DRM has absolutely nothing to do with this situation. I doubt AutoCAD Release 14 had anything more complicated than a serial number and a CD key.
In fact, the only way I can imagine that legitimate transfers of ebooks -- whether you treat it as an actual sale or license -- can work is
with DRM.
For example, let's say I purchase an ebook without DRM. I then make backup copies of this book, and burn it to multiple CD's. I then resell the ebook to John Doe via ebay or a private sale. Guess what? I've still got a half-dozen fully accessible copies in my possession, which I can read at any time.
With DRM the vendors, publisher, copyright holder and so forth knows that when you do in fact resell that ebook, that action will in fact result in the seller losing access to their copy of the title.
Nor does it seem like consumers are always thrilled by the idea of a more honest "rental" situation, such as a music subscription service.
At this time I'm not sure of my opinion of this ruling. Information about the case is a bit conflicting. I'm a bit on the fence about resale, again mostly due to the complications of ensuring that the seller does in fact revoke their access. Plus the issue may well end up dwindling in importance as more and more software moves away from the "buy this copy" towards a subscription or service-based approach.
That said, ultimately it makes little sense to treat a non-physical object exactly the same way as a physical object. Of course, most consumers expect to get all of the benefits, and none of the drawbacks, of both physical and non-physical objects, at little (or no) cost. Go figure.
