Lawrence Lessig Interview on Slashdot

by JRoyale

2001-12-21 17:29:27

Liberty

You may have never heard of this guy, but he is quickly becoming one of the most important voices trying to defend our hallowed and beloved 1st Amendment rights from the increasingly determined corporate lobbyists bent on maximizing their master's profits in this digital age - free speech be damned. Lawrence Lessig is a Law Professor at Stanford University and is the author of several well written and well received books on the subject, including his latest The Future of Ideas.

Normally, I wouldn't bother posting a link to an internal Slashdot article as many PDJ readers check the main page Slashdot daily. However, few, if any, venture back into the dark and seedy readers comment sections, where it seems that the monkeys have taken control of the zoo and there is so much poo throwing going on that the walls are completely covered in shit. It is not a place for the faint of heart or for those seeking to engage in rational discourse.

This article, however, (which was done in the typical Slashdot style of sending the interviewee a list of the most highly moderated questions) proves that even the herds of Slashdot can perform intelligent feats from time to time.

The questions are pertinent and topical and the responses are more then just interesting but clearly cut to heart of the copyright vs free speech debate. It is a long article for Slashdot (about 40k+) but definitely worth a read if you are at all interested in intellectual property and the future of free expression in this increasingly digital world.

Check it out yourself

laredo@pigdog.org