I believe it would be right for common sense to revolt against the extreme claims made today on behalf of 'intellectual property.' What the law demands today is increasingly as silly as a sheriff arresting an airplane for trespass. But the consequences of this silliness will be much more profound
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Lessig urges a common‑sense revolt against extreme intellectual property claims, likening current law to absurd enforcement.
- In plain terms
- We should push back against unreasonable IP laws.
- What can you take from it?
- Question overly restrictive IP policies.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does IP protection become excessive?
- How to balance innovation and rights?
Another view
Revolt may ignore legitimate creator rights.
More from Lawrence Lessig
This is not a left and right issue. This is the important thing to recognize: This is not about conservatives versus liberals. In our case, in Eldred, we have …
Permalink to quote #30 A free culture has been our past, but it will only be our future if we change the path we are on right now. Like Stallman's arguments for free software, an arg…
Permalink to quote #32 If you don't do something now, this freedom that you built, that you spend your life coding, this freedom will be taken away. Either by those who see you as a …
Permalink to quote #29
Related quotes
Overprotecting intellectual property is as harmful as underprotecting it. Culture is impossible without a rich public domain. Nothing today, likely nothing sin…
Alex KozinskiAlex Kozinski quote #4 On-line service providers and others have a key role to play in freeing cyberspace of the taint of copyright lawlessness. Accountability for copyright violatio…
Jack ValentiJack Valenti quote #6 I am speechless about the idea of putting music fans in jail for downloading music. It is wrong to illegally download, but the answer cannot be jail. Here in A…
Michael JacksonMichael Jackson quote #20