Celebrated science-fiction author Spider Robinson spins a short yarn about the dangers of excessive copyright in a not-too-speculative future (Melancholy Elephants). Interestingly, the story was written in 1984, well before many of the latest copyright law outrages (though not before the terrible Copyright Act of 1976). The story itself comes courtesy of Baen Books. Baen is not only a wonderful publisher of excellent fiction, but has established the Baen Free Library. This library features a number of free books in electronic format, "no conditions, no strings attached." According to the librarian (and science fiction author), Eric Flint, this program has successfully resulted in more book sales (Prime Palaver #6). I quite enjoyed Flint's novel, 1632, which relates the tale of a West Virgnia town that is shifted from the year 2000 to 1632, and from North America to Central Europe. Not only do you have all the pleasures of high tech meeting low tech, but the interesting results of modern American values challenging medieval ones. Download a free copy in one of five formats (Free Library Books by Eric Flint). [via BoingBoing and Copyfight]