Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy

The author of Free Culture shows how we harm our childrenA-and almost anyone who creates, enjoys, or sells any art formA-with a restrictive copyright system driven by corporate interests. Lessig reveals the solutions to this impasse offered by a collaborative yet profitable A"hybrid economyA".

Lawrence Lessig, the reigning authority on intellectual property in the Internet age, spotlights the newest and possibly the most harmful culture warA-a war waged against our kids and others who create and consume art. AmericaA's copyright laws have ceased to perform their original, beneficial role: protecting artistsA' creations while allowing them to build on previous creative works. In fact, our system now criminalizes those very actions.

For many, new technologies have made it irresistible to flout these unreasonable and ultimately untenable laws. Some of todayA's most talented artists are felons, and so are our kids, who see no reason why they shouldnA't do what their computers and the Web let them do, from burning a copyrighted CD for a friend to A"bitingA" riffs from films, videos, songs, etc and making new art from them.

Criminalizing our children and others is exactly what our society should not do, and Lessig shows how we can and must end this conflictA-a war as ill conceived and unwinnable as the war on drugs. By embracing A"read-write culture,A" which allows its users to create art as readily as they consume it, we can ensure that creators get the supportA-artistic, commercial, and ethicalA-that they deserve and need. Indeed, we can already see glimmers of a new hybrid economy that combines the profit motives of traditional business with the A"sharing economyA" evident in such Web sites as Wikipedia and YouTube. The hybrid economy will become ever more prominent in every creative realmA-from news to musicA-and Lessig shows how we can and should use it to benefit those who make and consume culture.

Remix is an urgent, eloquent plea to end a war that harms our children and other intrepid creative users of new technologies. It also offers an inspiring vision of the post-war world where enormous opportunities await those who view art as a resource to be shared openly rather than a commodity to be hoarded.

Lawrence Lessig is a Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and founder of the SchoolA’s Center for Internet and Society. He is the author of Free Culture, The Future of Ideas, and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, and is a columnist at Wired. He chairs the Creative Commons project and has won numerous awards, including the Free Software FoundationA’s Freedom Award. He was named one of Scientific AmericanA’s Top 50 Visionaries and has also been listed as one of BusinessWeekA’s A“eBiz 25,A” the magazineA’s roundup of the twenty-five most influential people in electronic business, several times.