The 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case depended on a plaintiff that was making enough money on textbook arbitrage to fund a legal case all the way to the Supreme Court. It provided new clarity on book distribution and geographical "exclusivity".

If software enforcement of device distribution agreements affects a large enough flow of capital, then corner cases will accrue enough economic impact to be tested in courts. Manufacturers do not have carte blanche to manipulate hardware remotely, e.g. they cannot take actions that could injure humans. Where are the limits? For now, we have many opinions and few laws.