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The Idealist
A smart, lively history of the Internet free culture movement and its larger effects on society and the life and shocking suicide of Aaron Swartz, a founding developer of Reddit and Creative Commons from Slate correspondent Justin Peters.
Aaron Swartz was a zealous young advocate for the free exchange of information and creative content online. He committed suicide in 2013 after being indicted by the government for illegally downloading millions of academic articles from a nonprofit online database. From the age of fifteen, when Swartz, a computer prodigy, worked with Lawrence Lessig to launch Creative Commons, to his years as a fighter for copyright reform and open information, to his work leading the protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), to his posthumous status as a cultural icon, Swartz's life was inextricably connected to the free culture movement. Now Justin Peters examines Swartz's life in the context of 200 years of struggle over the control of information.
In vivid, accessible prose, The Idealist situates Swartz in the context of other "data moralists" past and present, from lexicographer Noah Webster to ebook pioneer Michael Hart to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. In the process, the book explores the history of copyright statutes and the public domain; examines archivists' ongoing quest to build the library of the future and charts the rise of open access, copyleft, and other ideologies that have come to challenge protectionist IP policies.
Peters also breaks down the government's case against Swartz and explains how we reached the point where federally funded academic research came to be considered private property, and downloading that material in bulk came to be considered a federal crime.
The Idealist is an important investigation of the fate of the digital commons in an increasingly corporatized Internet, and an essential look at the impact of the free culture movement on our daily lives and on generations to come.
Aaron Swartz was a zealous young advocate for the free exchange of information and creative content online. He committed suicide in 2013 after being indicted by the government for illegally downloading millions of academic articles from a nonprofit online database. From the age of fifteen, when Swartz, a computer prodigy, worked with Lawrence Lessig to launch Creative Commons, to his years as a fighter for copyright reform and open information, to his work leading the protests against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), to his posthumous status as a cultural icon, Swartz's life was inextricably connected to the free culture movement. Now Justin Peters examines Swartz's life in the context of 200 years of struggle over the control of information.
In vivid, accessible prose, The Idealist situates Swartz in the context of other "data moralists" past and present, from lexicographer Noah Webster to ebook pioneer Michael Hart to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. In the process, the book explores the history of copyright statutes and the public domain; examines archivists' ongoing quest to build the library of the future and charts the rise of open access, copyleft, and other ideologies that have come to challenge protectionist IP policies.
Peters also breaks down the government's case against Swartz and explains how we reached the point where federally funded academic research came to be considered private property, and downloading that material in bulk came to be considered a federal crime.
The Idealist is an important investigation of the fate of the digital commons in an increasingly corporatized Internet, and an essential look at the impact of the free culture movement on our daily lives and on generations to come.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
March 16, 2021
The last half of the book is excellent: a compelling portrayal of the life and death of internet free culture advocate Aaron Swartz. Swartz is neither excessively celebrated nor condemned but instead presented as someone with intelligence, strong convictions and a genuine desire to challenge conventional ways of thinking about the ethics of copyright in the digital age. Yes, "information wants to be free" rhetoric can seem like self serving nonsense from millennials who don't want to pay for the new Kanye West album, but it's clear in this depiction that Swartz was a true believer in the notion that free exchange of information could right many of the world's power-imbalance based wrongs. At the same time, Swartz is still as flawed as the rest of us. He retains an adolescent's immature idealism long into his twenties, leaving his grand ambitious schemes unfinished (leaving everything including his studies unfinished for that matter), takes short cuts and often fails to think his plans through carefully in ways that make them easily fall apart. He is still worthy of folk hero status even if he does occasionally seem like a dumb ass.
As great as the second half is, the first section could be better. The history of Noah Webster and others who created and challenged what became our contemporary copyright laws is interesting, but its connection to Swartz is tenuous. These anecdotes would work better in a biography of Lawrence Lessig or Michael Hart, someone devoted almost exclusively to challenging copyright than someone as scattered and multi-focused as Swartz. Swartz's ideological forebear isn't Hart; it's Chomsky. Also, the history is less effective in such a large chunk. Nonfiction writers include these details to provide context, which is understandable, but they would probably work better interwoven throughout the story than in a series of dense chapters unrelated to what the reader actually wants: the story of Swartz. Still, reading The Idealist provides a decent amount of understanding of the ideals of the free culture movement as well as of the life of an intriguing iconoclast whose influence continues to resonate through the internet and the cultural discourse.
As great as the second half is, the first section could be better. The history of Noah Webster and others who created and challenged what became our contemporary copyright laws is interesting, but its connection to Swartz is tenuous. These anecdotes would work better in a biography of Lawrence Lessig or Michael Hart, someone devoted almost exclusively to challenging copyright than someone as scattered and multi-focused as Swartz. Swartz's ideological forebear isn't Hart; it's Chomsky. Also, the history is less effective in such a large chunk. Nonfiction writers include these details to provide context, which is understandable, but they would probably work better interwoven throughout the story than in a series of dense chapters unrelated to what the reader actually wants: the story of Swartz. Still, reading The Idealist provides a decent amount of understanding of the ideals of the free culture movement as well as of the life of an intriguing iconoclast whose influence continues to resonate through the internet and the cultural discourse.
March 10, 2016
I've been interested in the Aaron Swartz story since I saw the documentary "The Internet's Own Boy." This book takes 4 chapters to review the history of intellectual property and the push and pull between long periods of copyright protection vs. public domain benefits. It then tells Aaron's story with a seemingly balanced view. I liked the documentary a lot but this book filled in some gaps for me. This might interest some of my librarian friends.
July 4, 2016
It felt like the introduction lasted well over 100 pages, going into the history of copyright law. Some of it was interesting, following the stories of historical figures, but a lot of it was extremely factual. Even once the book made it to Aaron Schwartz's story, it felt at times like a school report - the facts of what had happened were stated, but not always expanded upon in an interesting way. There are probably more entertaining/interesting books out there about internet free cultre and/or Aaron Schwartz.
March 18, 2016
The free culture movement wants to remove barriers to information.
“Copyright is a social relationship between producers, consumers and the state,” writes Justin Peters. “Today’s copyright laws are weighted wholly in favor of the producers.”
Public domain, meanwhile, implies that the public has a stake in works of culture and scholarship. And therein lies the conflict. When copyright terms expand, the public domain contracts.
The first half of this book follows the interesting history of copyright and free culture in the United States. Halfway into the book, we meet Aaron Swartz, who, at age fifteen, advocated an open culture, becoming the unofficial protégé of the copyright reform movement. People regarded him as an internet folk hero.
The open-access movement, which emerged in the nineties, believes that academic research should become free at the time of publication. But publishers buy this research at a low price then sell it at high subscription rates.
Aaron Swartz downloaded many academic research documents at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before the school caught and prosecuted him.
MIT, the birthplace of hacker culture, tolerated pranks. But the school’s public image collided with reality in the case of Aaron Swartz. Its prosecution of him was an overreach for a minor transgression.
“The bringing of unnecessary charges not only complicates and prolongs trials, it also is an excessive — and potentially unfair —use of power,” says the United States Attorneys Manual. Deeply depressed by MIT's aggressive prosecution ruining his life, Aaron Swartz hanged himself in January of 2013.
Edward R. Tufte, at Swartz’s memorial service, told how he got caught hacking the phone system while a college student in the sixties. The prank qualified as a crime, but AT&T decided there was nothing to gain from prosecution. Tufte remains grateful that the company did not ruin his life.
This book began three years ago as an online article at Slate. On The Media talked with Justin Peters, the author: http://www.onthemedia.org/story/wunde... ... And that's how the book came to my attention.
The Internet's Own Boy, a 2014 film, brings the second half of this book to life. The documentary about Aaron Swartz made the Academy Award shortlist a year ago, but did not make the final cut of the five nominees. http://www.takepart.com/internets-own...
Copyright v public domain? I wrestle constantly with this moral dilemma: Should I buy books, CDs and DVDs so that the writers and composers get their royalties? Or should I borrow for free from the library?
“Copyright is a social relationship between producers, consumers and the state,” writes Justin Peters. “Today’s copyright laws are weighted wholly in favor of the producers.”
Public domain, meanwhile, implies that the public has a stake in works of culture and scholarship. And therein lies the conflict. When copyright terms expand, the public domain contracts.
The first half of this book follows the interesting history of copyright and free culture in the United States. Halfway into the book, we meet Aaron Swartz, who, at age fifteen, advocated an open culture, becoming the unofficial protégé of the copyright reform movement. People regarded him as an internet folk hero.
The open-access movement, which emerged in the nineties, believes that academic research should become free at the time of publication. But publishers buy this research at a low price then sell it at high subscription rates.
Aaron Swartz downloaded many academic research documents at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before the school caught and prosecuted him.
MIT, the birthplace of hacker culture, tolerated pranks. But the school’s public image collided with reality in the case of Aaron Swartz. Its prosecution of him was an overreach for a minor transgression.
“The bringing of unnecessary charges not only complicates and prolongs trials, it also is an excessive — and potentially unfair —use of power,” says the United States Attorneys Manual. Deeply depressed by MIT's aggressive prosecution ruining his life, Aaron Swartz hanged himself in January of 2013.
Edward R. Tufte, at Swartz’s memorial service, told how he got caught hacking the phone system while a college student in the sixties. The prank qualified as a crime, but AT&T decided there was nothing to gain from prosecution. Tufte remains grateful that the company did not ruin his life.
This book began three years ago as an online article at Slate. On The Media talked with Justin Peters, the author: http://www.onthemedia.org/story/wunde... ... And that's how the book came to my attention.
The Internet's Own Boy, a 2014 film, brings the second half of this book to life. The documentary about Aaron Swartz made the Academy Award shortlist a year ago, but did not make the final cut of the five nominees. http://www.takepart.com/internets-own...
Copyright v public domain? I wrestle constantly with this moral dilemma: Should I buy books, CDs and DVDs so that the writers and composers get their royalties? Or should I borrow for free from the library?
February 19, 2016
Justin Peters is a great writer. Reading through the abridged history of copyright was absolutely fascinating, more so even then learning about Aaron Swartz. Absolutely recommended.
April 30, 2016
A good brief history of intellectual property along with the tragic story of Aaron Swartz. Good read for librarians.
September 12, 2020
some parts were dry like the Sahara while others were interesting. a segment within chapter 3 pissed me off but overall - it was alright
April 6, 2019
Pretty fascinating, and a good backgrounding in both the roots and branches of current struggles over intellectual property and the public good, with a tragic figure at the center.
October 8, 2018
I had heard like many of you probably of Aaron Swartz who committed suicide in January 2013 at age 26 after beging prosecuted for computer fraud. So when I was advised to read The Idealist, I did not hesitate much before buying it.
The book is divided in two parts: a short history of copyright in the USA since the beginning of the nineteenth century and the story of Aaron Swartz himself. In the first part, the author, Justin Peters, shows the complexity of one of the pillars of intellectual property. You may have a look at my previous articles on the topic and particularly the profound work of Boldrin and Levine Against Intellectual Monopoly. I will only mention a short paragraph, page 46, of Peters’ book: But in nineteenth-century America, the concept of intellectual property was not yet sacrosanct – and the interests of the readers were not inextrically bound to those of authors. In congressional chambers, lawmakers openly wondered whether international copyright constituted a tax on knowledge and compared literary property to industrial monopoly.
As for Aaron Swartz, Three years after [he] died, his story is still on many people’s minds. A large street-art mural of his face, set next to the words RIP AARON SWARTZ, adorns the side of a building in Brooklyn. […] Every year around his birthday , Swartz’s friends and admirers worldwide organize a series of weekend-long “hackatons” intended to stimulate the sorts of social projects Swartz cherished. [Page 14]
So why did Aaron Swatz die? You must read the book. But here is a sentence close to the end [page 268]: “Swartz saw things differently, and, indeed, devoted much of his life to the notion that the only way that the world ever improved was by allowing people to open things up. This notion […] is Swartz’s legacy. It is also his challenge to the world he left behind.”
Corporations continue to deploy law and rhetoric to combat the situational ethics of unauthorized downloading, to argue that copyright is a zero-sum game. Conflicts recur. The actors may change, but the script remains the same. [Page 271]
A surprising argument is against Apple and Steve Jobs: Swartz depicted Apple as “a ruthless, authoritarian organization” that flouted labor standards and Jobs himself as a martinet who insisted on controlling every aspect of the user experience. His megalomania manifested in Apple’s portable music players: sterile white rectangles that could be neither opened nor modified by the end user. “Jobs couldn’t abide people opening things”. [Page 267]
A stronger quote taken from Swartz’s blog: Since power over human beings is shown in making them do what they would rather not do, the man who is actuated by love of power is more apt to inflict pain than to permit pleasure. If you ask your boss for leave of absence from the office on some legitimate occasion, his love of power will derive more satisfaction from a refusal than from a consent. If you require a building permit, the petty official concerned will obviously get more pleasure from saying «No» than from saying «Yes». It is this sort of thing which makes the love of power such a dangerous motive. — Bertrand Russell [Page 254]
Peters would like to have a balanced view of the situation: Property holders are but one party to the social contract. That is supposed to govern our polity, and their interests are not the only ones that matter. There is a middle ground between functionally eternal copyright and wholesale anarcho-syndicalism. [Page 268]
The book is divided in two parts: a short history of copyright in the USA since the beginning of the nineteenth century and the story of Aaron Swartz himself. In the first part, the author, Justin Peters, shows the complexity of one of the pillars of intellectual property. You may have a look at my previous articles on the topic and particularly the profound work of Boldrin and Levine Against Intellectual Monopoly. I will only mention a short paragraph, page 46, of Peters’ book: But in nineteenth-century America, the concept of intellectual property was not yet sacrosanct – and the interests of the readers were not inextrically bound to those of authors. In congressional chambers, lawmakers openly wondered whether international copyright constituted a tax on knowledge and compared literary property to industrial monopoly.
As for Aaron Swartz, Three years after [he] died, his story is still on many people’s minds. A large street-art mural of his face, set next to the words RIP AARON SWARTZ, adorns the side of a building in Brooklyn. […] Every year around his birthday , Swartz’s friends and admirers worldwide organize a series of weekend-long “hackatons” intended to stimulate the sorts of social projects Swartz cherished. [Page 14]
So why did Aaron Swatz die? You must read the book. But here is a sentence close to the end [page 268]: “Swartz saw things differently, and, indeed, devoted much of his life to the notion that the only way that the world ever improved was by allowing people to open things up. This notion […] is Swartz’s legacy. It is also his challenge to the world he left behind.”
Corporations continue to deploy law and rhetoric to combat the situational ethics of unauthorized downloading, to argue that copyright is a zero-sum game. Conflicts recur. The actors may change, but the script remains the same. [Page 271]
A surprising argument is against Apple and Steve Jobs: Swartz depicted Apple as “a ruthless, authoritarian organization” that flouted labor standards and Jobs himself as a martinet who insisted on controlling every aspect of the user experience. His megalomania manifested in Apple’s portable music players: sterile white rectangles that could be neither opened nor modified by the end user. “Jobs couldn’t abide people opening things”. [Page 267]
A stronger quote taken from Swartz’s blog: Since power over human beings is shown in making them do what they would rather not do, the man who is actuated by love of power is more apt to inflict pain than to permit pleasure. If you ask your boss for leave of absence from the office on some legitimate occasion, his love of power will derive more satisfaction from a refusal than from a consent. If you require a building permit, the petty official concerned will obviously get more pleasure from saying «No» than from saying «Yes». It is this sort of thing which makes the love of power such a dangerous motive. — Bertrand Russell [Page 254]
Peters would like to have a balanced view of the situation: Property holders are but one party to the social contract. That is supposed to govern our polity, and their interests are not the only ones that matter. There is a middle ground between functionally eternal copyright and wholesale anarcho-syndicalism. [Page 268]
August 8, 2017
If you have ever used the Internet, and liked being able to, this is a book to check out. A lot of folks (including me) don't realize that much of the way the Internet currently works hinges on interpretations of copyright rules. This book provides lots of reasons why copyright is an important issue, how it underpins our history and our future, and why we should all be a little more aware and involved in matters of copyright law.
This book is touted as being centered on Aaron Swartz, and it does spend some time going through his situation (which is fascinating in and of itself), but Peters covers a lot of ground besides Aaron Swartz; the background on where copyright came from, and the tensions between why we need it and why we should abolish it are nicely laid out. There's definitely cases for both sides, and Peters does a good job of laying out the arguments for each. He also recognizes that the current political system is moving to consolidate power for those with money, and close off opportunities for those without via the manipulation of copyright laws; essentially, this is what caused Aaron Swartz to get hauled in by the FBI. This book would make a great addition to anyone's collection, as it makes a very clear case for why we all need to pay a little more attention to what's going on in Washington, and why we should all be more involved with our local, state, and federal representatives if we enjoy the Internet as it currently stands.
This book is touted as being centered on Aaron Swartz, and it does spend some time going through his situation (which is fascinating in and of itself), but Peters covers a lot of ground besides Aaron Swartz; the background on where copyright came from, and the tensions between why we need it and why we should abolish it are nicely laid out. There's definitely cases for both sides, and Peters does a good job of laying out the arguments for each. He also recognizes that the current political system is moving to consolidate power for those with money, and close off opportunities for those without via the manipulation of copyright laws; essentially, this is what caused Aaron Swartz to get hauled in by the FBI. This book would make a great addition to anyone's collection, as it makes a very clear case for why we all need to pay a little more attention to what's going on in Washington, and why we should all be more involved with our local, state, and federal representatives if we enjoy the Internet as it currently stands.
April 5, 2020
2018.05.17–2018.05.18
Contents
Peters J (2016) (09:03) Idealist, The - Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on the Internet
Dedication
Author’s Note
Introduction: The Bad Thing
01. Noah Webster and the Movement for Copyright in America
02. A Tax on Knowledge
03. A Copyright of the Future, a Library of the Future
04. The Infinite Librarian
05. The Case for the Public Domain
06. “Co-opt or Destroy”
07. Guerilla Open Access
08. Hacks and Hackers
09. The Web Is Yours
10. How to Save the World
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
Contents
Peters J (2016) (09:03) Idealist, The - Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on the Internet
Dedication
Author’s Note
Introduction: The Bad Thing
01. Noah Webster and the Movement for Copyright in America
02. A Tax on Knowledge
03. A Copyright of the Future, a Library of the Future
04. The Infinite Librarian
05. The Case for the Public Domain
06. “Co-opt or Destroy”
07. Guerilla Open Access
08. Hacks and Hackers
09. The Web Is Yours
10. How to Save the World
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
October 26, 2016
This isn't just a book about Aaron Swartz, though it certainly does a great job explaining why people should be upset at his unhappy fate. This is a book about copyright - what should be free, to whom, and how. Everyone should care about that. No matter what side (of the many, many available sides) of copyright you come down upon, you'll do yourself a favor reading this straightforward, no-frills account of how we got here and what we lost on the way.
January 15, 2016
Could have been much better. WAY too much "this is the history of copyright" and not enough "this is the impact of what this new world means." Last third of the book that deals with Aaron is very good.
September 17, 2023
The author wrote an article for Slate on Aaron Swartz, then expanded it into this book by adding a lot of history of copyright. This history may be too much for some, but it explains the era and (mostly) the prosecution reasons.
The Aaron presented here was impulsive, not always considering the consequences. The two thirds of the book that covers his life portrays this very well. I lived through this time, though with two decades added experience. Aaron's reaction to draconian copyright was spot on. His implementation was not, however.
I didn't read the original article at the time. I love history and knew much of the copyright story given here; I agree with other reviewers that it is dry at points. I think it is important, but perhaps a chunk of it belongs in an appendix. Perhaps also the points that most explain the motive of the government should be highlighted.
If you don't know anything about copyright (US vs international), this book will tell two good stories. If you are fairly familiar, skimming the first section is probably the best idea.
The Aaron presented here was impulsive, not always considering the consequences. The two thirds of the book that covers his life portrays this very well. I lived through this time, though with two decades added experience. Aaron's reaction to draconian copyright was spot on. His implementation was not, however.
I didn't read the original article at the time. I love history and knew much of the copyright story given here; I agree with other reviewers that it is dry at points. I think it is important, but perhaps a chunk of it belongs in an appendix. Perhaps also the points that most explain the motive of the government should be highlighted.
If you don't know anything about copyright (US vs international), this book will tell two good stories. If you are fairly familiar, skimming the first section is probably the best idea.
January 23, 2017
The book, while sometimes overly verbose to the point of esoteric obscurity, successfully plumbs the depth and history of the dissemination of information, both across the USA and the world at large. It paints a very balanced picture of the current state of information consumerism and why existing power structures seek to preserve the scarcity of information.
The history of Copywrite, and the free culture movement - the prononents, critics and martyrs alike - makes for a very eye opening encapsulation of something that should concern us all, for the good of us all.
Swartz's narrative is successfully woven throughout and handled without bias - a man ahead of his age, ahead of our time and perhaps not belonging to the current cultural zeitgeist he found himself in, Swartz's contribution to 21st century freedom of speech is palpable and his loss a great tragedy.
Next stop, Chomsky's Understanding Power.
The history of Copywrite, and the free culture movement - the prononents, critics and martyrs alike - makes for a very eye opening encapsulation of something that should concern us all, for the good of us all.
Swartz's narrative is successfully woven throughout and handled without bias - a man ahead of his age, ahead of our time and perhaps not belonging to the current cultural zeitgeist he found himself in, Swartz's contribution to 21st century freedom of speech is palpable and his loss a great tragedy.
Next stop, Chomsky's Understanding Power.
September 6, 2017
This book is a pretty good overview of the work and prosecution (or, you know, persecution) of Aaron Swartz, and of the background and milieu of the fight for free and open information and internet. Almost half the book deals with other people in and aspects of that fight: Richard Stallman, Project Gutenberg, Steward Brand, the Internet Archive, PIPA/SOPA, etc.
As the author himself mentions in the introduction, he deliberately left out lots of material; the book is meant to be an overview and to provide context, not to be a comprehensive account.
The only real complaint I have about the book is that it jumps around in time a little too much, back and forth, making it difficult to follow the timeline of events.
As the author himself mentions in the introduction, he deliberately left out lots of material; the book is meant to be an overview and to provide context, not to be a comprehensive account.
The only real complaint I have about the book is that it jumps around in time a little too much, back and forth, making it difficult to follow the timeline of events.
May 28, 2019
The story of Aaron Swartz starts with The Glorious Revolution of 1688. And Swartz will pop up near the middle of the book, as the first two chapters are up to the 19th century, when Swartz was probably the unnamed member of some secret society. No, I'm being sarcastic. Peters is a disgusting being, using a dead man as his sock puppet in his personal crusade. Even the title is unoriginal, three years before somebody else wrote another "The Idealist", but about somebody else.
The whole argument is crap, but Peters' documentation is so bad he can't tell. Swartz came at the end of the "Free Culture on the Internet", and the so called rise coincided with the Internet.
The whole argument is crap, but Peters' documentation is so bad he can't tell. Swartz came at the end of the "Free Culture on the Internet", and the so called rise coincided with the Internet.
April 2, 2020
"Information wants to be free." So said Stewart Brand, but few finish his quote: "Information also wants to be expensive because it's so valuable." This well-researched book starts with the tragic story of Aaron Swartz before diving into the story of American copyright law from the birth of the nation, informing how we got to Brand's intellectual property paradox. Fast-paced and accessible, this is an excellent first step into thinking about what it means to own information.
NoveList Appeal Terms
Genre: Biographies; Life stories; Society and culture
Writing Style: Accessible; Richly detailed
NoveList Appeal Terms
Genre: Biographies; Life stories; Society and culture
Writing Style: Accessible; Richly detailed
June 20, 2022
The Idealist is an intelligently written piece on copyright law, the internet, and open access knowledge. The book follows Swartz's life while also presenting the juxtaposition of whether knowledge should be free or come with a fee. It also attempts to touch on the inefficiency of systems and why we should all think about how to make them more efficient for the everyday person.
It's also the story of a fascinating figure, Aaron Swartz, whose story is both inspiring and tragic. If you've watched the documentary film "The Internet's Own Boy", you'll absolutely want to read The Idealist.
It's also the story of a fascinating figure, Aaron Swartz, whose story is both inspiring and tragic. If you've watched the documentary film "The Internet's Own Boy", you'll absolutely want to read The Idealist.
May 6, 2018
great introductory crash course on copyright in america. touching breifly on the act of 1909 and all the extensions to the laws up until recently and how aaron swartz and many people before him fought to bring free and open access to information to the public domain. good read for internet enthusiast. it can be a bit dry especially in the beginning but if you can get through the history lesson it's amazing. r.i.p to the internet's own boy.
July 21, 2017
tbh I had to read this for class, and though it is a nice little history of copyright, the early internet, and Swartz, it wasn't anything I didn't already know. Also, there are no women in this book. At all. And the title "librarian" is thrown around in a way that I find personally upsetting, and also is a good indicator that the author doesn't actually know much about librarianship.
December 28, 2017
This book is mostly about copyright and its relation to Internet open culture in the US, and well-written in general. Only perhaps a third of the book is about Aaron Swartz. Which I think works well, but might throw other people off. The essentials, and more, are there, and it makes a compelling read.
January 2, 2020
Intellectual property, humanities and information capitalism
Justin Peters introduces the readers to the world of the title idealist and allows to bring the reader closer to what was the direction of young activist and how the JSTOR case tragically changed his life. An excellent supplementary book for students interested in publishing law.
Justin Peters introduces the readers to the world of the title idealist and allows to bring the reader closer to what was the direction of young activist and how the JSTOR case tragically changed his life. An excellent supplementary book for students interested in publishing law.
October 9, 2019
good personal take into the life of a boy that never flourished into a man because of the overly aggressive prosecution. Largely interesting for the insights into the life of the boy and the connection of the internet and SF without the large companies ever prevalence.
March 17, 2021
This is really two books tenuously tied together. Once you’ve slogged through the first half you find what you expect the book to be about. The whole first half should’ve either been a book on it’s own or whittled down into a brief history on copyright.
May 11, 2023
The world is a better place because of Aaron Swartz, there is no denying this, even though we lost him far too soon. A crusader for worthy causes for all people, it is a shame we lost a champion. This is his story, a boy born of the early Internet and its ideals, instilled to his core, but unfortunately incompatible with the way it evolved. Truly a unique story about a unique individual.
September 11, 2017
Interesting to learn more about copyright, libraries, internet as well as Aaron Swartz.
December 8, 2017
A very good book about a very sad thing.
February 3, 2018
It's not too early to conclude that this will be one of my favourite books in 2018.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews