In sharply argued, fast-moving chapters, Cory Doctorow's Information Doesn't Want to Be Free takes on the state of copyright and creative success in the digital age. Can small artists still thrive in the Internet era? Can giant record labels avoid alienating their audiences? This is a book about the pitfalls and the opportunities that creative industries (and individuals) are confronting today. An essential read for anyone with a stake in the future of the arts, Information Doesn't Want to Be Free offers a vivid guide to the ways creativity and the Internet interact today, and to what might be coming next.
About the Author :
Cory Doctorow is a blogger, journalist, and author science fiction and nonfiction. His writing has won numerous awards, including three Locus Awards, two John W. Campbell Awards, three Prometheus Awards, two Sunburst Awards, the White Pine Award, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award, among others. He has served as Canadian regional director of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is coeditor of the blog Boing Boing, and he was named one of the web's twenty-five "influencers" by Forbes and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He is a contributing author to Wired magazine, and his writing has been published in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, the Globe and Mail, the Boston Globe, Popular Science, and others.
Amanda Palmer rose to fame as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist for the acclaimed band the Dresden Dolls and performs as a solo artist as well as collaborating with artists including Jonathan Richman and her husband, author Neil Gaiman.
Neil Gaiman is the author of several #1 New York Times bestsellers, including Norse Mythogy, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and Anansi Boys, and others, as well as the Sandman series of graphic novels. His fiction has received Newbery, Carnegie, Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. His novel American Gods aired as a TV series in 2017. Originally from England, he lives in the United States, where he is a professor at Bard College.
Wil Wheaton is an award-winning actor, voice artist, author, and audiobook narrator. Among his movie credits are Stand by Me and Toy Soldiers. His many television credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Big Bang Theory, and Generator Rex. As a narrator of more than a dozen audiobooks, he has twice won the prestigious Audie Award, twice been a finalist for the Audie, and earned an Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine.
Review :
"Information Doesn't Want to Be Free is the most entertaining and informational book on copyright law you'll ever read."
-- "Shelf Awareness"
"A readable, concise look at the breadth and scope of copyright law in the modern age."
-- "Consumerist"
"An excellent, sometimes sobering primer on copyright and creativity in the Internet age."
-- "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"
"Author, Internet guru, and practical philosopher Cory Doctorow gives hardheaded advice about how to gain fame and fortune using the Internet. Along the way, he explains a great deal about the hidden workings and dangers of modern technology. Whether you want to make money online or just surf safely, there's much to learn in this fast-moving and entertaining narrative."
-- "Alex Kozinski, chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit"
"Cory Doctorow has been thinking longer and smarter than anyone else I know about how we create and exchange value in a digital age."
-- "Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed"
"Cory Doctorow's broadside against copyrights is well suited for the audiobook format. The short chapters move quickly, the musical cues maintain momentum, and Wil Wheaton's persuasive narration pilots the whole production with a confident forward motion. Doctorow's thesis--that fame trumps talent, people want free stuff, and individual copying is a benign form of expression--is clearly and convincingly conveyed."
-- "AudioFile"
"Cory Doctorow's punchy, instructive Information Doesn't Want to Be Free: New Laws for the Internet Age is a must-read for anyone who hopes to make a living selling creative work online. A buoyant and geeky manual, it teaches creators how to make today's complex intellectual property rules and technology work for them."
-- "San Francisco Chronicle"
"Filled with wisdom and thought experiments and things that will mess with your mind."
-- "Neil Gaiman"
"Required reading for creators making their ways through the new world."
-- "Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"
"The Internet has expanded and cluttered the debate over intellectual property with technical terms and special interests, but Doctorow...breaks down some of the most fundamental concepts at work into plain language...He excels at translating complex issues into pithy, digestible phrases and challenges readers to rethink the idea of copyright and who it is meant to serve...He deftly explains how an open Internet directly affects freedom of speech and freedom of the press and why censorship doesn't solve problems. Equal parts manifesto and field guide, Doctorow's primer for artists and creators delivers a healthy dose of clarity to the debate."
-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"
