A Culture Without Property, Or

We Live In A World With "free" Content, And This Freedom Is Not An Imperfection. We Listen To The Radio Without Paying For The Songs We Hear; We Hear Friends Humming Tunes That They Have Not Licensed. We Tell Jokes That Reference Movie Plots Without The Permission Of The Directors. We Read Our Children Books, Borrowed From A Library, Without Paying The Original Copyright Holder For The Performance Rights.

Legislation Needs A Better Reason Than That Lawyers Like It, And That America Does It.

Technology Means You Can Now Do Amazing Things Easily; But You Couldn't Easily Do Them Legally.

Monopolies Are Not Justified By Theory; They Should Be Permitted Only When Justified By Facts. If There Is No Solid Basis For Extending A Certain Monopoly Protection, Then We Should Not Extend That Protection. This Does Not Mean That Every Copyright Must Prove Its Value Initially. That Would Be A Far Too Cumbersome System Of Control. But It Does Mean That Every System Or Category Of Copyright Or Patent Should Prove Its Worth. Before The Monopoly Should Be Permitted, There Must Be Reason To Believe It Will Do Some Good -- For Society, And Not Just For Monopoly Holders.

If The Only Way A Library Can Offer An Internet Exhibit About The New Deal Is To Hire A Lawyer To Clear The Rights To Every Image And Sound, Then The Copyright System Is Burdening Creativity In A Way That Has Never Been Seen Before Because There Are No Formalities.