Under the DMCA the hosting company is free from liability if they respond to takedown requests properly. Prior to that their liability wasn't a clear legal que

Under the DMCA the hosting company is free from liability if they respond to takedown requests properly. Prior to that their liability wasn't a clear legal question so there was alway lawsuit potential. Archive.org could still end up in more trouble under the DMCA because lawyers could argue that there's a pattern of violations and it's not a neutral carrier.