A Thai professor wins US Supreme Court copyright decision

A Thai professor who bought textbooks in Thailand and sold them in the United States won a major Supreme Court ruling on copyright law that gives foreign buyers of textbooks, movies and other products a right to resell them in the United States without the permission of the copyright owner, Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

Supap Kirtsaeng was sued by publisher John Wiley Sons for violating its copyright protection. A jury in New York agreed with the publisher, and Kirtsaeng was assessed damages of US$60,000 for willfully violating the company's copyrights.

But in a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court reversed that judgment Tuesday and ruled that Kirtsaeng had the better interpretation of the law.

The decision helps books buyers and merchants who resell goods purchased abroad, but it could prove to be a setback for American companies that sell copyrighted goods overseas.

Until now, these U.S. copyright holders have maintained that they can sell copyrighted works abroad -- and sometimes, at much lower prices -- and prevent them from being re-imported for sale in this country without their permission.

But the justices decided Tuesday that the holders' rights expire when their copyrighted product is lawfully sold overseas. Under the so-called "first sale" doctrine, a copyright holder has a right to profit from the first sale of a book but not its resale.

Read more : LA Times : Supreme Court sides with book reseller in copyright ruling

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/03/20/a-thai-professor-wins-us-supreme-court-copyright-decision/