Project: Exhaustion of copyright in a digital environment: An analysis of the disposition capabilities of the first purchaser of a copyright protected digital work, particularly from the consumer’s perspective.

2015-10-01 – 2019-09-30

Abstract

Only authors have the right to distribute works or copies. However, after the first transfer of ownership, this right to control that copy’s further distribution is “exhausted”. Regarding material copies, issues are cleared. Yet, how does exhaustion apply to digital copies? Can buyers freely dispose of purchased eBooks or MP3 files, like they can dispose of real books or CDs?