Amazon's Digital Media Patent Approved

[krakken03]

Amazon applied for a patent about four years ago, which has finally gotten approved. The patent states:

Digital objects including e-books, audio, video, computer applications, etc., purchased from an original vendor by a user are stored in a user's personalized data store. Content in a personalized data store may be accessible to the user via transfer such as moving, streaming, or download. When the user no longer desires to retain the right to access the now-used digital content, the user may move the used digital content to another user's personalized data store when permissible and the used digital content is deleted from the originating user's personalized data store. When a digital object exceeds a threshold number of moves or downloads, the ability to move may be deemed impermissible and suspended or terminated. Additionally or alternatively, a collection of objects may be assembled from individual digital objects stored in the personalized data stores of different users, and moved to a user's personalized data store.

What does this mean for video games and other digital media? Well, downloadable digital media (think XBLA type items or e-books) would be movable or transferable but only for a set number of times. Meaning I could purchase a particular piece of digital media, lets say an e-book to read on my tablet. (Amazon currently only sells MS point cards, not codes to redeem for the actual DLC on Xbox). Once I am done reading the book, I could sell it or give it to someone else to read. Say that the book only comes with three transfers...Well, after the third transfer, it can't be used again. While this seems awesome for us, the consumer, at first, it may lead the developers to produce less than stellar digital content, since their profits will essentially be declining due to this by allowing the transfer of said digital media.

It will be interesting to see if/how this unfolds, as it's coming out on the heels of Sony's announcement that they have a patent that blocks users from using second hand games.If this is the way the trend is going, I wonder how retail stores such as Gamestop are going to survive, as I would think that much of their profit comes from the sales of used games and systems.

What are your thoughts on this?