WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to deny appeal of a unanimous federal appeals panel decision that the Google Books project to digitize millions of books is legal under fair use, the Re:Create Coalition released the following statement:

“Our copyright laws were established to help expand access to information, and today the nation’s highest court affirmed that the Google Books project benefits public knowledge. By denying the petition for writ of certiorari, it lets stand the ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals that the Google Books project to digitize books and records is a ‘transformative’ use of copyrighted materials for the benefit of public knowledge. The Second Circuit’s October 2015 ruling in the case was a major victory for fair use, and librarians, archivists and members of the public were well-served by this decision. It reflects awareness and understanding of how the tools of the digital age can foster greater access to knowledge and information,” said Josh Lamel, Executive Director of Re:Create.