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Maybe what is needed is a "digital files license," a private key registered to you, verifiable (connected to you through some official database outside of the access of commercial interests), unique (one to a person), and attached to any digital files you might buy (software, music, e-books, etc). Losing or sharing that file could mean losing all of your digital files... like leaving the key in the lock of your front door. Therefore, few people would share it with anyone. It could be something issued to you at birth, or arranged for you at a certain age.
The key issuing body would not track what you buy... they just keep the data of whose key belongs to who.
Hardware would need to be designed to only accept digital files with a key that matched the hardware's key, which would be coded in at purchase of the hardware (possibly an extra payment would allow multiple keys to be encoded, i.e., you, spouse, kids, significant, etc). Software, music, e-books, etc, would be designed to hold the encrypted key in a pre-determined place/tag, and would not be changeable by the average consumer.
Older hardware would need to be adapted to this key system, or replaced with newer hardware. Old digital files would have to undergo a conversion process to have the keys embedded into them. If such a system was widely adopted, I'd expect most digital and HW sellers to initiate conversion programs (or risk consumer ostracization).
No, you would not be able to resell digital files directly... maybe a system could be developed to alter the file's key, allowing it to be transferred from one owner to the other (something a consumer might not be allowed to do, but which could be authorized at a vendor/middleman level... the "used e-book store").
Again, not a perfect system, but one that a majority of users and producers could be happy with.
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