Resale, Master Resale, Private Label Resale… What the heck?

You may have noticed that when an offer is made to you to purchase or you are given ebooks or software, there is often a mention of what kinds of rights come to you with that item. When you’re just starting out, trying to get information to start an on-line business or collecting things to build your library, this might seem that important, but it is something to which you should pay attention. This information will become important if you decide you want to sell electronic products later on.

The very most important thing for you to do is to check what the documents themselves say.  Sometimes you’ll just get the ebook itself, as an .exe or .pdf file, and this should include on the title or next page, a statement about the writer’s copyright and what rights are being given. If you’ve downloaded the file as a .zip file, check for a “readme.txt” file after you’ve unzipped the folder. This is important to keep with your download, so there is no question as to what your rights are, should there be a question later.

Now, here are the kinds of use you’ll be granted:

Personal use only. This seems pretty clear. You are given the information only for your own enjoyment or education. You cannot give the product away, nor, obviously, can you sell it.

Giveaway rights only. Just what it says. However, be sure to check the licensing; sometimes there are specifics even for this. You may or may not be allowed to include your own links in the product; you cannot change the product or authorship.

Resell rights. This means you can sell the item, but you cannot include any but personal use rights to your customer. You may be allowed to change some of the links to include your own information or affiliate identification. You cannot change the product, and you cannot claim authorship.

Master resell rights. Here you can sell the product and include resell rights with it, meaning your customer can resell it. You probably can change some of the links to include affiliate links. You cannot make changes or claim authorship.

Private label rights. These include the right to materially change the material or product, repackage it, and claim authorship.

I have to emphasize that these are general definitions and guidelines. The only thing that gives you any of these rights will be the certification that is included with the product. You must check carefully to see what is allowed. Some authors specify that you cannot offer the product for auction, or that you can only give the item away under certain circumstances, or that it must be bundled in a specific way. This is generally to ensure that the item’s worth isn’t diluted, benefitting you as well as the author. If you purchase an item and you’re not sure about a point, be very careful that you contact your seller and get explicit answers in writing.

A word of caution about contemporary popular books. Just because the book is digital, it does not mean that copyright terms are changed. I say this because I was recently offered a package of ebooks that included the works of two very popular fiction writers. I knew the works were not old enough to be in the public domain (which I’ll discuss another time), and I cautioned the seller. I believe he was offering them with resale rights of some kind or another, for which he clearly had no authority from the original author/copyright holder. He had been told that because they were digital products, it was okay. I hope he’s doing well with the lawsuit.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of books out there being offered for sale on-line. Most have the terms of their use or sale clearly spelled out. Just remember, the rights you get don’t come from my definitions, nor from the sales page promises. Check the certification, be sure that what you’re doing is legal, and you will have the opportunity to make some money.