Kirtsaeng vs John Wiley & Sons, and why you should care

Today, the Supreme Court is hearing a case that almost no one in America has heard about, and everyone who buys and sells online SHOULD know! Ebay, Etsy, Craigslist, and even the old-fashioned garage sale are under threat from big business…who wants to make sure that consumers do not have the right to re-sell things that were made abroad. While the case hears a specific complaint about textbooks printed overseas, the mandate is broad enough to include all books, clothes, iPhones, electronic components, almost anything.

From Demand Progress.org: “If we lose this fight, practically anybody who wants to resell products they bought — from Macbooks and iPhones to our clothing and textbooks — will have to ask copyright holders for permission first. And they’ll have the right to deny it!”

Say goodbye to selling your old cellphone on Ebay or to Gazelle.com. Bid farewell to that little indie side business in used books, if anything you offer was printed overseas. Say sayonara to selling vintage clothing or accessories, or even products made by recycling such items. The case is broad enough that its protectionism could potentially affect millions of sellers, many of whom rely on resale markets for some or all of their household income. Even if they’re honest citizen who already pay taxes on their earnings.

Here’s a good overview of the case itself: http://www.ocala.com/article/20121029/WIRE/121029696

Go here to join the fight: http://www.youvebeenowned.org/#alarm