Description
Book SynopsisArgues that strict legal guidelines prove insensitive to the diverse forms of cultural expression prevalent in the United States
Trade Review"Illuminating." * Bookforum(April-June 2002) *
"
Copyrights and Copywrongs is an urgent information-age wake-up call to a public cocooned in belief that & copyright is a seal and safeguard for consumers and producers of culture-ware. This book guides us into the legal labyrinth of a new world of so-called intellectual property, in which & fair use isnt fair, where rights are waived and free speechwhen we can get itcosts a great deal of money. From print books to video games, Copyrights and Copywrongs shows free expression in a legalistic chokehold. Clearly written, meticulously argued, this book is a must." -- Cecelia Tichi,author of Embodiment of a Nation: Human Form in American Spaces
"It has taken lawyers 200-plus years to morph copyright law from the balanced compromise that our framers struck to the extraordinary system of control that it has become. In this beautifully written book, a nonlawyer has uncovered much of the damage done.
Copyrights and Copywrongs is a rich and compelling account of the bending of American copyright law, and a promise of the balance that we could once again make the law become" -- Lawrence Lessig,Stanford Law School and author of Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace
"Siva Vaidhyanathan has done a big favor for the academic and library communities. In this book, he has spelled out in clear, understandable language what's at stake in the battles over the nation's intellectual property. The issues brought forward are critical to the future of scholarship and creativity. Librarians and academics are wise to purchase this book and add it to their & must read lists." -- Nancy Kranich,President, American Library Association
"Vaidhyanathans incredibly thorough unraveling of both the history of copyright law and the cultural importance of rewriting current copyright policy is invaluable and long overdue." -- Christy Mulligan * New York Metro Computer User *
Table of ContentsContentsAcknowledgments Introduction l Copyright and American Culture: Ideas, Expressions, and Democracy 2 Mark Twain and the History of Literary Copyright3 Celluloid Copyright and Derivative Works, or, How to Stop 12 Monkeys with One Chair4 Hep Cats and Copy Cats: American Music Challenges the Copyright Tradition 5 The Digital Moment: The End of Copyright? Epilogue: The Summer without Martha Graham Notes Index Afterword About the Author
