Why shouldn’t you be able to resell the digital music, movies, TV shows, books and software? One company, ReDigi, is already doing it and Amazon’s patented the idea. A freshly minted Apple patent indicates the Cupertino, California-based maker of cool wants to join the party, as well.
Time is reporting that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has awarded Apple for a system for buying and selling digital movies, music, books and software.
According the to Time, “The system would prevent the original owner from accessing the content after selling it, and could allow the original creator or publisher to receive a cut of the resale price.”
Sounds reasonable enough. Everyone should be happy, right?
Apple Patents Common Sense
Naturally, the music industry — the people who sued children, grandmothers and dead people for millions — hates the idea. In fact, they’re suing ReDigi, which runs a second-hand digital music system, for copyright infringement.
For their part, Amazon and Apple are likely keen on the idea as second-hand digital music sales would help them develop a sense of community and long-term value around their industry-leading music stores.
Consumer rights? Community? Long-term value? No wonder the music industry hates the idea of second hand digital music sales…
What’s your take?