After today’s brownbag, I decided to look up the court case our guest speakers mentioned, Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons. According to Forbes.com, this ruling in favor of the student is a “major victory for American consumers because it allows them to shop worldwide for their copyrighted content” (Shapiro). According to the article, the first-sale doctrine has been taken to court on a number of occasions, including one case in 1984 regarding the VCR. As students who often purchase used textbooks online from unknown sources, it is important to be aware of the legalities of such actions.
I’m glad we’re starting to open up the market to one of a global scale. But of course, as you mentioned, it is now even more important to be conscious, informed consumers.