I Want To Leave My Video/Music Library To My Kids

I have boxes of vinyl records, DVDs and CDs, and of course a library full of books - and my kids (now 25 and 26) like a lot of the music, video, books I like - why shouldn't I leave them my collection, and why shouldn't they be able to enjoy it as I have?

It seems that with my hard-copy things this will be so, but what about works I purchase in the future that don't have an existence in hardware that is useable without connecting it to the internet and thus to the vendors' key servers?

If I have a Kindle full of e-books and/or a iPad full of music and video and ebooks and programs, will they be able to transfer them to one of their similar units? How about to their new XYZ-Super-Pad? (not yet invented but watch for it next year)

Will they be able to transfer my rights fully to one of themselves? Transfer to only one, mind you - not both as thats making another copy. They'll have to figure out who gets what.

This question is something you and your heirs should be asking every single time you purchase something that has no physical presence in a hard, read-only object. Even read-only items such as games and DVDs are being subjected to scrutiny by the publishers on whether they can get into the act of the "secondary" market of used and swapped units.

The First Sale doctrine is being attacked. Do you really "own" what you think you do? Digital Rights Management systems in place and in the future may limit your rights under this doctrine - and there's nothing you can do about it but simply not play the game - don't purchase such rights-limited product.

Tag: first sale drm