In September of last year, I blogged a thought experiment: what if the book—the beloved codex, that thing of paper and covers—had a terms-of-service agreement? My point was to argue that the book isn’t a particular physical object or technology but a social contract, one that mingles liberty with responsibility, privacy with the commons. The resulting feuilleton first appeared on my future-of-the-book blog, library ad infinitum; later, it was featured at the Barnes & Noble Review. And in early 2010, I turned it into a slide presentation for the inaugural Boston Bookfuturists meetup.

Now, with production help from HiLobrow’s indispensable Peggy Nelson, we’ve turned it into a movie. (To be perfectly accurate, it’s a slideshow—but it’s very cinematic.) We hope you enjoy!