[11] McLeod also discusses the history of counter-cultural artistry, recounting episodes such as Dadaist art styles and an incident in which Vanna White initiated a lawsuit against a robot likeness for copyright infringement.

In its place, the author wittily exposes a stifling shift of copyright law into an instrument of commercial interests.

[18] In a review of the book for The American Scholar, Siva Vaidhyanathan of New York University wrote that MacLeod " ... delivers a lively, personal account of the ways intellectual property messes with people—and how he messes with intellectual property",[10] and that, "McLeod is ironic and witty, writing with a hip-hop-influenced youth-savvy diction that demonstrates his confidence and engagement with the material and the culture that means so much to him.

"[10] Davis Schneiderman wrote positively of the work in a review for American Book Review,[14] comparing it to similar works on the subject matter, including No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies (2000) by Naomi Klein, and writings of Michael Moore and Al Franken.

[14] A review by Eric Anderson of Bowling Green State University in the Journal of Popular Culture praised the author's use of interviews throughout the book, writing that it " ... shines with McLeod's broad use of interviews ... [he] records and reports the voices of creative people who have been encumbered by the contemporary intellectual property regime.

"[7] Anderson said the book is "an informative, thought-provoking, and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny examination of specific ways the privatization of ideas suppresses creativity in contemporary culture.

[19] The reviewer wrote, "While McLeod's arguments aren't original, his entertaining examples and punchy writing nicely amplify the concerns voiced by an increasing number of intellectual property scholars, such as Lawrence Lessig.

"[19] The reviewer said of the author's tone, "Although he evokes dark, almost Orwellian images throughout, McLeod manages an upbeat spin, citing the 'egalitarian' nature of the new technologies and a growing awareness of the need to return to a place where 'freedom of expression' is once again 'a meaningful concept that guides our political, social and creative lives.