Remix
Making art and commerce thrive in the hybrid economy

Lawrence Lessig
Publication: October 2008
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-1408113479
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e-Book £9.99
Paperback £12.99

Synopsis
Is burning a mix CD for a friend an expression of creativity or a criminal offence?
Copyright laws were originally put in place to protect artists. However, today they seem mainly to serve corporate interests and effectively prohibit further creativity. In Remix, Lawrence Lessig highlights how these copyright laws may potentially criminalise our own children – the generation who don’t think twice about burning CDs, ‘biting’ riffs from films, videos and songs to make new art – and indeed anyone else who creates, enjoys or sells any art form.

Lawrence Lessig, the reigning authority on intellectual property in the digital world, advocates a solution which rests not on abolishing copyright but applying it where it was intended – namely in the commercial sphere.

Lessig explains:

• how the new collaborative yet profitable ‘hybrid economy’ based on a ‘read-write’ culture works;
  
• how it will become ever more prominent in every creative realm – from news to music;
  
• how we can and should use it to benefit those who make and consume art.

Remix is more than an authoritative statement on copyright in the 21st century. It is an eloquent plea to decriminalise that which comes naturally to young people and to untie the shackles that prevent us creating and using our culture. Tremendous opportunities are out there in the ‘hybrid economy’ for those who are prepared to embrace it. read more

Table of Contents

Media
To hear Lawrence Lessig talk about his book Remix you can listen now to the NPR interview (37 min 51 sec).

Press Reviews

'Lessig... has written a splendid combative manifesto – pungent, witty and persuasive.'
Financial Times

'Lessig...is a lawyer who gets things changed not for the benefit of corporations but to unleash the creative potential of ordinary people in a digital age.'
The Guardian

'... Lessig is surely right that digital culture requires governance that is more subtle and ecological, judging a balance of forces between commerce and community, than precise and draconian.'
Books of the Week, The Independent

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