The copyright law prevents you from copying a book, but not from reselling the copy you bought from the publisher. You (as an American) may safely sell or give away any book published in the United States without fear of violating the copyright law. The court said no, and copyright law now includes the “first sale doctrine.” It says that after that first sale, the buyer may sell or otherwise dispose of that book however he or she sees fit without violating the copyright law. In other words, if you tried to resell your copy of a book that you bought at a store, you might be violating their copyright. It's called the “first sale doctrine.” Before this court decision, Bobbs-Merrill, in its copyright notice, added a limitation on reselling their books. ![]() One side relies on one of the most basic of rules, handed down by the Supreme Court in 1908, and codified in the copyright law a year later. The issue at hand involves possible conflicts within the copyright law. There are also many technology vendors, as the same issue arises with high-tech gadgets purchased overseas. One such group is called the “Owners' Rights Initiative,” and its motto is “if you bought it, you own it.” Among its members are the American Library Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, eBay, Goodwill Industries, and Powell's Books, the large Oregon used books retailer. Now, this case has made its way up to the Supreme Court, and there are many parties looking to overturn the verdict. ![]() Evidently, he sold a lot of books, though perhaps not enough to cover a judgment of this magnitude. The Publisher may recover damages and costs, including but not limited to lost profits and attorney’s fees, in the event legal action is required.” Wiley sued and won. The Publisher may take legal action to enforce its rights. ![]() Exportation from or importation of this book to another region without the Publisher’s authorization is illegal and is a violation of the Publisher’s rights. Here is what Wiley prints in their overseas editions: “This book is authorized for sale in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East only may not be exported. John Wiley and Sons (publishers) was not. He could sell them to American students for a lot less than they could buy them at the student bookstore, while still making a tidy profit for himself. He began selling them in America, posting the books on eBay. So, he asked his family to send him a whole bunch of books from Thailand. Not only was he struggling with the high cost of books, but so were his fellow students. American book publishers frequently print identical or very similar editions of the books they publish in America and sell them for much lower prices overseas. However, he recalled that textbooks were much cheaper in Thailand, so he wrote to his family and asked them to see if they could find cheaper versions of the school books he needed back home. ![]() He noticed textbooks are very expensive in America, and he was not a wealthy young man. This issue arose from the brainchild of Supap Kirtsaeng, a student from Thailand attending college in America. Take that, Gutenberg! You better read Johannes' copyright notice before you sell your copy of his bible. A case has come before the Supreme Court that could turn some of our assumptions upside down, at least as pertains to books produced overseas. Maybe we are criminals, violating copyright law. We probably never gave it a second thought. Most of us have probably sold an old book at a yard sale, on eBay, given it to a library, or some such thing.
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