No law prohibits a writer from quoting another work to make his own point Lessig thinks we should also be able to do this in the digital world. The creativity of the future, by contrast, is 'Read/Write' it is interactive and can be remixed to create new works. He seeks to ensure that copyright law, the sole purpose of which is encouraging creativity, does not end up stifling it instead.Ĭhanneling geeks everywhere, Lessig labels traditional creative work 'Read/Only' - as in a CD that you can play but can't modify. Changed, not abolished.' This is not simply the thesis of 'Remix' it is Lessig's mission statement, and runs through his other books, academic writing and blogging. 'Copyright law regulates culture in America. Lessig has elsewhere described Valenti, who was president of the rabidly pro-copyright Motion Picture Association of America, as 'the nation's foremost extremist when it comes to the nature and scope of 'creative property.' ' Lessig's decision to list them both is not some mawkish politician's pose it is a call for moderation in the increasingly shrill copyright wars - even if many regard Lessig as something of an extremist, too. Patterson, a law professor, believed in loosening the restrictions of copyright law, which regulates the use of creative works like books, films and songs. Ray Patterson and Jack Valenti - two names you shouldn't necessarily recognize. Lessig devotes 'Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy' to L. The dedication of Lawrence Lessig's new book tells more. How lovely, one thinks, before flipping ahead in search of. 'To Véra,' wrote Nabokov at the beginning of 'Lolita.' 'To Annalena,' begin several of Ian McEwan's novels. Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy By Lawrence Lessig The Penguin Press 327 pages $25.95īook dedications, while intensely meaningful to their recipients, are usually too simple and private to be more than vaguely poignant to the average reader.

Lessig books