Currently up on the Supreme Court's docket for this session is the case of Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons. The issue is the reselling of materials previously purchased by consumers. If the Court finds in favor of John Wiley & Sons ... whose stake in this case is being a college textbook publisher who does not see any profit from the sale of used texts ... there is the real possibility that any and all merchandise purchased could be considered "copyrighted" material, and therefore purchasers would have no legal right to re-sell it. The range of consequences from this action is chilling, from making household garage sales illegal to potentially shutting down a major branch of the business landscape: pawn, consignment, and thrift stores.
Can you imagine a world where a Goodwill store can be raided by police for illegally re-selling "copyrighted" merchandise? Scary, isn't it?
On October 29th, websites across the Internet will display graphics on their headers, much like we have already, which show our distaste with this situation and our support of a judgment in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons in favor of allowing Americans to retain the right of property over what we have legally purchased. Click on the ball-and-chain at the top of the page to go to Demand Progress's petition urging President Obama and Congress to place their support behind American consumers and not profiteers who wish to use copyrights as weapons against their customers.
DCP's two sites, this one and the Phantom Squadron page, will be participating in the October 29th protest. Click above, sign the petition, and help retain your property rights!