Free as in Speech and Beer: The Internet, Gift Economies and the Intellectual Property Crisis

by Darren Wershler-Henry

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0130944297
• ISBN13: 9780130944290
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: Pearson Publications Company
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Excellent book but not a classic

I bought this book a year ago and never really got into it but the other night I picked it out of my library and started to read. Weshler-Henry does an excellent job of explaining the legality, issues, opportunities, and dangers of p2p, open source, and intellectual property in a way that makes sense to the average consumer. It was a great book to read and one that more of us who use the web and care about those issues need to educate ourselves in. The author writes in a lively style and while the book is a little out of date now (iTunes and the RIAA's new strategy of sue everyone) hadn't happened yet, the basics of what he is getting at still hold true.He does a good job in documenting both the official response and the grassroots reaction (which aren't always the same) to the issues and engages both equally. This book isn't a classic by any means but is one that is worth reading.