The “First Sale Doctrine” in the 21st Century

As most of you know, the “First Sale Doctrine” is a provision in copyright law that permits the owner of a copy of a copyrighted item to sell or transfer that item to another person. In other words if you buy a book or movie CD, you can sell or give away that copy without running afoul of copyright law But there are, of course, lots of nuances and exceptions to this rule. For example, the protection only covers works that were “lawfully made” under the copyright act, and it only protect... More Info