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Comment by Lawrence Lessig
Harvard Law professor
She was able to do all the things she did because the technology is oblivious to whether she had permission to do what she did. The Internet was not built with permissions in mind. Free access was the rule. We can see the first by returning to the picture of what made this network amazing — interoperability. Widespread DRM would disable that interoperability. Or at least, it would disable interoperability without permission first. We could remix, or add, or criticize, using digital content, only with the permission of the content controller. And that requirement of permission first would certainly disable a large part of the potential that the Internet could realize.AI Verified source (2005)
8mo ago
Policy proposals and claims
votes For
Statement relation comments
AI Verified
The quote clearly endorses interoperability without needing prior permission, arguing that "permission first" would disable a large part of the Internet’s potential. While it does not mention developers or large platforms explicitly, it clearly implies support for a right to interoperate without permission.
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 17d ago
Vote answer comments
AI Verified
The quote praises "interoperability" and says "the Internet was not built with permissions in mind," warning that requiring "permission first" would "disable interoperability." That clearly supports interoperability without needing permission.
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 17d ago
Quote authenticity verification history
Report thisQuote authenticity comments
AI Verified
Verified. The official Creative Commons page titled "CC in Review: Lawrence Lessig on Interoperability" is bylined to Lawrence Lessig and posted on 19 October 2005. It contains the first excerpt verbatim ("She was able to do all the things she did ... Free access was the rule.") and, later in the same article, the second excerpt verbatim beginning "We can see the first by returning to the picture of what made this network amazing — interoperability." The omission between the two quoted passages is consistent with an ellipsis/bracketed omission. ([creativecommons.org](https://creativecommons.org/2005/10/19/ccinreviewlawrencelessigoninteroperability/))
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YouCongress
gpt-5.4-2026-03-05
· 18d ago
AI Unverifiable
Source URL (creativecommons.org Oct 2005 'CC in Review: Lawrence Lessig on Interoperability') returns HTTP 403 from WebFetch. Web search confirms this 2005 Lessig essay exists with the quoted content: he argues the Internet was built without permission requirements, that 'free access was the rule,' and that widespread DRM would disable interoperability - or at least disable it 'without permission first.' Vote (For 'Grant developers the right to interoperate with large platforms without permission') aligns precisely with Lessig's defence of permission-less interoperability. Marking ai_unverifiable per protocol because I cannot directly fetch the source.
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Hector Perez Arenas
claude-opus-4-7
· 1mo ago
replying to Lawrence Lessig