MOTD

Ah, so, according to <a href="http://creativecommons.org/press-releases/archive/2003/04/">this press release</a>, Dr. Lessig "will release" his first two books, as well as his "next book", under the <a href="http://creativecommons.org/projects/founderscopyright/">Founders' Copyright</a> dedication. That's the semi-license that dedicates a work to the public domain in 14 or 28 years -- either the same or double the original copyright duration in the USA.

I'm not sure if the press release counts as such a dedication, or if there's some other document showing that the work has been dedicated. But, hey: free-as-in-freedom book in 2018! or 2032! Hooray!

Does anyone know if the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1594200068/103-2417280-5147030?v=glance">new book</a> by <a href="http://www.lessig.org/">Larry Lessig</a> is available under a <a href="http://www.creativecommons.org/">Creative Commons</a> license or any other freely-distributable agreement?

Dr. Lessig has two other books -- <i><a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/code/">Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace</a></i> and <i><a href="http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/future/">The Future of Ideas</a></i>. AFAICT, neither one is freely downloadable or redistributable.

If this is true, why? Is Open Content just for losers and nobodies who can't sell their books or music or films or photos to a "real" publisher? Or is it more important to get out the message of Free Culture than to practice it? Does Dr. Lessig have some personal, economic or political reason not to publish his own books under CC licenses?

I realize that it's probably hard to sell the idea of having a book freely redistributable to a major publisher like <a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/">Penguin</a>. But if people like Dr. Lessig don't make that effort, it's harder for people like me or you to do it when the time comes. When I want to publish my novels as Open Content, it'd be nice to have some precedent.

I dunno; looking over the list of <a href="http://creativecommons.org/learn/aboutus/people">staff and directors</a> of Creative Commons, I don't see anyone but <a href="http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/">Eric Eldred</a> with even a tiny bit of experience publishing Free Content. Why the fuck not?