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Episode 449: The Hidden Digital Wealth In Your Pocket

The company, Redigi, wants to be the used record store of the digital age.
Tim Boyle
/
Getty Images
The company, Redigi, wants to be the used record store of the digital age.

We have secondary markets for almost everything. If you no longer want that old record or CD, you can sell it to a thrift store, used record store, or on eBay.

But what about songs from your iTunes library you no longer want? Or ebooks you've purchased and don't want to keep? Do you have the right to resell these digital goods?

Today on the show, we've got the story of a company that wants to be the used record store for the digital age. Redigi launched in 2011 and quickly found themselves in court facing allegations of copyright infringement. The case involves a law from 1976, a phonorecord and a judge that quotes Star Trek.

For more on the legal case involving ReDigi check out our earlier posts:

  • Is It Legal To Sell Your Old MP3s?
  • Update: Is It Legal To Sell Your Old MP3s? Judge Says No.*
  • For more on the legal issues involved in digital resale, we recommend the blogs of two guests featured in the show:

  • Intellectual property lawyer Rick Sanders' blog at Aaron Sanders
  • Technology consultant Bill Rosenblatt's blog "Copyright and Technology"
  • Music: Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" & "Someone Like You,"Peter Frampton's "Baby I Love Your Way," and LMFAO's "Party Rock." Find us: Twitter/ Facebook/Spotify/ Tumblr. Download the Planet Money iPhone App.

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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