The problem affects policy makers, because the traditional
first-sale rule of copyright, an important element of public policy,
is undermined by information in digital form. That rule works
in the world of physical artefacts because they are not easily
reproduced by individuals and are not accessible to multiple,
distant viewers. But neither of these limitations holds for digital
works. Consumers are affected as well, because access is accomplished
by copying, and in the digital world copyright's traditional control
of copying would mean control of access as well.