[dvd-discuss] Interesting 1st sale-shrinkwrap-EULA-(c) infringement case

["James S. Tyre" <jstyre(at)jstyre.com>]

COURT TACKLES CHARACTERIZATION OF SOFTWARE SALES
BNA's Electronic Commerce & Law Report reports on Softman
Products v. Adobe Systems, a recent case in which a federal
court in California ruled that a transaction in which a
software developer transfers copies of software to a
retailer is a sale of goods and not a licensing of
intellectual property, regardless of the existence of a
shrinkwrap license stating otherwise.  The court also ruled
that allowing a software developer to eliminate the buyer's
first sale rights by license would violate public policy by
changing the balance of rights struck by federal
intellectual property law.  Article at
<http://pubs.bna.com/ip/BNA/eip.nsf/id/a0a4w8j0a7_>
For a free trial to source of this story, visit
http://web.bna.com/products/ip/eplr.htm
Decision at
<http://www.cacd.uscourts.gov/CACD/RecentPubOp.nsf/bb61c530eab0911c882567cf005ac
6f9/574aa79ff518021188256aed006ea2dc/$FILE/CV00-04161DDP.pdf>

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James S. Tyre                               mailto:jstyre@jstyre.com
Law Offices of James S. Tyre          310-839-4114/310-839-4602(fax)
10736 Jefferson Blvd., #512               Culver City, CA 90230-4969
Co-founder, The Censorware Project             http://censorware.net