From an old iPhone to that dusty lamp to a used car, your right to resell used goods could be quashed by the country's top court.
"They might as well come in and lock my doors ... shut me down," said thrift store owner Patti McKee when she heard about a case making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. "Everything in here is made in
The court will decide whether people must obtain manufacturer approval to resell items made outside of the
As it stands now, people (and that includes businesses, too) can resell items for profit regardless of where they're manufactured.
A used car dealer, for example, does not need approval to resell, nor does a thrift store operator, or someone holding a yard sale or selling on eBay.
An appellate court recently ruled in favor of a company who sued a student for buying its books in
The company, John Wiley & Sons, argued Kirtsaeng infringed on its copyrighted material, and the court agreed.
But Kirtsaeng's lawyers argued their client was protected under something called the first-sale doctrine, which the US Supreme Court has said gives Americans the right to resell goods.
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