Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
If I buy an eBook with no DRM and I want to sell it because I will never be reading it again, how do I do this? How do I take away my ability to download it again? How can I have it moved from my account to the seller's account? I know I can delete all copies and never download it again. But it's the fact that I have access to download it after the sale that's the issue.
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When you sell a house, how can you take away your ability to enter it again? How can you remove your awareness of the weak spots in the window frames? If you were an apartment manager with a master key on file with a local locksmith, how can you prevent him from giving you another copy of it?
If I sell a book to my friend, I can still borrow that book and go to a copy shop & make a copy. Does that mean I can't legally sell it? After all, I still might have access and the ability to make copies.
It's not your problem if a website refuses to remove your access to content you no longer own. You should be able to send them a note that says, "I'm done with this; take it off my account."
Removing access from digital purchases is a minor, technical issue that publishers haven't been willing to support because they want to promote the idea of one user per sale. That is not, however, how sales work in the US--and licenses that work on "no sharing" terms have to be spelled out and within certain legal frameworks. The idea of "it is a violation of copyright to allow your spouse to read this on your laptop" is ridiculous (and false)--but that's what Fictionwise's terms say. It's especially problematic because you *can't* buy a second copy to share with other people in your household.