Intellectual Property Attorney Lynn Alstadt's Article on First Sale Doctrine Published by World Media Law Report

Lynn J. Alstadt is the author of an article titled "First sale doctrine does not permit importation of foreign editions of textbooks," published in the November 5, 2009, edition of the World Media Law Report, a weekly email service that provides special reports, updates and news roundups of media developments from more than 30 jurisdictions. Alstadt is a shareholder in the Intellectual Property Section of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC.

In the article, Alstadt began by explaining that, "The first sale doctrine does not apply to copies of a copyrighted work manufactured abroad. Therefore, one may not lawfully import into the United States copyrighted works published overseas for use in markets outside the United States. That was the holding of the Court in Pearson Education, Inc, v Ganghua Liu, et al. (Civil Action No. 1:08-06152 S.D. N.Y.) in a case involving text books customized and sold for markets outside the United States."

Alstadt went on to explain the origins and parameters of the doctrine and how it came into play in the Pearson case.

Alstadt concluded, saying, "This case could have a significant impact on college students who routinely search the internet for textbooks being sold at lower prices than those offered by the college book store or the publisher's website. They are now more likely to find that the book that they need for a class is not available at a lower price than that offered at the college book store."