In 1908, in Bobbs-Merrill Co. v. Straus, 210 U.S. 339 (1908), the first-sale doctrine was established. In a later opinion
(Quality King v. L'Anza), the Court described this opinion:
       
"In that case, the publisher, Bobbs-Merrill, had inserted a notice in its books that any retail sale at a price under
$1.00 would constitute an infringement of its copyright. The defendants, who owned Macy's department store, disregarded the notice
and sold the books at a lower price without Bobbs-Merrill's consent. We held that the exclusive statutory right to vend applied
only to the first sale of the copyrighted work..."
From the decision, which has never been overturned or modified, page 350:
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