Last Updated on April 2, 2026, 10:48 am ET
ARL Public Policy Briefing (March 2026)
This month, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of internet service provider Cox in Cox v. Sony, in a welcome decision that protects internet access for millions. ARL joined an amicus brief in favor of Cox in September 2025.
ARL urged the White House to preserve the ADA Title II web accessibility rule, which libraries rely on to require vendors and publishers to deliver content in accessible formats. The White House introduced its AI framework, which aligns with the Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) position on AI training and copyright.
ARL and our partners in the Re:Create Coalition welcomed the withdrawal of H.R. 6028 from markup; the bill raised concerns about decoupling the Copyright Office from the Library of Congress. ARL and the American Library Association (ALA) urged the Senate Commerce Committee not to repeal Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, warning that any reform must account for the law’s protections for libraries.
ARL joined an amicus brief asking the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to uphold the existing standard for secondary copyright infringement.
Also this month, Acting Librarian of Congress Robert Newlen testified in support of the library’s FY 2027 appropriations request, including $5.4 million for a centralized AI enterprise platform.
In Canada, CARL participated in the first National Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Culture, hosted by Canadian Heritage, and followed the event with a letter to Cabinet members advocating for a thoughtful approach to AI legislation and the need for a text and data mining exception for educational purposes.
In comments to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Secretariat on the recent Toolkit on Access to Copyrighted Works in the Collections of Cultural Heritage Institutions: Libraries, Archives and Museums, CARL expressed concerns over the scope of the document and noted that the current draft fails to comprehensively address access in the digital environment.
And, in a meeting with a senior policy advisor from the Office of the Minister of Industry, CARL spoke about the importance of fair dealing for educational institutions and the ways that the postsecondary sector operationalizes copyright compliance.
Read on for more details, and subscribe to receive future issues by email or on LinkedIn!
Accessibility |
Artificial Intelligence |
Copyright and Fair Use/Fair Dealing |
Federal Funding for Library Priorities |
Online Speech and Censorship |
If you have questions or suggestions, please contact Katherine Klosek at kklosek@arl.org.
