The first crack in the digital copyright wall? Company sells "used" iTunes songs

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My biggest complaint about digital consumer content is the lack of personal ownership. When I buy a Kindle book from Amazon the content is effectively stranded on my devices. I cannot give it to another person (except for the lame two week loan Amazon allows) after I have read the book. Likewise with music and video content. Contrast this with the hard copy counterparts. I finish a book and can pass it on to a friend. I buy a CD and realize I don't really care for it and give it to someone. I recall bringing in a box full of DVDs to a resaler and walking out with a pocket full of cash. I had watched all the DVDs and had no further use for them.

Finally, someone has challenged the ownership concept and is offering used iTunes songs and MP3s for sale. Is it legit? That's a question that will be answered in the courts, since they are being sued by Capital Records, EMI and I'm sure there are many more lawsuits to follow.

The company, ReDigi, claim they have researched the law and what they are doing is completely legal. Capital Records and EMI beg to differ. ReDigi says the legal action "reflects a profound misunderstanding of how ReDigi works and have no merit." The company says it uses a "Forensic Verification Engine" which determines if the uploader truly owns the rights to the music. They sell the tracks for a fraction of the original cost.

I tip my hat to ReDigi and hope this is simply the start of a movement allowing consumers to take back ownership of their content, just like in the good old pre-digital days. Read more here.

Read: Is digital content priced too high?

Related articles

• Selling used iTunes tracks? ReDigi insists it's legal (westudymedia.wordpress.com)
• RIAA goes after ReDigi for selling "used" iTunes tracks (electronista.com)
• EMI sues MP3 reseller ReDigi (news.cnet.com)