Lawrence Lessig

The Internet revolution has come. Some say it has gone. Larry Lessig – who has spent 10 years calling for an overhaul of the copyright systems, which he asserts does not and never will make sense in the digital world – explains how it has produced a counterrevolution of potentially devastating power and effect. Creativity once flourished because the Net protected a commons on which widest range of innovators could experiment. But now, corporations have established themselves as virtual gatekeepers while Congress has rewritten copyright and patent laws to stifle creativity and progress. Lessig also talks about the oxymoron of Internet privacy. The solution, he says, lies in building an “identity layer” into the Internet, which would recreate the idea of Internet privacy, enabling more privacy and more security. With starkly different visions for the Internet continuing to develop, this era presents challenges – and opportunities – for those who wish to ensure the Internet remains a backbone of liberty and economic growth.