The Future of Ideas (2001) is a book by Lawrence Lessig, a professor of law at Stanford Law School, who is well known as a critic of the extension of the copyright protection term.
In the book, he showed there are three layers of ideas: code layer, content layer and physical layer.
The code layer is that which is controlled by computer programs. Censorship in China by sorting out geographical IP addresses is an instance.
The content layer is notoriously illustrated by Napster, a file sharing service. Lessig criticized the reaction of music companies and Hollywood.
The physical layer is the one that actually conveys information from one point to another, and can be either wired or wireless. He discusses particularly the regulation of the spectrum in the USA.
External Links
- Author Lawrence Lessig 's homepage: http://www.lessig.org/
- Homepage: http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/future/