S 10678: Establishes the literary lifecycle management or LLM act which prohibits the destruction of rare books; imposes civil penalties.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 10678  IN SENATE August 14, 2026 ___________ Introduced by Sen. GONZALEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to establishing the literary lifecycle management or LLM act which prohibits the destruction of rare books The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new article 2 48 to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 48 4 LITERARY LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT OR LLM ACT 5 Section 1800. Prohibition against the destruction of rare books. 6 § 1800. Prohibition against the destruction of rare books. 1. For the 7 purposes of this section, the term "destroy" shall mean the irreversible 8 removal of pages from the book's binding or to otherwise render the book 9 permanently incapable of practical usage by a human reader. 10 2. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, business, association, 11 non-profit organization, or corporation to intentionally destroy for 12 commercial purposes any book published before the year nineteen seventy 13 or that was part of a print run consisting of less than two hundred 14 copies. 15 3. (a) Any person, firm, business, association, non-profit organiza- 16 tion, or corporation or agent or employee thereof who engages in any of 17 the acts or practices stated in this article to be unlawful shall be 18 liable to a civil penalty as follows: 19 (i) five hundred dollars for a first violation; 20 (ii) two thousand dollars for a second violation; or 21 (iii) five thousand dollars for a third or subsequent violation and an 22 injunction from a court of competent jurisdiction. 23 (b) A court shall also allow for an additional penalty of up to the 24 market value of such book. Violations shall accrue to the state of New 25 York and may be recovered in a civil action brought by the attorney 26 general. Whenever the attorney-general shall believe from evidence 27 satisfactory to them that any person, firm, business, association, non- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD16263-01-6 
 S. 10678 2 1 profit organization, or corporation operating as an online retailer has 2 engaged in or is engaged in any of the acts stated in this article, the 3 attorney general may bring an action in the name and on behalf of the 4 people of the state of New York. 5 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.