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Do you really own the smartphone you’re using to read this email? If you sold your computer, would you be breaking the law? A federal court in New York says you would be.
It's unbelievable, but trademark and copyright holders really are trying to take away your right to sell things that you own: Please add your name at right to fight back.
If we don't speak out now, we won’t be able to sell almost anything we own -- and if we do, we'll face charges for violating intellectual property law!
First-Sale Doctrine gives us the right to sell most property we own. But if the Supreme Court supports the lower court’s decision, we won't really “own” anything if it's been made in a different country. We expect them to issue a ruling later this year.
If we want to sell products that were made abroad, from Macbooks and iPhones to our clothing and textbooks -- even our homes -- we'll have to ask copyright holders for permission first. And they'll have the right to deny it!
It's bad for so many reasons: It'll undermine Craigslist and Ebay, hurt the environment, increase incentives for manufacturers to make things and move jobs off-shore, and effectively ban the traditional American yard sale.
