The end of ownership : personal property in the digital economy / Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Perzanowski, Aaron, author.

Schultz, Jason M., author.

Series:

Information society series.

The information society series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Personal property.

Internet--Law and legislation.

Internet.

Electronic commerce--Law and legislation.

Electronic commerce.

Intellectual property.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (261 pages).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge The MIT Press 2016

Cambridge, MA : The MIT Press, [2016]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

An argument for retaining the notion of personal property in the products we "buy" in the digital marketplace.

"If you buy a book at the bookstore, you own it. You can take it home, scribble in the margins, put in on the shelf, lend it to a friend, sell it at a garage sale. But is the same thing true for the ebooks or other digital goods you buy? Retailers and copyright holders argue that you don't own those purchases, you merely license them. That means your ebook vendor can delete the book from your device without warning or explanation -- as Amazon deleted Orwell's 1984 from the Kindles of surprised readers several years ago. These readers thought they owned their copies of 1984. Until, it turned out, they didn't. In The End of Ownership, Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz explore how notions of ownership have shifted in the digital marketplace, and make an argument for the benefits of personal property. Of course, ebooks, cloud storage, streaming, and other digital goods offer users convenience and flexibility. But, Perzanowski and Schultz warn, consumers should be aware of the tradeoffs involving user constraints, permanence, and privacy. The rights of private property are clear, but few people manage to read their end user agreements. Perzanowski and Schultz argue that introducing aspects of private property and ownership into the digital marketplace would offer both legal and economic benefits. But, most important, it would affirm our sense of self-direction and autonomy. If we own our purchases, we are free to make whatever lawful use of them we please. Technology need not constrain our freedom; it can also empower us."

Contents:

Introduction

Property rights and the exhaustion principle

Copies, clouds & streams

Ownership : the fine print

The "buy now" lie

The promise & perils of digital libraries

DRM & the secret war inside your devices

The internet of things you don't own

Patents & the ordinary pursuits of life

Ownership's uncertain future.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

ISBN:

9780262335966

0262335964

9780262335959

0262335956

OCLC:

962064928