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When is a software license transferable even if it says it’s nontransferable?

  • Mayer Brown LLP
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • December 19 2012

Software companies cannot prevent the sale of “second-hand” software licenses where those licenses are for a one-off fee and an unlimited period.

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UsedSoft v Oracle opens up market for second-hand software licences

  • De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek
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  • European Union
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  • July 6 2012

The Court of Justice of the European Union (the "CJ") handed down a landmark decision on 3 July 2012 in the case of software licence reseller UsedSoft v Oracle that opens up the market for second-hand software licences.

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Could software imports from Europe bypass U.S. first sale and IP exhaustion laws?

  • Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
  • -
  • European Union, USA
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  • July 25 2012

On July 3, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that a sale of a digital copy of software exhausted the copyright owner's exclusive distribution rights to the copy under Europe's first sale doctrine.

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Is the second-hand sale of software licenses allowed in Europe?

  • McDermott Will & Emery
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  • European Union
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  • July 31 2012

The Court of Justice of the European Union has now ruled that software developers may no longer block the resale of online licensed software.

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ECJ allows resale of ‘used’ software licences in landmark case and extends the principle of exhaustion even to downloaded (non-physical) copies

  • Reed Smith LLP
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  • European Union
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  • July 9 2012

In a landmark judgment delivered by its Grand Chamber on 3 July 2012 (Case C-12811), the European Court of Justice has effectively declared the second-hand sale of physical copies and downloaded copies of software to be legal.

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The software industry wakes up to a brave new world

  • Dorsey & Whitney LLP
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  • European Union
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  • July 11 2012

In a surprising decision early in July, in the case of UsedSoft GmbH v. Oracle International, the highest court in Europe, at the stroke of the pen, has re-written the basic rules of the game relating to the distribution of software in the European Union.

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Can a software owner prevent re-sale of its software?

  • TLT Solicitors
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  • European Union
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  • November 15 2012

Software owners will generally provide that software licenses are non-transferable in the expectation that this will prevent licenensee from selling on the licensed software

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CJEU rules the resale of used software licenses legal

  • Latham & Watkins LLP
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  • European Union
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  • July 17 2012

In the future, the resale of software licenses or license packages will be more difficult for software providers to prevent.

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Resale of “second-hand” software downloads is legal, says German Court

  • Eversheds LLP
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  • European Union, Germany
  • -
  • July 6 2012

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has held that a copyright holder’s right to oppose the resale of computer software is lost where it makes a copy of computer software available to a customer for an unlimited period in exchange for a licence fee.

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Intangibles and exhaustion: ReDigi and UsedSoft revisited

  • AJ Park
  • -
  • European Union, United Kingdom
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  • May 14 2013

As noted by Ben Challis in the 1709 Blog and by Eleonora Rosati on the IPKat, many commentators believe it wrong that a court could decide that first

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When is a software licence transferable even if it says it’s non-transferable?

  • Mayer Brown LLP
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • August 16 2012

Software companies cannot prevent the sale of “second-hand” software licences, where those licences are for a one-off fee and an unlimited period.

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European Court of Justice paves the way for sale of used software

  • Hogan Lovells
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  • European Union
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  • October 25 2012

The European Court of Justice allows the sale of used software also in cases where the initial purchase was made by way of Internet download, and thereby extends the application of the exhaustion doctrine to the act of copying the actual software.

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EU allows resale of downloaded software

  • Field Fisher Waterhouse
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  • European Union
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  • October 30 2012

In a judgment that has significant implications for the software and digital media industries in Europe, the European Court has ruled that, in principle, the owner of copyright in software cannot stop someone who has purchased and downloaded that software online from reselling it.

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Resale of software licences now allowed

  • NautaDutilh
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  • European Union
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  • July 19 2012

With its groundbreaking judgment of 3 July 2012, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has decided that the resale of software licences is allowed in spite of contractual prohibitions.

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