Free Culture–Pages 7-15

        In Lawrence Lessing's Introduction to Free Culture he begins by talking about how the Internet is made up of collaboration, and how not one single person can be credited with its invention. I think that this was a relevant point to make because not only is the invention of the Internet a collaboration, but the every day use of the Internet continues to be a collaboration as well. Lessing goes on to say that because the Internet is constantly being used by so many different people, there has to be some kind of law that covers the people putting things on the Internet and the people viewing those things on the Internet. But he also states that even though there should be some law, these laws need to be within reason. He says, "That power has changed the marketplace for making and cultivating culture generally, and that change in turn threatens established content industries" (pg.9). He argues that these industries want to remake the Internet before the Internet remakes them and that the law is basically trying to regulate the creativity that the Internet provides to its users. Because many people do not understand the Internet and its laws, they are automatically resentful towards it. Lessing even says that the first step in a solution is just by understanding the problem. I like the quote he uses later on in this sections that states, "There has never been a time in our history when more of our "culture" was as "owned" as it is now" (pg. 12).I really liked this quote because I feel like Lessing is basically saying the we should seize the day, but in a way that accepts our 'free culture'.