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Understand How "Copyright" Became "We Own Everything"

A guide by "progressivereader"

Products sampled from this guide:
First, go check out J.D. Lasica's article in Legal Affairs, about downloading movies. It's fun, and explains why everyone should be worried about the senseless "digital prohibition" we're now living in. His new book is Darknet: Hollywood's War Against the Digital Generation. Easily the most narrative driven book on the subject.

The giant of this field is Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Stanford. He even took it to the Supreme Court, and lost. All his books are worth reading (though all are a little dry, and a little similar). He was giving away Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity for a while as a PDF, but it's worth owning if you're into this.\

The ultimate, easy to read compendium of outrages is David Bollier's Brand Name Bullies: The Quest to Own and Control Culture. He covers every aspect of culture, for pop culture to pop art, showing how corporations are limiting creativity. He shows that even if the law is on your side, if Disney wants to send an army of lawyers after you, you'll give in long before any kind of trial.

Bollier also wrote a more philosophical tome that's been called a classic: Silent Theft: The Private Plunder of Our Common Wealth. He connects what's happening in cyberspace with what's happening in the environment, with the government, in our neighborhoods, and so one. The commons is a fascinating idea, look into it.

If you're reading this, planning to head off to law school, then you should check out Digital Copyright: Protecting Intellectual Property on the Internet.

There's also a genius at NYU, who everyone calls Siva, because unlike everyone else on this list, his last name is more than six letters long. But his book is one of the key texts: The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System.

The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations doesn't cover this topic explicitly, but Surowiecki has ins some really great NEW YORKER articles. But this book helps show why "open source" matters far beyond programming. Even if you've already read it, check out DARKNET, and reread it, and you'll see why this matter to more people than just a handful of Kazaa wielding fanatics.

There are some other good books out there (I hear Kembrew McCleod's is a good one), but this is where to start. All of these writers blog, and any search engine will get you there. Now let me here you say, "Fair Use!"

Products mentioned include:
1.  Darknet: Hollywood's War Against the Digital Generation  by J. D. Lasica
$20.76 Used & New from: $6.04
3.5 out of 5 stars  (30)
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2.  Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity [Illustrated]  by Lawrence Lessig
Used & New from: $2.25
4.4 out of 5 stars  (38)
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3.  Brand Name Bullies: The Quest to Own and Control Culture  by David Bollier
$19.96 Used & New from: $3.10
4.3 out of 5 stars  (6)
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4.  Silent Theft: The Private Plunder of Our Common Wealth  by David Bollier
$29.65 Used & New from: $7.33
4.0 out of 5 stars  (2)
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5.  Digital Copyright: Protecting Intellectual Property on the Internet  by Jessica Litman
Used & New from: $1.36
4.2 out of 5 stars  (11)
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6.  The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System  by Siva Vaidhyanathan
Used & New from: $0.92
4.2 out of 5 stars  (13)
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7.  The Wisdom of Crowds: Why the Many Are Smarter Than the Few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies and Nations  by James Surowiecki
$16.47 Used & New from: $2.00
3.9 out of 5 stars  (176) | 2 customer discussions
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About this Guide

 

Author

"progressivereader"
Qualifications: Biased Publishing Professional

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Last updated: 4/27/05
Read: 1,027 times
Rated: 9 out of 9 helpful

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