2 US States restrict used CD sales

Andrew Green

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New "pawn shop" laws are springing up across the United States that will make selling your used CDs at the local record shop something akin to getting arrested. No, you won't spend any time in jail, but you'll certainly feel like a criminal once the local record shop makes copies of all of your identifying information and even collects your fingerprints. Such is the state of affairs in Florida, which now has the dubious distinction of being so anal about the sale of used music CDs that record shops there are starting to get out of the business of dealing with used content because they don't want to pay a $10,000 bond for the "right" to treat their customers like criminals.
The legislation is supposed to stop the sale of counterfeit and/or stolen music CDs, despite the fact that there has been no proof that this is a particularly pressing problem for record shops in general. Yet John Mitchell, outside counsel for the National Association of Recording Merchandisers, told Billboard that this is part of "some sort of a new trend among states to support second-hand-goods legislation." And he expects it to grow.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070507-record-shops-used-cds-ihre-papieren-bitte.html
 
From Slashdot:

Politics: Two US States Restrict Used CD Sales
Posted by kdawson on Monday May 07, @09:17PM
from the papers-please dept.
Media
DrBenway sends us to Ars Technica for a report that Florida and Utah have placed draconian restrictions on the sale of used music CDs; Wisconsin and Rhode Island may soon follow suit. In Florida, stores have to hold on to CDs for 30 days before they can sell them — for store credit only, not cash. Quoting: "No, you won't spend any time in jail, but you'll certainly feel like a criminal once the local record shop makes copies of all of your identifying information and even collects your fingerprints. Such is the state of affairs in Florida, which now has the dubious distinction of being so anal about the sale of used music CDs that record shops there are starting to get out of the business of dealing with used content because they don't want to pay a $10,000 bond for the 'right' to treat their customers like criminals."

* Read More...
 
I recently picked up a used copy of Joe William's "Blues under a Europian Sky" for my wife, which I would have had to special order otherwise.
This new policy completely blows and I hope it doesn't spread.
 
The RIAA must have gone into near-fatal orgasmic coma at this one. They've been trying to ban the sale of used CDs for years.
 
I imagine EBay is getting equally aroused. This can't but help them make money.

Used CD's are cheap, add on shipping and the benefit goes away, especially when you can't even check for scratches before buying.

If anything sees a boast because of this I'd guess it would be peer to peer downloads. Take away the resale value, remove the ability to get them cheaper if used. Yup, that will help stop piracy.
 
Wow, yet another ridiculous law. This would put places like Rasputins right out of business.
 
I bet it won't be the last, American corporations seem to be tightening up faster then a .... ok, better not type that :D

THe thing that worries the rest of us is how agressive American Politicians and corporations push other countries to adopt there laws as well. But, its in US interests for us to do so, not ours.
 
Well, considering the RIAA is probably somehow behind these stupid laws, and the amount of BS they push now.......


Hell, 85% of what I buy is used. Why? It's affordable!

Maybe if they didn't publish **** at ripoff prices......
 
I buy used cds over the net and that is if I can not find it on Limewire or other peer to peer sharing. I would never buy a new cd unless it is actually from the band themselves at one of their concerts or a very small record label.
 
There's a reason "Florida" has its own tag on fark.com...
 
*scratches head*
used CD's? How about DVD's then? or VCR tapes?

ok, then what about used cars? used houses?

ok, so the concern is that its intellectual property? Lets close down the used book stores! Obviously an illegal trade... Can we not buy used books either?

Just being intellectually honest here, if they go down that road, there is no real difference between that any anything else I just listed, at least IMHO.
 
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