Marsha Hairston
The Theory of Internet Writing
February 22, 2007
Instructor: Dr. Lisa Maracu
& Dr. Caroline Maun


Free Culture
Property



Lessig states “A copyright is a kind of property. It can be owned and sold, the law protects it from theft.” Although, the concept of copyrights being viewed as a kind of property is new to me, it is clear to me why. When I think of property, I think of ownership or possession.

The copyright law has changed tremendously since 1790 and it is largely attributed to the advancement in technology. The copyright law first protected the right to make copies and now in this technological age the law regulates many things such as various forms of media and inventions. Lessig states the regulation of copyright will have an impact on creativity in its effort to protect the owner of the product or creation.

Lessig quotes Thomas Jefferson, “He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine; receives light without darkening mine.” What this quote means to me is, we learn from other people’s ideas, and what we learn we practice in some form, and this does not take way from the individual from whom we got the idea.

In the movie the pursuit of happyness, which was inspired by a true story about the struggles of a man named Christopher Gardner, Christopher would quote passage from the Thomas Jefferson regarding the “pursuit of happiness”. Christopher stated that Thomas Jefferson put in Declaration of Independence “the pursuit of happiness” because Jefferson knew that it would be something people would always be trying to obtain. This illustrates that Christopher is indirectly receiving instruction from Jefferson’s idea and further supports that it does not take anything away from Thomas Jefferson or what he intended.


Lessig states, “The property right that is copyright is no longer the balance right that it was, or was intended to be.” And “The opportunity to create and transform becomes weakened in a world in which creation requires permission and creativity requires permission and creativity must check with a lawyer”. Things regarding copyrights and patents are becoming very complicated as well as sophisticated. It even appears to me that we are in much more threat of plagiarizing (of course innocently) than before.



[1]
[1] Free Culture; Lawrence Lessig,