Copyright Exhaustion

In the Second Edition of Copyright Exhaustion, copyright scholar Péter Mezei offers an expanded examination of copyright exhaustion, including its historical development, theoretical framework, practical applications, and policy considerations. He includes updated case law and statutory developments for the first-sale doctrine in the United States and in the European Union, covering both analogue and digital applications with an eye toward scrutinizing the common rejection of exhaustion in the resale of digital subject matter including computer programs, sound recordings, audiovisual works, and e-books. He advocates for a digital first-sale doctrine that would offer legal consistency to copyright law and a technologically feasible framework for content producers and consumers.

'Professor Mezei continues to make major contributions to Intellectual Property scholarship with the second edition of his Copyright Exhaustion. Legal scholars and policy makers were charged by the synthesis of doctrine and policy in the first edition. The speed with which the second edition has appeared attests to the vibrancy of copyright exhaustion. Professor Mezei has made a mark in the field, and anyone active in the world of copyright and intellectual property must engage with his work.' Shubha Ghosh, Crandall Melvin Professor of Law, Syracuse University College of Law, 'With the ever-growing move towards digital markets for cultural and creative products, the strong push towards digitization of cultural heritage and digital education prompted by the pandemic, and the landmark changes in the treatment of digital exhaustion by legislators and courts, the new edition of Peter Mezei's book represents an excellent, timely and must-have contribution to the debate. This is a detailed and punchy reminder for scholars and policymakers that the topic is everything but a closed chapter in the copyright regulatory arena. A highly-recommended text for experts, stakeholders, legislators and courts.' Caterina Sganga, Associate Professor of Comparative Private Law, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, 'Professor Mezei's book is a treasure chest. It tackles the eternal enigma of copyright law, presenting highly thoughtful and innovative answers, overhauls and updates doctrine for the twenty-first century, and builds on a brilliant comparative analysis. This book must not be missing in libraries and on scholars' and practitioners' bookshelves.' Professor Tim W. Dornis, Institute for Law and Technology, Leibniz University Hannover, 'Is there a future for copyright exhaustion in the digital era? The second edition of this extraordinary book will be required reading for anyone interested in the mysterious doctrine of copyright exhaustion and, broadly, to the origins and the future of copyright law.' Tatiana Synodinou, Professor, Law Department, University of Cyprus, 'In this era of digital streaming, cloud computing and global content distribution, the exhaustion doctrine in copyright law deserves serious scholarly and policy attention. This timely, important and now-updated book provides an in-depth comparative analysis of the doctrine's justifications, evolution and future development on both sides of the Atlantic and at the international level. Highly recommended!' Peter K. Yu, Regents Professor, Texas A&M University

Péter Mezei is an associate professor at the University of Szeged, an adjunct professor (dosentti) at the University of Turku, and a visiting lecturer at the University of Jean Moulin Lyon III. Both in lecturing and in research, he has specialized in comparative digital copyright law. He contributed to several international research studies commissioned by the European Commission. He has been selected to write national reports to the 2010, 2014, and 2022 International Comparative Law Congress. He is a member of the European Copyright Society and the Hungarian Copyright Expert Board.