Z-Library has over 11.2 million eBooks and almost 85 million articles available on their website. However, viewed from the perspective of publishers, Z-Library is not only unfair competition but also highly illegal under copyright law. The National Publishing Union, an industry group representing more than 700 members in the publishing sector, in France has got approval to ban the site for French search engines.
Le Syndicat national de l’édition or SNE as it is known in France has been against digital book piracy for the past 15 years. SNE reports that the blocking order covers 209 Z-Library-related domain names and includes mirror sites that can attempt to circumvent blocking orders. SNE says that more than ever before, curtailing book piracy is a priority for publishers in France, as it negatively affects the ability of the creative sector to invest in the entire publishing ecosystem.
“French publishing is investing massively to allow broad public access to digital books. Book piracy undermines the remuneration of creators: authors and publishers. It poses a threat to the entire book ecosystem, particularly booksellers, and it harms cultural diversity,” SNE says.
Department of Telecommunications in India has also blocked the site. The document confirms that a judge sitting at a court in Delhi ordered local ISPs to start blocking Z-Library in response to a complaint filed by publisher Taxmann Publications Pvt Ltd. The background to the case laid out in earlier filings shows that at least 12 parties are named as defendants. All interne service providers in India are now mandated to block the piracy site.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
