Creative Thoughts on Copyright

For a limited time, Amazon.com is offering a free digital download of Lawrence Lessig‘s book, “Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity.” The nonfiction text, which also can be downloaded from Free-culture.org, discusses how mass-media corporations are using litigation and legislation to control content. Lessig, a professor at Stanford University Law School, argues for a balance between the interests of the copyright owner and society’s need to continue living in a “free culture” that encourages innovation built on previous works. He calls for shorter copyright terms and a broader interpretation of fair use. (Folks with a preference for dead-tree books can purchase “Free Culture” in hardcover for the not-so-free price of $24.95.)