You Bought It, You Own It! Owners’ Rights Initiative Launched to Protect Consumers’ Rights

Launched on October 23, 2012, the Owners' Rights Initiative (ORI) is a coalition of retailers, libraries and Internet companies that have joined together to protect ownership rights. See Coalition of businesses, associations, educators and libraries join together to protect ownership rights and global commerce. From ORI's statement of purpose:

We believe in the fundamental premise that if you bought it, you own it, and should have the right to sell, lend or give away your personal property. ORI members are concerned about recent federal court decisions that have eroded owners’ rights. The initiative provides a unified voice for members to engage in advocacy, education and outreach around these important issues.

Founding members include ALA and ARL. See, for example, ALA Joins Coalition to Protect Library Lending Rights ("The coalition was formed to champion “first-sale rights,” or ownership rights, as the issue will be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Kirtsaeng vs. Wiley & Sons, Inc. on October 29, 2012. The Supreme Court’s decision could have adverse consequences for libraries and call into question libraries’ abilities to lend books and materials that were manufactured overseas.") 

About Kirtsaeng, see Mark Giangrande's Supreme Court To Hear Case On Applying The First Sale Doctrine To Foreign Goods, yesterday's post by Mark, The Deeper Implications Of The Pending Kirtsaeng Case and Kirtsaeng vs. Wiley & Sons, Inc (SCOTUSblog). [JH]