Apples Quote by Lawrence Lessig
“By the time Apple's Macintosh operating system finally falls into the public domain, there will be no machine that could possibly run it. The term of copyright for software is effectively unlimited.”
About This Quote
Source Article: Free Culture, Lawrence Lessig, 2004
Software copyright terms are so long that they prevent any future machine from legally running the original code.
In simple terms: Copyright lasts forever for software, blocking future use.
Key Takeaway
Advocate for shorter copyright terms.
Themes
copyright
technology
law
access
innovation
Mood
critical
reflective
Type
analytical
policy.
When to use this quote
- software development
- archival preservation
- legal reform
- open source projects
- future hardware compatibility
Key Concepts
public domain
software licensing
digital rights
Questions to Reflect On
- How would shorter copyrights affect software innovation?
- What alternatives exist for preserving old software?
A Different Perspective
Shorter terms may reduce incentives for creators.
