Lessig, Lawrence. . Free culture : how big media uses technology and the law to lock down culture and control creativity / Lawrence Lessig. [1594200068 (hbk.) ] New York : Penguin Press, 2004.
Call#: Van Pelt Library KF2979 .L47 2004

Free Culture is widely considered to be the “manifesto” behind Creative Commons.  It discusses the cultural and economic impact to our society of overzealous copyright law.  Lessig explains how many important copyrights are owned by corporations who hold great power and influence; and that too many copyrights in the US have too few owners.  The power of these copyright controllers negatively affects the public, through the indefinite extensions of older copyrights, and the lack of artistic works being given to the public domain.
Lessig illustrates a wide variety of specific examples, offers a thorough discussion of the important issues, and describes complex legal and economic issues in very easy-to-understand language.  His mission seems to be to get this information about the current state of American copyright out to the public, since they are the ones being most harmed by the extremes of copyright control.  The two main arguments are that over-extensive copyright goes against the tradition of developing new creative works from what has come before, and that the continuing extension of copyrights is unconstitutional (by ignoring the wording of the law that states a copyright will be for “limited times”).  The lament is for the lack of a plentiful public domain, and how that negatively affects transformational and innovative expression.  It also prevents important information from being disseminated to the public.
Much of the book centers on the Eldred v Ashcroft case which made it to the Supreme Court.  The case focused on the two issues mentioned above.  Lessig’s honesty about the arguments and outcome of the case are refreshing, but his overall view is pessimistic.  The Supreme Court decision was against Eldred, stating that Congress can continue to extend older copyrights at their discretion, setting up a system of lobbying and corruption. 
Lessig’s dislike and distrust of extremes is clear, and he does offer some ideas for a more moderate copyright culture in the US.  One of the ideas expounded is Creative Commons, a way for content owners to license their own work, and start creating a richer public domain.  It is now up to creators and artists themselves, since large corporations and Congress seem to be working together to restrict the public domain.
The goal of Creative Commons is to build a reasonable layer of copyright for the public to access.  The licenses are simple, and easy to read - no need for a lawyer.  There is a variety of licenses offered, so the creator can choose what they want; somewhere between “all” and “no rights reserved”.  It gives copyright owners a wider realm of freedom, but also creates a world of content that others can use and build on.