A few weeks ago we told you about a grassroots public interest coalition – Citizens for Ownership Rights – that came together around the idea of protecting ownership rights, the ability to buy, sell, or use goods as the owner sees fit.  This issue should ring close to eBay buyers and sellers’ hearts as we all benefit from the right to be able to buy and sell goods on the open market.

Citizens for Ownership Rights first action item was to send a letter to the President and the Administration asking them to support ownership rights, particularly in the context of an upcoming Supreme Court case Kirtsaeng v. Wiley.  The Kirtsaeng case actually involves an eBay seller who bought legitimate, not pirated or counterfeit, textbooks overseas and then tried to resell them here in the US.  The textbook manufacturer utilized an extreme reading of copyright law to successfully prevent these sales and to demand massive damages from the eBay seller (the seller had only sold $30,000 worth of books, but the court awarded over $600,000 in damages)!

In just a few short weeks after launching, the petition has over 100,000 signatures!  The first batch of signatures has already been sent to the president and the administration and garnered some serious media coverage with references in the Wall Street Journal, Politico, and Yahoo News. 

Citizens for Ownership Rights plans to continue to collect signatures.  There is still time to have your voice heard.  The Kirtsaeng case is not going to be argued before the Supreme Court until late October.  Visit ownershiprights.org and sign the petition to protect your ownership rights