“[R]emarkably readable….Lessig weaves together fields not known for their ready accessibility: law, policy, networked computing, history of technology….[It carries a] political charge, heightened by the book’s climactic, repeated calls to policy-level action. “Lawrence Lessig and the Future of Ideas, Bryan Alexander, Mindjack, October 7, 2002
“This is a first-rate and important book to read….The Web won’t go away, and neither will P2P file sharing, nor the next big thing that comes down the Internet pipe…..Perhaps the pendulum has moved as far as it will in one direction, followed by the inevitable return. In the meantime, read The Future of Ideas. It’s well worth your time.“Book Review, Tom Zillner, Information Technology and Libraries vol.21, no.3, September, 2002.
“…[A]lthough Lessig’s ideas are controversial, the central conclusion of The Future of Ideas is inarguable….“Fate of the Commons, Lincoln Stein, New Architect Magazine, July, 2002
“[A]n important and well-argued book that will give even staunch cyber-utopians pause for thought.“The fate of the common idea, Dave Cosgrave, ITBusiness.ca, February 2002
“[Lessig pulls] off a difficult trick — he’s written a book largely about the arcana of Internet protocols and intellectual property laws, and he’s made it engaging and even enjoyable. He also helps readers understand what the insiders already know: How we deal with these issues matters.“The Enemies Of Innovation, Kurt Kleiner, National Journal Group Inc., Monday, April 29, 2002
“The [Future of Ideas] brims with brilliant insights and subtleties….[it] should be must reading for serious property rights thinkers about the Internet and otherwise.“How a country helps or hinders Internet with its copyright laws, Bruce Fein, The Washington Times, January 27, 2002
“[A] brilliant…exposition….[T]hanks to Code and The Future of Ideas…and a few other farsighted works, we need not be herded altogether passively into the global cyber-playpen.“The Control of Ideas, George Scialabba, The American Prospect, January 28, 2002
“[The] most important thinker on intellectual property in the Internet era….[The Future of Ideas] serves as a bleak summa of his thoughts on intellectual property….Lessig’s real concern is that we return to the way America approached intellectual property throughout most of its history.“Righting Copywrongs, James Surowiecki, Talk of the Town: Financial Page, The New Yorker, January 21, 2002
“[A] dazzlingly inventive work about familiar things. It deserves to change the way we think about the electronic frontier.“The Final Frontier, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Los Angeles Times, Jaunary 13, 2002
“[A] book that is far darker and more pessimistic than Code…they ask, [who] will spend their lives making music for the rest of us if there’s no way for them to get paid? It’s the wrong question, and…Lessig asks a better one…“The Party’s Over, New Scientist, Wendy Grossman, Jaunary 10, 2002.
“[Lessig is] a respected scholar with a firm grasp of both law and technology.”Firms’ control is threat to innovation: Author, Anick Jesdanun, Chicago Tribune, January 7, 2002
“Lessig’s grim assessment is dead on….[It’s] a manifesto that shakes you up, making you aware of how much is lost when a culture turns ‘ideas’ into ‘intellectual property.'”‘The Future of Ideas’: Protecting the Old With Copyright Law, Daniel Zalewski, New York Times, January 6, 2002
“[A]n important book about the counter-revolution produced by the Internet revolution.”Books: Leisure reading, Dennis Lythgoe, Deseret News, December 21, 2001
“His considered analysis of the complex issues at stake, the nature of new technologies, and the history of communications law is…exhaustive.“Street Cred, John Glassie, Wired Magazine, November 2001
“[A] breath of fresh air in a crowded field where most authors would rather shout than talk….a fund of clear, clean, useful information….This book is a public service.“The Computer World, Inside and Out, David Gelernter, New York Times, December 12, 2001
“Lessig is one of the brightest minds grappling with the consequences of the digital world today, as deft and original with technical intricacies as he is with broad legal theory….The Future of Ideas succeeds marvelously at its primary task, which is to persuade the reader of the virtues of a balance between control and freedom in this new world, and of the importance of understanding how technological changes can unintentionally alter that balance. “Marketplace of Ideas or Tag Sale?, The Nation, Steven Johnson, December 17, 2001
“Lessig is a clear writer who is able to convey complicated concepts in simple prose. The book, however, is rich with examples and subtleties about everything from the design of the Web to patent law to intellectual property issues.“Control Versus Freedom on the Web, Los Angeles Times, Zachary Karabell, December 6, 2001
“The ideas in it should not be unfamiliar — Lessig is hardly the only one espousing this point of view today, though he is one of the most articulate. The final chapters have Lessig’s suggestions for ways to reverse this trend of quashing innovation….Smart money is on Lessig. Strongly Recommended….“The Future of Ideas, Slashdot.org, December 4, 2001
“Stanford Law School Professor Lawrence Lessig’s concerns are specific and timely: He believes that the Internet and the innovation wave it spawned face problems far more serious than a stock market dip. He’s right, of course….“Idea Killers, Business Week, Timothy J. Mullaney, December 10, 2001
“Lessig summarizes with scholarly detail the war waged by the interests of corporate control on behalf of corporate profits against the physical, logical and content layers of the Internet.“The Cook Report, January 2002
“Alas, Lessig more pointedly says, the architecture of cyberspace is being challenged, legally and technically, so that the Net is in danger of being perilously stifled by a trend toward control. As media giants seek further to integrate their companies vertically, the freedoms of the Net can be further eroded, he claims.“Internet Controls Needed But Risk of Stifling Freedoms Exists, Columbus Dispatch, December 3, 2001
“An incredible resource for anyone who wishes to grapple with the difficult intersection between private property and the public use of creativity on the Internet….Lessig’s book provides a wake-up call. It reminds us that the expansion of property rights into the market for intellectual property on the Internet brings with it significant, negative side effects for society at large. The question of what the future of the Internet will look like, Lessig suggests, is really a question about the nature of freedom itself. And this is precisely why this book is so important-–because it uses the example of the Internet to teach us something deeper, and more troubling, about ourselves.“Private Property, The Public Use of Creatvity, and the Internet, FindLaw’s Writ, Sonia K. Katyal, November 21, 2001
“[A]n extremely important book that should be widely read in Washington, particularly given the importance of the government’s role in regulating telecom industries and how little most politicians understand technology. “
“Gofer Broke,” Nicholas Thompson, Washington Monthly, November 2001
“Lessig’s thesis (called “the ‘Silent Spring’ of ideas” by one admirer) is timely, tough-minded and cogently argued. It should be of great interest both to those in the tech elite and the rest of us affected by their decisions.“Season’s Readings: Choice books, John Marshall, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, November 19, 2001
“Lessig is right….As we move into what I suspect will be a less-protectionist cycle of intellectual property policy, Lessig’s book will serve as an excellent guide.“Opening Arguments. ‘The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World’, Glenn Harlan Reynolds, Washington Post, November 18, 2001
“Lessig offers a timely polemic against the sterilization of cyberspace. Part manifesto, part jeremiad, but all essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of creative freedom in cyberspace.” Kirkus Reviews
“[A] highly readable and deeply engaging sequel to his Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace….It is as good a history of the development of Internet architecture as one is likely to find in a book without pictures. It is also an extraordinarily skillful interweaving of technical characterization and legal argument. And it is a story well told, with a fair balance of clever aside and clear purpose. ““Internet Liberation Theology,” Marc Rotenberg, Salon.com, November 7, 2001
“The Future of Ideas examines the legal, regulatory, and economic environments that are emerging to corral the exuberant spirit of the Internet. It’s about the past, present, and future of intellectual property, with an original idea at its core: a call for the creation of a ‘public commons’ in the digital realm. Anyone with a stake in creating a smarter way to do business needs to read it.”“Ideas Rule! (But Who Rules Ideas?),” Polly Labarre, Fast Company Must Read, Issue 54
“[Lessig] eloquently and persuasively … suggests practical solutions that consider the rights of both creators and consumers, while acknowledging the serious impact of new technologies on old ways of doing business…..Readers who want a fair intellectual marketplace would do well to absorb the lessons in The Future of Ideas.“Editorial Review, Rob Lightner, Amazon.com
“Some of Lessig’s sweeping proposals are sure to spark a lively debate, but his well-reasoned, clearly written argument is powerful….Lessig has authored another landmark book for the digital age. “Publisher’s Weekly
