libraries in 2015? — Parker Higgins (@xor) August 21, 2015 It's not necessarily a new idea. Nearly four years ago, we asked a similar question right here at Techdirt. And even after centuries of having public libraries, we sometimes still see authors lash out at them.

French authorities are claiming it's illegal to lend physical copies of books to people using an app. That's copyright infringement!?

​Article by Techdirt

EFF's Parker Higgins recently tweeted a question detailing the truly messed up state of copyright law. What do you think would happen if someone invented the public library today?

Can you even imagine trying to invent public libraries in 2015?

— Parker Higgins (@xor) August 21, 2015

It's not necessarily a new idea. Nearly four years ago, we asked a similar question right here at Techdirt. And even after centuries of having public libraries, we sometimes still see authors lash out at them. And, indeed, you see some weird situations like when people put up little personal libraries in their front yards, people have tried to shut them down, but for being "illegal structures" rather than over the horror of the free lending of books. And you could argue that various attacks on parts of copyright law on the internet really are attacks on the modern form of a library.

However, over in France, they really are taking the idea of attacking new forms of libraries to incredible new heights. There's a French startup called Booxup that is taking the above personal lending library concept and making it digital. You get an account, scan your books, upload a list of those you're willing to lend to others, and the service connects willing lenders with willing borrowers, putting books that would otherwise be collecting dust on shelves to good use actually being read and educating and entertaining the public. Neat. 

Except... not so neat, according to French authorities who are claiming the whole thing could be illegal:

- Read more at TechDirt