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The interplay between digital media and the first sale doctrine

  • Holland & Knight LLP
  • -
  • European Union, USA
  • -
  • April 3 2013

The first sale doctrine allows owners of copies of copyrighted works (e.g. used books, CDs, DVDs) to resell their copies without restriction, and it

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Intangibles and exhaustion: ReDigi and UsedSoft revisited

  • AJ Park
  • -
  • European Union, United Kingdom
  • -
  • 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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Exhaustion of rights - a green light for ReDigi?

  • Wragge & Co LLP
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  • European Union
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  • February 19 2013

In the last few years, there has been a quantum shift in how software consumers obtain their purchases. Tangible products are being increasingly

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The software industry wakes up to a brave new world

  • Dorsey & Whitney LLP
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  • European Union
  • -
  • 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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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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ECJ finds that an author of software cannot oppose the resale of his ‘used’ licenses

  • Stibbe
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • October 26 2012

On 3 July 2012, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) published a judgment in which it affirmed the right of licence holders to ‘resell’ their rights of use of computer programs, supporting intermediaries and end customers in the way.

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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
  • -
  • 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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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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Licence to sell

  • Pitmans LLP
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  • European Union
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  • July 6 2012

Software suppliers suffer second setback.

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

  • De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • 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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ECJ to clarify position on sale of 'used' software licences

  • CMS Cameron McKenna
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  • European Union, Germany
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  • March 11 2011

The sale of 'used' or 'second-hand' software licences has been a contentious area in recent years.

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A round-up of developments

  • Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
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  • European Union, United Kingdom
  • -
  • May 24 2012

In the case of SAS Institute v World Programming Limited, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the "CJEU") has considered the limited extent to which certain elements of a computer program enjoy copyright protection.

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Selling on software licences is permissible, but where will it lead?

  • Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
  • -
  • European Union
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  • July 16 2012

The CJEU has delivered its decision in Case C-12811 UsedSoft GmbH v Oracle International Corp answering questions referred to it by the German court on the permissibility of selling on software licences, and whether the principle of exhaustion of distribution rights in the Copyright Directive (200129) applies to software downloaded via the internet under the provisions of the Software Directive (200924).

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Europe in breach of international copyright treaty

  • AJ Park
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  • European Union
  • -
  • November 14 2012

A recent decision of the European Court of Justice on the licensing model for software transactions, has inadvertently breached the WIPO Copyright Treaty of 1996.

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IT & outsourcing e-bulletin - a round-up of developments

  • Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
  • -
  • European Union, United Kingdom
  • -
  • July 31 2012

Ofcom has published a revised version of the Initial Obligations Code for ISPs and copyright owners in an effort to tackle online copyright infringement as per the provisions of the controversial Digital Economy Act.

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Resale of software licences now allowed

  • NautaDutilh
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • 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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EU allows resale of downloaded software

  • Field Fisher Waterhouse
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  • European Union
  • -
  • 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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Is the second-hand sale of software licenses allowed in Europe?

  • McDermott Will & Emery
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  • European Union
  • -
  • 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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Can a software owner prevent re-sale of its software?

  • TLT Solicitors
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • 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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Customers can resell copies of downloaded software; developers can try to stop them

  • Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP
  • -
  • European Union
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  • July 4 2012

Yesterday, 3 July 2012, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled in UsedSoft v. Oracle that online purchasers of software may resell copies of their downloads provided that they render the original download usable.

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A stop to second-hand dealing in copyright protected downloads?

  • Baker & McKenzie
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  • European Union
  • -
  • May 22 2012

The Advocate General's decision in Axel W. Bierbach, administrator of UsedSoft GmbH v Oracle International Corp was released at the end of April.

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

  • Eversheds LLP
  • -
  • 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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European Commission welcomes Apple's announcement to equalise prices for music downloads from iTunes in Europe

  • Bird & Bird
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  • European Union
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  • February 7 2008

The European Commission welcomes Apple's announcement to equalise prices for downloads of songs from its iTunes online store in Europe within the next six months.

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

  • Hogan Lovells
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • 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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CJEU undermines software online sales model

  • NautaDutilh
  • -
  • European Union
  • -
  • September 20 2012

In a groundbreaking judgment of 3 July 2012, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) seriously undermined the online sales model used by software developers.

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Recent developments in copyright law

  • McCann FitzGerald
  • -
  • European Union, Ireland
  • -
  • July 20 2012

In this article, we take a look in brief at the latest copyright decisions which have been handed down by the Court of Justice of the European Union ("CJEU")

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Does Oracle v UsedSoft end restrictions on reselling software licenses?

  • Squire Sanders
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  • European Union
  • -
  • July 24 2012

In a surprising judgment, on 3 July the European Court decided that end users of Oracle software could resell their software licences without Oracle’s consent and that licence terms that prevented them from doing so were unenforceable.

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