What People Are Saying

"[I]n a year when media leviathans tried to buy up and privatise the internet's public- access archives such as YouTube, many people will be drawn to Bound By Law? (Duke Law School), a graphic-novel-format introduction to some of the most important tenets of 'free culture' and 'public domain' theory." -Sukhdev Sandhu, New Statesman, 2007 Books

"Wonderful, funny… clever. I keep a copy in my desk." -DavisGuggenheim, Oscar-winning director of the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth"

"An indispensable guide for the perplexed (ain't we all!) in this postmodern information age – and all in easy-to-read comics format, a stunt far more difficult than you'd think!" -Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize-winning comic book artist

 "This is a fantastic approach for introducing students to copyright law, even at the middle-school level, and a must for professional development. " -Esther Sinofsky, Booklist

"Documentary filmmakers should read a new comic book called Bound By Law that tackles the legal pitfalls of copyright. Why? Because history hangs in the balance." -Fiona Morgan, Wired News  Q&A with the authors  Gallery of images

"Will a spiky-haired, camera-toting super-heroine... restore decency and common sense to the world of creative endeavor?... Bound By Law exercises the fair-use doctrine in a romp through popular culture." - Paul Bonner, The Herald-Sun

"Bound By Law stars Akiko, a curvaceous, muscular filmmaker (think Tomb Raider's Lara Croft with spiky hair) planning to shoot a documentary about a day in the life of New York City...[It] translates law into plain English and abstract ideas into 'visual metaphors.' So the comic's heroine, Akiko, brandishes a laser gun as she fends off a cyclopean 'Rights Monster' - all the while learning copyright law basics, including the line between fair use and copyright infringement." - Brandt Goldstein, The Wall Street Journal online

James Boyle interviewed on NPR about the comic! (File takes a minute to download.)

"Bound By Law riffs expertly on classic comic styles, from the Crypt Keeper to Mad Magazine, superheros to Understanding Comics, and lays out a sparkling, witty, moving and informative story about how the eroded public domain has made documentary filmmaking into a minefield." - Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing.net

"Look, up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's Akiko, the fair-use freedom fighter! Akiko is heroine of a new comic book...created by three law profs who worry that a growing 'permissions culture' is hurting creativity by overprotecting it." - William Triplett, Variety Weekly

"Bound by Law brings these complex issues across in a simple, enjoyable style. Not only does it show the firsthand impact of the issues, it also educates about a variety of relevant court decisions. It is also a commentary on trying to make intellectual property law a benefit rather than a hindrance to modern creative work…the goal is to educate artists and the public about current issues and provide commentary by those who believe copyright law must be fixed to remain a useful tool in a digital world." - Tim Gebhart, Blogcritics.org

"Cornel West broke new ground for academics when he made a rap album while teaching at Harvard. Now three law professors have cranked out a comic book, in an effort to explain copyright law to young filmmakers and other creative types." Daniel Lyons, Forbes Magazine

"Bound by Law has been selected as the Electronic Book of the Month for March." - Science Resources, University at Albany, SUNY