larry lessig – the creative commons

writes books to figure out what he thinks

“code” – a dark story to be told, because the world didn’t recorgnise how computer

architecture and code embeds values into the world, and also how by not undertanding that

lawyers can screw that up and destroy it’s promise.

what are the values in the arhcietcture?

built into the core of the end-to-end interent was an archiectures, an essence that

guarantees a certain type of competition and freedom of creativity.

what wins what people choose, not what the content owners decide.

what the edge wants, not what the centre controls.

“future of ideas” – a dpressing story to be told again. threats to the structure of

particiaption from vested interests. war against the potential for innovation the internet

represents. they are winning the war. defenders of last century’s way of doing business..

suceeding in the popular mind and press… a story is being sold of “property vs. anarchy”

where property ownership = freedom, and the rest represented by communists, thieves and

anarchists.

between the extremes, there should be a “creative commons”.

freedom in the USA was architected…

the vested interested don;t want the competition that these structures engender.

Jack Valenti “they are waging a terrorist war against the most important industry in

america”

# etcon oreilly books under founders copyright. wild applause.

panel discussion –
including: David Reed, http://www.reed.com/dprframeweb/dprframe.asp?section=biography
talking about the historical lessons that allocation of radio spectrum can teach us.
carl malamud – http://www.media.org/carl.html

“copyright is dying” – david henkel wallace

“property is the sort of thing you pay taxes on -when is the last time that disney paid

taxes on their interlecttual property” – lessig.

the distinction of consumer and producer is broken down… (“the former audience” cf dan

gillmor via Doctorow). Producers WANT to control use in reaction to this break-down of the

status-quo.

questions from the floor:
going to steal the coverage from the conf. IRC channel
from #etcon:
can you be anonymous and still put something into the public domain?
the unknown comic
from Cory’s book: concept from high school whoopie, your reputation.
Reptuation becomes a key driver of choice. Reputation economy.

cory: how do we get the tech companies to do the right thing.

david keen – we have to give the people particpating in the policy creation the “right

words” – they won;t repeat a religion.

lessig – compaines aren;t paid to “do the right thing” their job is to make money…

apporach companies not as individuals that will do the right thing but as organisms that

want to make money… other wise we will fail. stop getting congress to get companies t tell

them to how to make poilcy. let;s recognise that they are very powerful entities that want

to make money, and address that.

from #etcon:
grr. that attitude winds me up. companies *can* be more responsible
we can’t just says about companies: “oh, we know they’re evil but they can’t help

it”.
make them accountable.
yes

and at some point if the standard position of companies *was* to be responsible,

then an irresponsible company would be rightly attacked
These guys make the gear. They make the content. They own the transport.

lessig – “there is no evidence that patents spur innovation… but there is evidence that it

costs millions of dollars to avoid them… patent searches, liability etc, etc” “stops small

groups of innovators from ‘stepping into the pool’ “policy makers don;t get how this

structure is destroy oppotunities for innovation”