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Motorola legal tie to pull pricey Aura phone off eBay

'I do solemnly swear not to sell my $2000 handset...'

Exclusive Once you’ve grown tired of your mobile phone then it’s your prerogative to flog it on eBay, right? Not if you buy Motorola’s upcoming Aura phone, because the firm’s penned a contract to prevent secondhand sales.

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Motorola's Aura: won't appear on eBay

A source close to the company told Register Hardware that in order to maintain Aura’s glow of exclusivity, buyers will be required to “sign into a contract that states they can’t sell it on eBay”.

The source added that if an Aura owner wants to sell their phone after they’ve bought it then they’ll only have one option: to sell it back to the manufacturer.

It’s thought that Aura will cost somewhere in the region of $2000 (£1234/€1555), but what price Motorola will offer you for a secondhand model is still unknown.

Presumably, each Aura sold will carry a unique id number, possibly above and beyond an IMEI code, that’ll be linked to a specific buyer. So should you shirk your contractual obligations and offer your handset for auction, then Motorola’s legal department will come knocking on your door.

Motorola hasn’t officially confirmed when Aura will be available in the UK, but the source also told us that it’ll be in shops around the time of this year’s Clothes Show Live – which starts on 5 December.

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