[lac-discuss-en] Perpetual Copyright on 'Foreign' Goods!

Carlton Samuels carlton.samuels at gmail.com
Tue Oct 30 16:59:26 UTC 2012


IMO, this is a very important case being argued in the U.S. Supreme Court.
The question is, say you buy a copyrighted article elsewhere, do you have
the right to re-sell or otherwise dispose of it in the U.S. - or anywhere
else for that matter - without let or hindrance?

"John Wiley & Sons sued Supap Kirtsaeng for re-selling textbooks he bought
in Thailand on the cheap. Wiley argues that by importing and selling the
books without permission, Kirtsaeng violated copyright law—even though the
books aren't pirated, they're simply cheap foreign editions."

Depending on how it goes here, 'suitcase traders' could violate U.S.
copyright laws.  This may also have a bearing on digital artefacts
purchased online. Here's the thing for local consumption, a lot of 'new'
technologies flow between countries in this way.

Look at the questions raised by Breyer, J and excerpted in the column here.
 Better yet, go read the transcript of oral arguments before the court.
 Yes, its long. But you will get a better sense of the principles - in the
laws of copyright - at play here.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/10/supreme-court-seeks-a-way-around-perpetual-copyright-on-foreign-goods/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+arstechnica/index+(Ars+Technica+-+All+content)

- Carlton

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