Supreme Court reviewing your right to resell your own goods

[Mikey]

It's sad the Supreme Court ruled the guy that sued the Westboro Baptist Church not only lost but has to pay their court costs.

After THAT ruling I wouldn't be suprised at ANYTHING they decide

[CrimsonGhost]

I should have taken the time to read the articles before this, but I was wondering who was going to police garage sales and flea markets. HAHA! Seemed pretty ridiculous.

[Bulldog6125]

Its pretty sad that the supreme court has to deal with an issue like this when there are real and pressing things they could be ruling on.

[Rallygirl]

I know that's how it's being reported, but I think that Kirtsaeng's defense that finding against him threatens right of first sale is kind of b.s. scaremongering. He wasn't buying the books for personal use and then selling them later; he was buying books for the explicit purpose of making a profit by circumventing control of regional distribution by the publisher and copyright holder. Unless you're buying $1.2 million in product in hopes of shifting it for an immediate profit, I don't think you have a whole lot to worry about here.

I looked up a few more articles on the subject and I agree. The biggest issue was that Kirtsaeng was buying and reselling dirt-cheap grey market books that were identical to the high cost books published in the U.S. The lawsuit is more about the mass sale of imported grey market items. But lawyers, being lawyers, are using scare tactics. After reading the article in the original link, I then read quite a few law review articles on this case and most of the writers do not believe it will have actual implications on our secondary market, except for a few large grey market eBay stores.

[MegoSteve]

I know that's how it's being reported, but I think that Kirtsaeng's defense that finding against him threatens right of first sale is kind of b.s. scaremongering. He wasn't buying the books for personal use and then selling them later; he was buying books for the explicit purpose of making a profit by circumventing control of regional distribution by the publisher and copyright holder. Unless you're buying $1.2 million in product in hopes of shifting it for an immediate profit, I don't think you have a whole lot to worry about here.

[Mikey]

Was reading it would also effect cars

That would screw everything up considering just about no cars are made in the USA anymore.

[nobody]

this will never happen...it would shut ebay down overnight, not to mention every flea market, collectibles show, antique store, garage sale, pawn shop...it would cripple the economy.

exactely!!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I can't see this going very far, but it's frightening to think what lawyers can come up with.

Chris

[EMCE Hammer]

Beyond collecting and ebay and garage sales the most troubling aspect of this is that is would be an even bigger incentive to manufacture goods overseas.

Couldn't it cut both ways? Let's say Mattel played that game, and some up and coming competitor decided to manufacture here under the current system. Who would you want to give your business?

[starsky]

i just signed the petition.

[megoscott]

Beyond collecting and ebay and garage sales the most troubling aspect of this is that is would be an even bigger incentive to manufacture goods overseas.

[enyawd72]

This will never happen...it would shut Ebay down overnight, not to mention every flea market, collectibles show, antique store, garage sale, pawn shop...it would cripple the economy.

[knight errant00]

I think that's ridiculous! How in the world can someone tell you that you can't sell something that's YOURS regardless of where you bought it or where it came from?

Same thing they're trying to do with all your iTunes downloads -- claim you don't *own* it, but that you're *licensing* it from them, and that the license isn't transferable. I actually read an entire article about how lawyers are helping some people set up family trusts so rights to downloaded music and movies don't revert back to Apple when the person whose account paid for the download dies!

First they came for my music downloads, then they came for my vintage, overseas-produced action figures . . .

[HardyGirl]

I think that's ridiculous! How in the world can someone tell you that you can't sell something that's YOURS regardless of where you bought it or where it came from?

[jimsmegos]

craps just getting ridiculous with all the regulations and tax and re-tax... blah, blah, blah.