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20 

KIRTSAENG v. JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC. 

Opinion of the Court 

the  nearly  180  copyright-treaty  nations  and  enjoy  Ameri­
can copyright protection under 17 U. S. C. §104, see supra, 
at 10); that many others were first published in the United
States  but  printed  abroad  because  of  lower  costs;  and 
that  a  geographical  interpretation  will  likely  require  the  li- 
braries to obtain permission (or at least create significant
uncertainty)  before  circulating  or  otherwise  distributing
these books.  Brief for American Library Association et al. 
as Amici Curiae 4, 15–20.  Cf. id., at 16–20, 28 (discussing
limitations  of  potential  defenses,  including  the  fair  use 
and archival exceptions, §§107–108).  See also Library and
Book  Trade  Almanac  511  (D.  Bogart  ed.,  55th  ed.  2010) 
(during 2000–2009 “a significant amount of book printing 
moved to foreign nations”).

How,  the  American  Library  Association  asks,  are  the 
libraries  to  obtain  permission  to  distribute  these  millions 
of books?  How can they find, say, the copyright owner of 
a  foreign  book,  perhaps  written  decades  ago?    They  may
not know the copyright holder’s present address.  Brief for 
American Library Association 15 (many books lack indica­
tion  of  place  of  manufacture;  “no  practical  way  to  learn 
where [a] book was printed”).  And, even where addresses 
can be found, the costs of finding them, contacting owners,
and  negotiating  may  be  high  indeed.  Are  the  libraries  to 
stop  circulating  or  distributing  or  displaying  the  millions
of books in their collections that were printed abroad?

Used-book  dealers  tell  us  that,  from  the  time  when 

Benjamin  Franklin  and  Thomas  Jefferson  built  commer­
cial  and  personal  libraries  of  foreign  books,  American 
readers  have  bought  used  books  published  and  printed 
abroad.  Brief  for  Powell’s  Books  Inc.  et  al.  as  Amici 
Curiae  7  (citing  M.  Stern,  Antiquarian  Bookselling  in  the
United  States  (1985)).    The  dealers  say  that  they  have 
“operat[ed]  . . .  for  centuries”  under  the  assumption  that
the “first sale” doctrine applies.  Brief for Powell’s Books 7. 
But  under  a  geographical  interpretation  a  contemporary