Stanford Center for Internet and Society

"[A] dazzlingly inventive work about familiar things. It deserves to change the way we think about the electronic frontier."

The Final Frontier, Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, Los Angeles Times, Jaunary 13, 2002

"[A] book that is far darker and more pessimistic than Code...they ask, [who] will spend their lives making music for the rest of us if there's no way for them to get paid? It's the wrong question, and...Lessig asks a better one..."

The Party's Over, New Scientist, Wendy Grossman, Jaunary 10, 2002.

"[Lessig is] a respected scholar with a firm grasp of both law and technology."

Firms' control is threat to innovation: Author, Anick Jesdanun, Chicago Tribune, January 7, 2002

"Lessig's grim assessment is dead on....[It's] a manifesto that shakes you up, making you aware of how much is lost when a culture turns 'ideas' into 'intellectual property.'"

'The Future of Ideas': Protecting the Old With Copyright Law, Daniel Zalewski, New York Times, January 6, 2002

"[A]n important book about the counter-revolution produced by the Internet revolution."

Books: Leisure reading, Dennis Lythgoe, Deseret News, December 21, 2001

"His considered analysis of the complex issues at stake, the nature of new technologies, and the history of communications law is...exhaustive."

Street Cred, John Glassie, Wired Magazine, November 2001

"[A] breath of fresh air in a crowded field where most authors would rather shout than talk....a fund of clear, clean, useful information....This book is a public service."

The Computer World, Inside and Out, David Gelernter, New York Times, December 12, 2001

"Lessig is one of the brightest minds grappling with the consequences of the digital world today, as deft and original with technical intricacies as he is with broad legal theory....The Future of Ideas succeeds marvelously at its primary task, which is to persuade the reader of the virtues of a balance between control and freedom in this new world, and of the importance of understanding how technological changes can unintentionally alter that balance. "

Marketplace of Ideas or Tag Sale?, The Nation, Steve

"Lessig is a clear writer who is able to convey complicated concepts in simple prose. The book, however, is rich with examples and subtleties about everything from the design of the Web to patent law to intellectual property issues."

Control Versus Freedom on the Web, Los Angeles Times, Zachary Karabell, December 6, 2001

"The ideas in it should not be unfamiliar -- Lessig is hardly the only one espousing this point of view today, though he is one of the most articulate. The final chapters have Lessig's suggestions for ways to reverse this trend of quashing innovation....Smart money is on Lessig. Strongly Recommended...."

The Future of Ideas, Slashdot.org, December 4, 2001