Criminal Law Library Blog
On JUly 28, 2010, Skyriver Technology Solutions, LLC and Innovative Interfaces, Inc. filed a complaint against Online Computer Library Center, Inc.(OCLC) in the District Court Northern District of California alleging federal and state antitrust violations and unfair competition. More specifically the complaint states that OCLC “…is unlawfully monopolizing the bibliographic data, cataloging services, and interlibrary lending markets and is attempting to monopolize the market for integrated library systems by anticompetitive and exclusionary agreements, policies and practices.”
OCLC has responded though a Statement from Larry Alford, the Chair of the OCLC Board of Trustees and Jay Jordan OCLC President. The Statement reads in part:
“We at OCLC believe the lawsuit is without merit, and we will vigorously defend the policies and practices of the cooperative .
“OCLC’s General Counsel, working with trial counsel, will respond to this regrettable action by SkyRiver and Innovative Interfaces following procedures and timetables dictated by the court. This process will likely take months or even years, not days..”.
We are not particularly surprised by this action because in our view it is a manifestation of growing concerns and tensions resulting from the increasing commercialization of many organizations serving libraries and other sectors of the information community. Those interested in this issue should also read, or perhaps re-read, Joni Cassidy’s posting on this blog: Skyriver: Could It be a Contender?
Here are some other documents and postings we recommend to those interested in following this action. :
Complaint: Docket No 10-cv-03305-BZ
Library Journal article discussing the founding of SkyRiver as a competitor of OCLC and its potential impat on tehnical Service
“SkyRiver Tech and Innovative Interfaces Seeks Access to “OCLC’s Unlawfully Acquired Database” in Unfair Competition Complaint” August 10 posting on Law Librarian Blog.