About 9/10ths interesting history and 1/10th aftermath, where the author leads the reader to the conclusions alluded to in the subtitle. The book would have been better without this portion, but then I like history.
If the conclusion is the reason for the book, then it needed a much clearer demonstration. Is there a connection between the British Pirate radio, the "Hacker Ethic", and libertarian principles? A reader wouldn't find that here. Perhaps the author's new book, Piracy: The Intellectual Property Wars from Gutenberg to Gates, will satisfy.
The extensive history brought this up from "it was okay" but not quite all the way to "liked it."