HB 6800 Summary

• Effective October 1, 2023, establishes licensing requirements for electronic books and digital audiobooks sold to Connecticut libraries by publishers and aggregators.

• Prohibits publisher contracts from preventing libraries from lending electronic materials through interlibrary loan systems, making preservation copies, or disclosing license terms to other libraries.

• Prohibits restrictions on the number of times a library may loan materials if the contract also limits the loan period, or on the number of licenses purchased on the same date materials become publicly available.

• Allows publishers to limit the number of simultaneous borrowers and require technological protections to prevent unauthorized access beyond the license period.

• Classifies violations as unfair trade practices under Connecticut law and makes contracts with prohibited provisions unconscionable under the state's commercial code.