The Christian Science Monitor reports that ReDigi, a start-up based in Massachusetts which allows users to resell digital music on their site, was told by a federal judge that producer’s rights are violated by such a practice.
According to the law, e-books are considered an original version of the author’s work. If you’ve already bought a version and then sell it to someone else, you’re making an illegal copy of the original work (the text you downloaded).
By contrast, according to the law, if you sell a used print book to your friend, you’re not making another copy of it, so you’re not going against the author’s copyright.
ReDigi plans to appeal the decision.