As the digital economy drives down the marginal costs of technology and a generation of young consumers grow accustomed to giveaways, it's no longer a question of 'How can you compete with free?' but a matter of 'How can you afford not to compete with free?'

At the same time, the current economic crisis is making the need to turn free into cash more critical than ever, and some argue that free is doing more harm than good to content creators who rely on 'traditional' business models to pay the bills. The recession has proven that it takes no prisonsers, and some companies won't survive unless they can figure out how to monetize free – and quickly.

Taking place May 11, 2009 at the San Mateo Marriott in conjunction with the Tech Policy Summit conference, The Free! Summit addresses these challenges, and the opportunities, in an open and critical way by bringing together leading thinkers and innovators who are embracing the value of free...as well as those who are not. Investors, entrepreneurs, content developers, marketing professionals, analysts and other stakeholders who are at the forefront of the digital revolution.

Learn more about the conference here.