House "first sale" doctrine redefinition needs public comment, AFTA maintains.
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
HOUSE "FIRST SALE" DOCTRINE REDEFINITION NEEDS PUBLIC AIRING, the American Free Trade Association said in response to Rep. Howard Coble's (R-N.C.) amendment to the House Digital Millennium Copyright Act (HR 2281). AFTA is calling for a "deliberative process" to discuss the amendment, which the lobbying group said would "negate" the Supreme Court's March ruling in L'Anza Research International v. Quality King Distributors and "grant manufacturers unprecedented copyright protection to bar all companies from buying goods overseas at a discount price for resale in the U.S." The amendment passed the House floor by voice vote Aug. 4, the same day HR 2281 passed 420-4.