Wright (law, Samford U.) attacks the common American notion that the spread of commercialization is a natural manifestation of freedom and the pursuit of well-being. Topics include the constitutional arguments related to commercial free speech law, the influence of so-called controversial ads, the commercialization of the Internet, and the impact of advertising on various demographic groups. Wright concludes that commercial speech is overprotected, and that only in the case of the poor are commercial getting and spending correlated with well-being. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This valuable book by Rome and Roberts, attorneys and participants in several Supreme Court cases involving commerical and corporate free speech, stands alone as a monographic treatment addressing the topic of the First Amendment and corporate and commercial free speech...It is a thorough, careful treatment of an area of growing importance. One would have to turn to the extensive law review literature on this topic for comparable, if partial, treatment...The book is detailed and sophisticated enough to be of use to legal counsels and academics, but it could be read with profit by upper-division and graduate students. Choice

After the Great Depression, the American Supreme Court barred advertising from First Amendment protection. Although some measure of constitutional protection has now been granted to advertising, this book contends that advertising is entitled to full First Amendment protection.