You Own Devices Act

Bill: 115-hr-905
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Farenthold, Blake [R-TX-27]
Introduced: 2017-02-07
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft

Computers and information technology

Intellectual property

Lease and rental services

Retail and wholesale trades
Latest action: action_date: 2017-02-07
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-02-07
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>You Own Devices Act</b></p> <p>This bill amends federal copyright law to allow the owner of a machine or other product operated in any part by a computer program to transfer an authorized copy of the computer program, or the right to obtain such copy, when the owner sells, leases, or otherwise transfers the machine or product to another person. The bill prohibits such right to transfer the computer program from being waived by any agreement.</p> <p>Any right to receive modifications to such a computer program relating to security or error correction that applied to the owner of the machine or product shall apply to the person to whom the machine or product and the copy of the computer program are transferred.</p> <p>Nothing in this bill should be construed to permit the owner to retain an unauthorized copy of the computer program after such a transfer.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 905 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 7, 2017 Mr. Farenthold (for himself and Mr. Polis ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide that the first sale doctrine applies to any computer program that enables a machine or other product to operate, and for other purposes.

1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the “ You Own Devices Act ”. 2. First Sale Doctrine and Certain Computer Programs (a) In General Section 109 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (f) Transfer of Certain Computer Programs (1) In general Notwithstanding section 106 or section 117, if a computer program enables any part of a machine or other product to operate, the owner of the machine or other product is entitled to transfer an authorized copy of the computer program, or the right to obtain such copy, when the owner sells, leases, or otherwise transfers the machine or other product to another person. The right to transfer provided under this subsection may not be waived by any agreement. (2) Security and error correction Any right to receive modifications to the computer program described in paragraph (1) relating in whole or in part to security or error correction that applied to the owner of the machine or other product described in paragraph (1) shall apply to the person to whom the machine or product and the copy of the computer program are transferred. (3) Treatment of unauthorized copies Nothing in this subsection should be construed as permitting the owner of a machine or other product to retain an unauthorized copy of the computer program described in paragraph (1) after transferring the machine or other product and the copy of the computer program to another person. . (b) Effective Date The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply to transfers of computer programs occurring on or after such date.