What do we own? This question is becoming more relevant by the day because many commercially-motivated organizations are pushing Congress to create oppressive legislation that will limit ownership of commercial purchases. Who knew that a purchase wasn’t an implicit agreement that the product that you purchased was yours to do with, as it belongs to you once the commercial exchange took place. But that is no longer the case as some corporations, sellers, creatives, and others seek to lock in their ability to continue making profits on every item that they sell in perpetuity.
How is this a free market? It isn’t. Now a case is being heard by the US Supreme Court that will decide whether people can resell physical items that they purchased. IP protection is pushing the market to limit how innovation can occur, and this will kill all of our futures. It is already skewing the playing field towards those with the biggest legal teams and resources. We’ve been getting wave after wave of draconian legislations pushed by groups who continue to demand that they be protected from the evil sharing proponents. If this law is allowed to pass, storefronts like Ebay, Amazon, and even weekend flea markets can be forced to shutter their doors or ask (and pay) for the privilege to resell items at the IP owner’s discretion. This is not how our markets should run. There’s nothing free about this form of commerce if powerful entities are the ones who control how the marketplace operates.
Click on the ball and chain above to visit DemandProgress’ site, You’ve Been Owned, so that you can write your letter to the White House and Congress to let them know that your purchases are yours to do with as you wish. Without having to be forced to pay perpetually for it. By focusing on “foreign made”, you’re not shutting down the grey market, but you are limiting consumer choice.
And if you want to know more about the First Sale Doctrine, then visit these sites:
- EFF – Poking More Holes in the First Sale Doctrine
- Wired – Supreme Court Weighing First Sale Copyright Doctrine
- Public Knowledge -First Sale posts
