The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World
IfThe Future of Ideasis bleak, we have nobody to blame but  ourselves. Author Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford law professor and keen observer of  emerging technologies, makes a strong case that large corporations are staging  an innovation-stifling power grab while we watch idly. The changes in copyright  and other forms of intellectual property protection demanded by the media and  software industries have the potential to choke off publicly held material,  which Lessig sees as a kind of intellectual commons. He eloquently and  persuasively decries this lopsided control of ideas and 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. His proposals would let existing companies make money without using  the tremendous advantages of incumbency to eliminate new killer apps before they  can threaten the status quo. Readers who want a fair intellectual marketplace  would do well to absorb the lessons inThe Future of Ideas.--Rob  Lightner