"In Copyrights and Copywrongs, Siva Vaidhyanathan tracks the history of American copyright law through the 20th century, from Mark Twain's vehement exhortations for "thick" copyright protection, to recent lawsuits regarding sampling in rap music and the "digital moment," exemplified by the rise of Napster and MP3 technology. He argues persuasively that in its current punitive, highly restrictive form, American copyright law hinders cultural production, thereby contributing to the poverty of civic culture."

Two chapters and the epilogue from this book are freely available at the author's web site. Larry Lessig calls it "a rich and compelling account of the bending of American copyright law, and a promise of the balance that we could once again make the law become."