Lawyer: Buyers Have The Right To Resell Copyright-Protected Works

U.S. residents who buy products protected by copyright shouldn’t have to worry about where those products were manufactured before reselling them, a lawyer told the U.S. Supreme Court Monday.

If textbook maker John Wiley & Sons has its way, it could be illegal for U.S. residents to resell a large number of products made overseas, said lawyer Joshua Rosenkranz, representing Supap Kirtsaeng, a Thai man who financed his U.S. college education by importing textbooks he could buy cheaper in Asia and selling them on eBay in the U.S.

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Monday about whether to uphold a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruling that could outlaw the resale of large numbers of products made outside the U.S., including books, CDs, DVDs and software. John Wiley & Sons sued Kirtsaeng for reselling versions of textbooks intended to be distributed outside the U.S...