Meanings
plural shadow libraries
- InternetmediaAn unlawful online book distributor that hosts free copies as PDFs, EPUBs, and the like for download.
Judge Alsup ruled that this approach was fair use under the law. But he also found the company’s previous approach — downloading and storing books from shadow libraries like Library Genesis and Pirate Library Mirror — was illegal.
2025 September 5, Cade Metz, “Anthropic Agrees to Pay $1.5 Billion to Settle Lawsuit With Book Authors”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 05 Sep 2025Synonyms: pirate library, black open access
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn unlawful online book distributor that hosts free copies as PDFs, EPUBs, and the like for download.
Cite this entry
shadow library. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shadow%20library
“shadow library.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shadow%20library. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shadow library,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shadow%20library.
Source: shadow library on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.