The biggest question in this ruling is what defines a "used" digital object because these are intangible and invisible until you upload it onto your computer or mobile device. Are the text files going to be broken since they're "old and worn"? Are the mp3 files going to be in lower quality because they're retro and vintage? Frankly, I think there will be a lot of problems regarding quality assurance of these "used" goods, and I have no idea how Amazon will be able to regulate this market. I thought the entire point of digital versus analog meant "everlasting" and "non-perishable". Especially since it's so easy to copy and share digital files on the internet, I don't know how people would interpret the logic of buying cheaper used mp3 files, but this is definitely a clear sign that the market is trying to completely digitalize our daily lives.
http://singularityhub.com/2013/02/16/will-you-soon-be-able-to-buy-used-ebooks-and-digital-music-amazon-moves-in-that-direction/
Wow... interesting. I suspect the security of any document shared multiple times isn't going to be phenomenal. But it's an interesting thing to think about. Perhaps Amazon will put some restriction on the file so that it can only be downloaded twice?
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though the restriction could manifest itself in the form of a limited number of downloads... That being said, this provides an interesting insight into how the industry keeps up with regulating the digitization of our media.
ReplyDeleteI remember someone else in the class posted a blog post about another Amazon patent for restricting a limited numbers of transfer per product sale between the sellers and their customers. I think Amazon will apply a similar method for used digital object. It's interesting to see how the market and regulation change in the digital world.
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