Washington, D.C. – Andrew Shore, Executive Director of the Owners’ Rights Initiative made the following statement:
“The Owners’ Rights Initiative strongly supports the You Own Devices Act (YODA) introduced by Congressman Blake Farenthold (R-TX). Ownership is a bedrock concept in American society. In Wiley v. Kirtsaeng the Supreme Court confirmed that when you purchase a good you own it and you have the right to dispose of it as you wish. However, some rights holders are trying to separate the software that is the engine of those goods from the good itself. They’re requiring second owners to buy new licenses to ensure the new owner can get critical updates and patches to ensure the good can function. In a society where everything from our cars to our washing machines have critical software, this has the effect of turning ownership rights into pure fiction.
The Farenthold bill is a simple fix to this growing problem. It ensures that when you buy something with essential software you truly own it and have the right to sell, lend or even give those items away.
The bottom line is Congressman Farenthold is standing up for the tens of millions of consumers, resellers, charities and others who will benefit from this important legislation. We are honored to stand with him.”