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Ebook download site library.nu and its hosting site ifile.it have been served with cease-and-desist orders from a group of publishers, leading to the shutdown of library.nu and removal of files from ifile.it.
In the wake of Megaupload’s shutdown, anti-piracy groups are pushing through action against other sites that host or link to pirated works. Ebook link site library.nu is the latest to go dark after being served a cease-and-desist order by a group of over a dozen publishers, including Oxford University Press and Elsevier. The group alleged that the site contained links to 400,000 pirated ebooks, which were hosted on cyberlocker ifile.it, and that the two sites had generated 8 million euros ($10.4 million US) in advertising, though it’s not clear whether that’s an annual number or a total over library.nu’s roughly five-year tenure. Unlike library.nu, ifile.it is still operational, but has disabled anonymous uploading and removed ebook files associated with library.nu.
Besides being probably the biggest dedicated ebook download site, library.nu was notable for linking to a large number of academic texts, explaining the prominence of educational publishers like Elsevier in the alliance. The effort was coordinated by the German Publishers and Booksellers Association and the International Publishers Association, which say this move shows that international publishing “continues to stand up against organized copyright crime.” Unlike with Megaupload, no domains were seized, and it appears that no criminal charges will be filed. Instead, library.nu’s status page displays a brief message: “rip lnu.”
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