Yes. I mean, they're the subject of ongoing litigation, but they're not a piracy site. They're doing everything above-board. They are also not as convenient as it might at first seem. Most books have a 1-hour timer on them, and they're not ebooks—you're reading scanned book pages. You definitely can't send the files to a Kindle, and probably not to any e-ink reader. You usually can't even download the file but have to read it in your browser. (At least, the books that I've seen.) They're incredibly useful if you need to, say, check a table of contents, read a few pages to see if you like the style, look something up quickly, etc. But I've never actually read a book of theirs in full. Answer from jefrye on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/books › is openlibrary.org really legal?
r/books on Reddit: Is openlibrary.org really legal?
August 9, 2022 -
I just found the website openlibrary.org and it seemed almost too good to be true lol. There are a couple of books on there that aren't available to borrow at my local library and that I want to download. However I am unsure if I should because when I was looking it up there seems to have been some controversy over whether their practices with scanning and uploading ebooks is in the clear. For example, this article: https://www.authorsguild.org/industry-advocacy/update-open-library/. The books I wanted to download are mostly 20th century works whose authors are dead but that are still covered by copyright, so I would not be worried about taking money from an author, but I also don't want to get in trouble or to be contributing to something unethical
So, is using open library to borrow books legal/ethical?
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Yes. I mean, they're the subject of ongoing litigation, but they're not a piracy site. They're doing everything above-board. They are also not as convenient as it might at first seem. Most books have a 1-hour timer on them, and they're not ebooks—you're reading scanned book pages. You definitely can't send the files to a Kindle, and probably not to any e-ink reader. You usually can't even download the file but have to read it in your browser. (At least, the books that I've seen.) They're incredibly useful if you need to, say, check a table of contents, read a few pages to see if you like the style, look something up quickly, etc. But I've never actually read a book of theirs in full.
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So, is using open library to borrow books legal/ethical? The former - is it legal - as noted, is under litigation to establish the answer to that question. To me, it's pretty clear that it's not legal. They are taking liberties with the first sale doctrine etc by buying a physical copy, scanning it, and then lending the resulting digital file. Doing it this way means the author is seeing no money from the digital lending whatsoever. Which isn't right. It's even worse when they're buying books second-hand. Legitimate library systems pay for a license for the ebook(s), and when the license expires, they pay for another one if the demand for the book is still there (this is intended to replicate the way libraries would buy physical copies and then buy further copies to replace the old ones as they wear out). Also, some countries have what is known as a Public Lending Right (or similar). What this is is a pot of money that is distributed to authors whose books are borrowed from public libraries, so they get paid for the loans. Open Library/The Internet Archive pays no money to the authors. Which brings me to the second part of the question; is it ethical? No. Use your local library. Ask them if they can get the books for you. As eBooks. In most cases you will find that if they can, they will. But libraries are heavily reliant on patrons letting them know what books they want. Many library services in my country have a form on their website that you can fill out to express interest in books they don't yet carry. And my own local library service has added books to their catalogue many times after I've filled out a form. So to me, the ethical thing to do is to try and exhaust all avenues with a local library service first. Should such avenues be exhausted to no avail, my next step would be to see if it's possible to get the book(s) for 1p+postage from online marketplaces. Even if it's a shitty copy and I throw it away after reading, 1p+ postage is less than I'd pay for an Inter Library Loan, so I can justify it on myself that way. If the book isn't available, or is incredibly expensive, then. Well. You could use Open Library/Internet Archive. But don't kid yourself it's ethical (or, depending on the outcome of the litigation, legal).
Open Library
openlibrary.org › subjects › safe
safe | Open Library
Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Read, borrow, and discover more than 3M books for free.
Open Library
openlibrary.org › help › faq › about
About Open Library | Open Library
Open Library is an open source universal catalog that anyone can edit. Open Library links to WorldCat to help you find a book you can borrow from a library near you for any editions we have either an ISBN or an OCLC identifier for. ... Open Library is free and open to anyone.
The Authors Guild
authorsguild.org › home › an update on open library
An Update on Open Library - The Authors Guild
November 11, 2025 - Check to find out if your books being are displayed and distributed to the entire world without authorization.
Librarian
librarian.net › stax › 5103 › ask-a-librarian-what-is-the-deal-with-free-ebook-sites
Ask A Librarian: What is the deal with “free” ebook sites?
May 1, 2020 - Basically the idea is you have a copy of a book and instead of lending the print-copy, you lend the digital copy on a one-loan-at-a-time basis using Adobe Digital Editions DRM (i.e someone has to log in with an Adobe ID if they want to download the item, reading online with the flip-book requires no Adobe login but that book isn’t available to other patrons until it’s returned). This is both not-legal but also (I’d argue) not-illegal; it’s in an untested area of law. Most of the books in Open Library are older books, ones that rights holders don’t care much about, they’ve been there forever.
Quora
quora.com › Im-wary-of-torrents-Are-they-safe-on-the-open-library-openlibrary-org-and-archive-site-archive-org
I'm wary of torrents. Are they safe on the open library (openlibrary.org) and archive site (archive.org)? - Quora
Answer: I'm wary of torrents. Don’t be. That’s like saying you’re wary of files. You’ve probably heard a lot of propaganda about torrents being illegal (they’re not) or evil (uh huh) which is pushed by people with a vested interest in scaremongering (like the MPAA, etc.)
Reddit
reddit.com › r/antivirus › is open library safe?
r/antivirus on Reddit: Is open library safe?
January 27, 2022 -
This is what I got back for the website's analysis. What does this mean? Is it a false positive?
https://scanner.pcrisk.com/detailed_report/openlibrary.org#details
YouTube
youtube.com › λsk λbout solutions
Is open library safe? - YouTube
00:00 - Is open library safe?00:38 - Is Openlibrary illegal?01:08 - Is the Open Library free?01:35 - Is there an open library app?Laura S. Harris (2021, May ...
Published May 30, 2021 Views 5K
Scamadviser
scamadviser.com › check-website › openlibrary.org
openlibrary.org Reviews | check if site is scam or legit | Scamadviser
In summary, It seems that openlibrary.org is legit and safe to use and not a scam website.
Open Library
openlibrary.org › books › OL10440351M › Safe
Safe by Susan Shaw | Open Library
December 9, 2022 - Safe by Susan Shaw, October 4, 2007, Dutton Juvenile edition, Hardcover in English
Quora
scienceandinnovation1.quora.com › Unlocking-the-Internets-Library-Navigating-the-Legalities-of-OpenLibrary-and-Copyright-Issues-with-Books-https-www
Unlocking the Internet's Library: Navigating the Legalities of OpenLibrary and Copyright Issues with Books https://www.quora.com/Is-Open...
Unlocking the Internet's Library: Navigating the Legalities of OpenLibrary and Copyright Issues with Books https://www.quora.com/Is-OpenLibrary-internet-archive-legal-to-use-What-is-copyright-issues-with-the-book-And-how-we-legally-read-book-on-internet/answer/Dharmendra-Meena-7
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Open_Library
Open Library - Wikipedia
May 14, 2026 - Open Library is an online project intended to create "one web page for every book ever published". Created by Aaron Swartz, Brewster Kahle, Alexis Rossi, Anand Chitipothu, and Rebecca Hargrave Malamud, Open Library is a project of the Internet Archive, a nonprofit organization.
MobileRead
mobileread.com › forums › showthread.php
So what's the deal with openlibrary.org - MobileRead Forums
So what's the deal with openlibrary.org General Discussions
Open Library
openlibrary.org › help › faq
Frequently Asked Questions | Open Library
April 29, 2026 - I'm a publisher. I have a CSV file of all our publications. Can I share that on Open Library?
Reddit
reddit.com › r/booksuggestions › is openlibrary.org legal? does it really violate any copyright laws?
r/booksuggestions on Reddit: Is openlibrary.org legal? Does it really violate any copyright laws?
May 14, 2019 - Sorry for such a late reply, but the technical answer is maybe. As of right now, there is no definitive legal precedent that should make it illegal. As argued by Open Library, "Controlled Digital Lending" is protected by Fair Use for libraries.
Quora
quora.com › Is-an-open-textbook-library-safe-and-legit
Is an open textbook library safe and legit? - Quora
Answer: Yes Open Textbook Library is a safe and legit website. You can download any kind of textbooks here for free. Website very old and there are thousands of facilities ans students use this website to read books. There are other websites where you can download textbooks for free but those are...
Google Play
play.google.com › store › apps › details
Open Library - Apps on Google Play
Open Library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Read, borrow, and discover more than 3M books for free. ... Safety starts with understanding how developers collect and share your data. Data privacy and security practices may vary based on your use, region, and age.
Openlibrary
openlibrary.work
Open Library – Free Online Library to Read and Borrow Books
Yes, Open Library is generally safe.
Internet Archive
blog.archive.org › category › open-library
Open Library | Internet Archive Blogs
November 14, 2024 - We are grateful for the support from our patrons, through social media, through donations, and through offers of help, which frankly, makes it worthwhile to keep building a library for all of us. ... Last week, along with a DDOS attack and exposure of patron email addresses and encrypted passwords, the Internet Archive’s website javascript was defaced, leading us to bring the site down to access and improve our security. The stored data of the Internet Archive is safe and we are working on resuming services safely.
Lutzker & Lutzker
lutzker.com › home › insights › internet archive’s open library and copyright law
Internet Archive’s Open Library and Copyright Law - Lutzker & Lutzker
January 6, 2025 - This post has been updated. Read the first addendum here, the second addendum here, the third addendum here and the […]