Spotify Executes Legal Ambush on Anna’s Archive
The case reflects a broader dispute over allegations that Anna’s Archive — typically associated with archiving books and other media — had recently scraped hundreds of terabytes (about 300 TB) of music from Spotify’s catalogue, including metadata and tens of millions of actual tracks, which the archive planned to redistribute. The music industry argued that alerting the archive in advance would have enabled it to move its operations and release the scraped material, so the complaint was kept under seal to prevent that.
A judge granted the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction, compelling Internet intermediaries to withdraw service and block access to the shadow library’s domains, including its primary .org address. The action is part of Spotify’s broader copyright enforcement efforts alongside Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, which are also pursuing a multitrillion-dollar lawsuit alleging massive copyright infringement. Anna’s Archive has disputed hosting content directly but is facing escalating legal pressure as the music companies tighten their enforcement strategies.
