[wordup] Lessig tears SCO a new one

[Adam Shand]

F'ing A.  Gotta love Lessig.

From: http://boingboing.net/2003_12_01_archive.html#107058746283096422

Lessig tears SCO a new one

Larry Lessig, having heard about Darl "SCO" McBride's latest missive, 
has dropped everything to write a scathing response:

We should all believe that the "progress of science" is best advanced 
when "Authors" have the right to do with their property whatever it is 
they want to do -- consistent with the law, and so long as the property 
right is properly balanced. And we should all believe that the 
"progress of science" is best advanced when that right is "vigorously 
protect[ed]".

But the owners of GPL'd software are doing no more than exercising this 
right, just as Microsoft would exercise its right. They are profiting 
from the right to choose the terms under which they release their 
software, and the terms they have chosen also have a great benefit to 
other software innovation. They exercise their property right; they and 
we benefit.

But if we are to protect that property right "vigorously," then we 
should take steps to protect property owners from baseless lawsuits 
against their right to use their property as they wish. So when it 
comes to the matter of sanctions against the lawyers in this case, the 
judge might well want to consider how important it is that the property 
right of copyright owners be "vigorously" defended.