Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This is a live-stream of the lecture. An edited version of the lecture will be uploaded in due course.
Have a Question? No Registration Required
https://app.sli.do/event/9WUaMyJPH7HZ9ukxuDYJRY
A lecture by Daniel Susskind
New technologies have always tested copyright, from the printing press to the photocopier. But the Internet posed a more profound test: dramatically reducing the cost of producing and sharing ideas, weakening copyright enforcement.
This lecture reveals how a fight began between ‘Big Media’ – TV networks, record labels, film studios, large publishers – seeking to reinforce existing laws, and a ‘free culture’ movement – led by figures like Lawrence Lessig, James Boyle, and Aaron Swartz – that tried to resist. This fight exposed shortcomings in the copyright regime, yet it still endured.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/internet-fight
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
This is a live-stream of the lecture. An edited version of the lecture will be uploaded in due course.
Have a Question? No Registration Required
https://app.sli.do/event/9WUaMyJPH7HZ9ukxuDYJRY
A lecture by Daniel Susskind
New technologies have always tested copyright, from the printing press to the photocopier. But the Internet posed a more profound test: dramatically reducing the cost of producing and sharing ideas, weakening copyright enforcement.
This lecture reveals how a fight began between ‘Big Media’ – TV networks, record labels, film studios, large publishers – seeking to reinforce existing laws, and a ‘free culture’ movement – led by figures like Lawrence Lessig, James Boyle, and Aaron Swartz – that tried to resist. This fight exposed shortcomings in the copyright regime, yet it still endured.
The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/internet-fight
Gresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: gresham.ac.uk/support
Website: gresham.ac.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/greshamcollege
Facebook: facebook.com/greshamcollege
Instagram: instagram.com/greshamcollege
