Tuesday, July 3, 2012

European Courts OK Resale of Computer Downloads

Forbes magazine reports that The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in favor of reselling downloaded games.

"Simply put, legally purchased and downloaded games will be treated like physical copies of the game, and consumers can then sell their ‘used’ game."

The Official Release from the Court makes it clear that an original buyer cannot sell part of the license and must make their own copy unusable if they do sell to another acquirer.

What does a "used digital work" look like?  The answer, of course, is it looks identical to the original - a perfect replica with no battered pages or faded resolution.  The only difference between a used copy and an "original" is how the right to use it is recognized.

At Bitmenu, we have been watching closely for new developments not only with file-sharing and rights management, but also legitimate re-distribution of digital works.