Lawrence Lessig is a well-known professor from Stanford Law School who studies constitutional law and the law of cyberspace. This is his third book on the interplay between architecture, market, law, and norms in control of intellectual property. He discusses the impact of the recent expansion of copyright on culture and expression through stories of the history of copyright, legislation, and litigation. Near the end, he devotes a chapter to apologizing for the Eldred case and one for suggesting an alternative approach to copyright.

Lessig presents interesting arguments that he backs up with real life cases; however, this book would be more effective if the discussions were more concise and concrete. Additionally, the apologetic tone used when discussing the Eldred case is more appropriate for a blog than for a published book.

The members of the DC/SLA book club found Free Culture very interesting and relevant to current happenings in our community. Applications of copyright are readily apparent in ILL and journal/database licensing issues faced by special libraries. Additionally, several members applied information from the book to their organizations’ ownership and management of intellectual property. Coincidentally, the book discussion was held on the day of the House hearing on HR 107: The Digital Media Consumers' Rights Act of 2003; so, the attendees discussed the possible effects of the proposed weakening of the DMCA.

This book is a timely and important treatment of an issue that has serious consequences to knowledge workers of every variety.