Lawrence Lessig is a professor of law at Stanford University and author of “The Future of Ideas,” “Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace,” and “Free Culture.” Lessig puts copyright law and conventional wisdom on its head, challenging media monopolies and tired old systems to give way to the innovators.
Lessig represented Web site operator Eric Eldred in the groundbreaking case, Eldred vs. Ashcroft, a challenge to the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. Lessig was named one of Scientific American’s Top 50 Visionaries for arguing “against interpretations of copyright that could stifle innovation and discourse online,” according to his Web site.
The law professor earned a BA in economics and a BS in management from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in philosophy from Cambridge, and a JD from Yale. Lessig also writes for Wired magazine.
Lessig will speak at Real Estate Connect in New York City, Jan. 9-11, 2005.
Session or panel at Connect: Innovate or Die.
What are your current or childhood nicknames?
Larry, Les, Lally.
Which daily newspaper do you read and which section of the newspaper do you read first?
The New York Times, Editorial.
What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever packed in a suitcase?
A heart valve for a Russian refusnik.
What kind of music do you listen to?
Classical, Wilco, Lovett.
What style of home do you live in and when did you buy it?
Spanish, 2000.
Where did you spend your last vacation?
Cabo Polmo, Mexico.
What professional accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
I’ve not done enough yet.
What personal accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
The love of my wife.
How many e-mail addresses do you have?
Three.
What worries keep you awake at night?
Not doing enough.
What lesson did you learn in the last year?
That nothing matches the love of a child.
What is your favorite technology device or software application?
Airport Express.
What is your opinion of Inman News?
High.
What was the best gift you ever received from or gave to someone else?
The heart valve.
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
Morning.
What is your worst vice or bad habit?
An obsessive desire to answer e-mail.
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