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3.95 of 5 stars

The Internet revolution has come. Some say it has gone. What was responsible for its birth? Who is responsible for its demise?

In T... read full description

reviews

Aug 02, 2009
Simon rated it: 4 of 5 stars
“But commons also produce something of value. They are a resource for decentralized innovation. They create the opportunity for individuals to draw upon resources without connections, permission, or access granted by others.”

Das mittlerweile zum Klassiker mutierte Werk des Kommunikationsgenies Lawrence Lessig war vor acht Jahren, 2001, bahnbrechend. “It deserves to change the way we think about the electronic frontier”, wird die Los Angeles Times auf dem Titelblatt zitiert. Tatsä More...
Jan 02, 2010
Brian rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Interesting book, if a bit repetitive. The big fight over net neutrality happened after this book was published. While this book didn't precisely predict this issue, it certainly foreshadowed it and showed the progression of increasing levels of control over the internet. Still, there is some hope of Congress officially passing a net neutrality bill. I wish that there were some hope for copyright and patent reform, which is seriously broken. This book highlighted the problems with copyright and More...
Feb 08, 2011
Steve rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Dense but interesting.
Lessig's ideas are still valid but I think he greatly underestimated how much people will be drawn to quality ideas. Even though Microsoft and AOL-TW had every competitive advantage, they still blew it by not innovating.
Innovation seems to emerge, even in the face of highly controlled systems.
I still prefer Lessig's idea of an intellectual commons, though.
Jun 17, 2009
G rated it: 3 of 5 stars
This is probably the most wide-ranging of Lessig's three books that I've read (I'm going backwards, I suppose), which means it's also the least successful (in part because it's the oldest). Still, he as always makes good points. I think Free Culture is probably the best of his books that I've read (still have to get to Code 2.0).
Dec 04, 2008
Logjam rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Copyright and control issues in realms of data networking and broadcasting are compared in detail. The emphasis is on being mindful of software and legal developments that will affect what a U.S. citizen can access in the public domain.
Jan 26, 2011
Hunter added it
The Future of Ideas, by John Lessig. An eye-opener, and makes me even more opposed to the further cementing of Disney's iconic copyrights.
May 26, 2009
Yair rated it: 2 of 5 stars
Good information, great discussion of the battles of incumbent industries vs. new technology and public interest but a bit repetitive and dry.
Mar 10, 2009
Dhyana rated it: 5 of 5 stars
LOVE THIS!!!
A must read for those interested i the future of us, technology, thought, basically, our evolution as a system.
Jan 02, 2009
Mike rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Not sure I buy this hook, line and sinker. But it does make you think, and that is what Lessig wants, I am pretty sure.
Oct 13, 2008
Zach rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I think this is the book where Lessig truly became one of the most essential public intellectuals of our time. Reading it in 2008, years after its initial release, it has turned out to be stunningly prescient. He writes about the social, economic, and political ramifications of our misguided intellectual property and technology policy with clarity and wit here.

This is probably the most essential of Lessig's three books. Code 2.0 can be pedagogic at times and Free Culture is the work More...
Apr 06, 2008
Ross rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Our children will have no problem parsing this book, whatsoever. When I read this book, I would actually get angry at Lessig at being too moderate. After describing in such nuance the way things have been horribly messed up in copyright and spectrum laws, my reaction was "well, then burn the FCC to the ground, loot Disney World, and put Les Moonves' head on a stake". Lessig, however, usually provides a more moderate solution. Sometimes it looks like compromise, but in the end, the More...
May 09, 2010
Wesley rated it: 5 of 5 stars
One of the most important books I've read about intellectual freedom, copyright and technology.
Jan 07, 2009
Jeffrey rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Amazing book, it will make you re-think the foundations of property and copyright
Mar 05, 2009
G. Branden rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Informative and activism-inducing.
Jan 06, 2009
David rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Behold open source software
Jan 26, 2012
Nikhil rated it: 2 of 5 stars
boring & repetitive
Mar 15, 2008
Brett rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Still relevant six-seven years on, the book is highly informative and well-constructed. I just had a hard time motivating myself to finish, I don't know if that's because the subject can at times be dry, that the book has been kind of upstaged by Lessig's later efforts, or just my own failings with slightly academic texts. But for those interested in technology, The Future of Ideas is definitely worth checking out for its broad sentiments about the nature of control and innovation.
Nov 18, 2007
Keith rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Lucid and persuasive, Lessig gives history lessons intertwining commerce, morals, politics and law. We get to understand in lay terms how we got to be where we are in copyright and patent law and why it is important that we're able to build on the assets of others' ideas. Important reading for intellectual property owners and purveyors.

Regards,
Keith
Mar 14, 2008
Yuki rated it: 3 of 5 stars
"The experts didn't get it", the book starts by giving you the history of the internet from the ground up, always reminding you that freedom drives innovation because the few at the top, might not get it.
Sep 21, 2010
Evelyn rated it: 1 of 5 stars
I didn't actually finish this book; I just cannot bring myself to finish it. What is it about the writing that makes it so infuriatingly slow-paced? It's just like The World is Flat.
Oct 21, 2007
Lolakay rated it: 2 of 5 stars
yes, i was once a member of the Lawrence Lessig cult. (still respect his ideas, just not as zealous. remember when copyright was a top concern? ah the good old days.)
Mar 05, 2010
Melissa rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very informative and interesting take on the history and future of ideas on the internet. Not a light read, but then it's not a light subject.
Mar 30, 2008
Steve rated it: 5 of 5 stars
this book crystallized my thinking about the significance of Open Source and the power of collaborative development of ideas.
Dec 12, 2007
Andrew is currently reading it
Adage be damned. The hardcover edition of this book may have the best cover I've ever seen. Now, I just need to finish reading it.
Feb 24, 2008
Chad rated it: 5 of 5 stars
It breaks down who runs the web, how it runs, and the decisions and biases that determine the rules of the internet.
Mar 31, 2008
Nadxieli rated it: 3 of 5 stars
just started, seems good . . . had to put it down to read other stuff but worth going back to . . .
Jun 22, 2010
Angela marked it as to-read
Free ebook available here.
Nov 18, 2008
'stina marked it as to-read
bought in Cambridge in 2002, when I was attending a conference at Harvard)

May 13, 2009
Jason rated it: 5 of 5 stars
"Where are we going and why are we in this handbasket?"
Dec 16, 2009
Andrew rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Very interesting, but took ages to read. Quite hard work.