A book on the history and interpretation of copyright law

January 14, 2009 8:19 AM

Could somebody please recommend a book on the history and interpretation of copyright law in the United States?

I'm looking for something that isn't simply legalize (although if it delves into it a bit that's fine) and does not focus on piracy.

posted by cyphill to law & government (6 comments total)

Perhaps Remix, by Lawrence Lessig?
posted by Hypnotic Chick at 8:29 AM on January 14

Copyrights and Copywrongs: The Rise of Intellectual Property and How it Threatens Creativity by Siva Vaidhyanathan
posted by mattbucher at 8:35 AM on January 14

Remix and Copyrights and Copywrongs are great, but both pursue specific policy positions that you might not be looking for if you want a general introduction to U.S. copyright law and its history and interpretation.

For a comprehensive, straightforward explanation of U.S. copyright law, how it evolved, how it works, and how courts have interpreted it throughout America's history I would recommend the new 2008 ed. of Copyright Law in a Nutshell. (The Nutshell series is geared for a law student/lawyer/paralegal audience, but one that knows nothing about copyright law. And the book is not terribly arid--as legal writing goes.) There are probably many basic books about U.S. Copyright law at your library (and there is a 2008 edition "For Dummies" title, but if you go that route be sure the book you select was published after 2001.
posted by applemeat at 9:15 AM on January 14

Paul Goldstein's Copyright's Highway Goldstein is a big gun in copyright law, and this book of his looks at influential court cases that interpreted copyright.
posted by that possible maker of pork sausages at 9:16 AM on January 14

Jessica Litman's book Digital Copyright is a good source for the history of copyright policymaking in the US.
posted by PueExMachina at 6:40 PM on January 14

if you pick lessig, i'd go with free culture over remix.
posted by anthropomorphic at 5:53 PM on January 22