Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2010
Publication Citation
15 Virginia Journal of Law & Technology 227 (2010)
Abstract
This article studies the law and economics of cooling-off periods and secondary markets for online media. The discussion is fueled by a current debate: In July 2009, the online retail juggernaut, Amazon.com, remotely deleted literary classics from consumers’ portable “Kindle” reading devices. The public outcry and class-action lawsuit that followed have reinvigorated an ongoing debate about how much control digital media distributors should wield. Pundits and plaintiffs argue that too often, digital distributors like Amazon impair consumer freedom by misusing Digital Rights Management (DRM) software systems. However, these same systems could also provide significant benefits that have largely gone ignored. This article argues that, with the help of DRM, lawmakers could provide for cooling-off periods and nurture secondary markets for downloaded media that would benefit consumers, copyright holders, and digital distributors.
Recommended Citation
Mattioli, Michael, "Cooling-Off and Secondary Markets: Consumer Choice in the Digital Domain" (2010). Articles by Maurer Faculty. 758.
https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/facpub/758