"This is the first stage in the process and unfortunately we are unable to estimate the time period involved in finding a purchaser, " it said.

BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Morrisons staff announce walk-out

The first-sale doctrine, which the Court upheld in its decision, is a principle that the legal purchaser of a copyright-protected item may dispose of that property anyway he or she sees fit.

FORBES: Supreme Court Gives American Consumers Victory Over Copyright Owners in Kirtsaeng vs. John Wiley & Sons