Second hand digital content, 2013 BIG liberty challenge!

Cover of "Kindle Wireless Reading Device,...
Cover via Amazon
Two pieces of information:

  1. Apple and Amazon File Patents to Sell Used eBooks (Today it's just impossible).
  2. Regidi allows people to sell legally purchased digital music (and is sued by EMI...).


Why the right to resell digital content is so important?
Because if you can resell digital content, it means that you own it. You have more than a right to use it.
If you can't resell digital content, it means that you don't know it. It's just a right to use it.

With the digitization of content, big brands with big digital stores (Apple, Amazon, Google) and the guys content owned (Music majors, etc.) tried to establish new rules:

- even if it cost nothing to be reproduced, digital content has the same price as tangible content.
Status: it's not so true now. Legal digital music is a bit less expensive than CDs, eBooks are a bit less expensive than books (except in France) but there is still some efforts to do to lower a bit prices in my opinion.

- digital content you buy can be used in one device and can be read with a specific device/program: it's the early stages of DRM rights.
Status: Facing a big failure and enormous consumption of illegal download, they abandoned that fight.

- digital content you buy is not yours, you just buy a right to use it.
  • If you want to pass it to a friend : no way. 
  • If you want to resell it: no way.
  • If you die and want to give it to your kids: no way.
  • If I lose the right to distribute the book: I erase it from your Kindle. (See the Orwell books example)

Status: everything has to be done!
The first piece of information above shows that some vendors have understood. Apple have also an interesting answer to possession of digital content issues: Music Match.
The second piece of information show that other vendors have not understood.

My take:
I'm not really fan of buying a book on a Kindle with these conditions and before I have rights on it (reselling rights or lending rights). Guess how I resolve the problem? Clue: it's illegal.
I use streaming for music because the deal is clear: you don't own the music, you just have the right to listen it. And if a song I like is not on Deezer or Spotify, I resolve the problem in a different way. Clue: it's illegal.

What's your take on it?



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