By Siva Vaidhyanathan, New York University Press (August 1, 2001)

In Copyrights and Copywrongs, Siva Vaidhyanathan tracks the history of American copyright law through the 20th century, from Mark Twain's vehement exhortations for "thick" copyright protection, to recent lawsuits regarding sampling in rap music and the "digital moment," exemplified by the rise of Napster and MP3 technology. He argues persuasively that in its current punitive, highly restrictive form, American copyright law hinders cultural production, thereby contributing to the poverty of civic culture.

"Siva Vaidhyanathan has done a big favor for the academic and library communities. In this book, he has spelled out in clear, understandable language what's at stake in the battles over the nation's intellectual property. The issues brought forward are critical to the future of scholarship and creativity. Librarians and academics are wise to purchase this book and add it to their 'must read' lists.' " -- Nancy Kranich, President, American Library Association, 2000-2001 

Book Contents (PDF, Scanned Version):

Download a PDF of the Introduction

Download a PDF of Chapter 1

Download a PDF of Chapter 2

Download a PDF of Chapter 3

Download a PDF of Chapter 4

Download a PDF of Chapter 5

Download a PDF of the Epilogue

Download a PDF of the endnotes

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