--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If “piracy means using the creative…" description: "\"“If “piracy means using the creative property of others without their permission- if “if value, then right” is true- then the history of the content in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/lawrence-lessig-3201_cable-tv_if-piracy-means-using-the-creative-prope_2507039.png" --- # If “piracy means using the creative property of others… ![“If “piracy means using the creative property of others without their permission- if “if value, then right” is true- then the history of the content industry is a history of piracy. Every important sector of “big media” today- film, records, radio, and cable TV-was born of a kind of piracy so…” quote by Lawrence lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/lawrence-lessig-3201_cable-tv_if-piracy-means-using-the-creative-prope_2507039.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/lawrence-lessig-3201_cable-tv_if-piracy-means-using-the-creative-prope_2507039.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d89/lawrence-lessig-3201_cable-tv_if-piracy-means-using-the-creative-prope_2507039.png) > ““If “piracy means using the creative property of others without their permission- if “if value, then right” is true- then the history of the content industry is a history of piracy. Every important sector of “big media” today- film, records, radio, and cable TV-was born of a kind of piracy so defined. The consistent story is how last generation’s pirates join this generation’s country club-until now.”” [Lawrence lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative industries often start by repurposing existing works without permission, which later becomes mainstream and legitimized. **In simple terms:** Piracy can lead to new legitimate media sectors. Key Takeaway Question the ethics of early creative borrowing. Themes intellectual property piracy media evolution Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - startup media - software development - music sampling Key Concepts law economics culture Questions to Reflect On - What defines rightful ownership in digital culture? - How can law balance protection and creativity? A Different Perspective Legal frameworks may struggle to keep pace with rapid innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cable tv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable-tv/) [Content](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/content/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Piracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-piracy-1119992/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Piracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piracy/) [Piracy Defined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piracy-defined-1119990/) [Piracy Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piracy-important-1119993/) [Piracy Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piracy-means-1119991/) ## Related quotes > [“If “piracy” means using value from someone else’s creative property without permission from that creator–as it is increasingly described today – then every industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/if-piracy-means-using-value-from-someone-else-s-creative-property/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Piracy is important to talk about. It's harming the music industry. It hurts all of us. The public needs to understand every time they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-miguel/piracy-is-important-to-talk-about-it-s-harming-the-music-industry-it/) [Luis Miguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-miguel/) > [“We Live in a World Measured by Piracy because Piracy means Access.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-kalyan-c-kankanala/we-live-in-a-world-measured-by-piracy-because-piracy-means-access/) [Dr. Kalyan C. Kankanala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-kalyan-c-kankanala/) > [“Here was the bottom line: if we human beings are information processing machines, reading X's and O's and translating that information into what people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/here-was-the-bottom-line-if-we-human-beings-are-information/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I grew up in this tiny town in Rhode Island, and we didn't have cable. We had three TV stations, and one of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-myrin/i-grew-up-in-this-tiny-town-in-rhode-island-and-we-didn-t-have-cable/) [Arden Myrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-myrin/) > [Where I grew up, we had the three TV networks, maybe two radio stations, no cable TV. We still had a long-distance party line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/where-i-grew-up-we-had-the-three-tv-networks-maybe-two-radio-stations/) [Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/) > [“There’s a lot of dirty theology out there, the religious counterpart to dirty politics and dirty business, I suppose. You might call it spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-d-mclaren/there-s-a-lot-of-dirty-theology-out-there-the-religious-counterpart/) [Brian D. McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-d-mclaren/) > [It's not like Alaska isn't wilderness - it mostly is. But most Alaskans don't live in the wild. They live on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/it-s-not-like-alaska-isn-t-wilderness-it-mostly-is-but-most-alaskans/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [There's nothing terribly wrong with The November Man in a serviceable late-night cable TV sort of way but neither is there anything terribly right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-berardinelli/there-s-nothing-terribly-wrong-with-the-november-man-in-a-serviceable/) [James Berardinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-berardinelli/) > [“The U.S. stock market now trades inside black boxes, in heavily guarded buildings in New Jersey and Chicago. What goes on inside those black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-u-s-stock-market-now-trades-inside-black-boxes-in-heavily-guarded/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [I just think there's more paparazzi, there's more cable TV, there's millions of networks now, there's more paparazzi. People liked gossip then, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-just-think-there-s-more-paparazzi-there-s-more-cable-tv-there-s/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [Cable TV? Stressful? Never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-bash/cable-tv-stressful-never/) [Dana Bash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-bash/) > [During its retransmission dispute, CBS pulled its signal off of certain cable TV systems - and also blocked all Time Warner broadband customers from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-rielly/during-its-retransmission-dispute-cbs-pulled-its-signal-off-of/) [Michael O'Rielly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-rielly/) > [The whole cable-TV original programming just changed the nature of television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-mount/the-whole-cable-tv-original-programming-just-changed-the-nature-of/) [Anson Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-mount/) > [Conservatives, despite their increasingly powerful presence on cable TV and talk radio, feel excluded and disregarded by the longstanding preponderance of liberal voices on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/conservatives-despite-their-increasingly-powerful-presence-on-cable/) [Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/) ## More by Lawrence lessig > [It's fine to talk about politics with people you agree with. 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Commercial culture is sharklike.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/as-i-ve-indicated-most-books-go-out-of-print-within-one-year-the-same/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [I think the reality is that copyright law has for a very long time been a tiny little part of American jurisprudence, far removed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/i-think-the-reality-is-that-copyright-law-has-for-a-very-long-time/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Code plus law is combining to reduce rights consumers used to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/code-plus-law-is-combining-to-reduce-rights-consumers-used-to-have/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Overregulation corrupts citizens and weakens the rule of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/overregulation-corrupts-citizens-and-weakens-the-rule-of-law/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Power runs with ideas that only the crazy would draw into doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/power-runs-with-ideas-that-only-the-crazy-would-draw-into-doubt/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Remember the refrain: We always build on the past; the past always tries to stop us. Freedom is about stopping the past, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/remember-the-refrain-we-always-build-on-the-past-the-past-always/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Politics is that rare sport where the amateur contest is actually more interesting than the professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/politics-is-that-rare-sport-where-the-amateur-contest-is-actually/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [But, like all metaphoric wars, the copyright wars are not actual conflicts of survival. Or at least, they are not conflicts for survival of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/but-like-all-metaphoric-wars-the-copyright-wars-are-not-actual/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [If the only way a library can offer an Internet exhibit about the New Deal is to hire a lawyer to clear the rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/if-the-only-way-a-library-can-offer-an-internet-exhibit-about-the-new/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [Some blame the drug companies. I don't. They are corporations. Their managers are ordered by law to make money for the corporation. They push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/some-blame-the-drug-companies-i-don-t-they-are-corporations-their/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/by-the-time-apple-s-macintosh-operating-system-finally-falls-into-the/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [As more and more citizens express what they think, and defend it in writing, that will change the way people understand public issues. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/as-more-and-more-citizens-express-what-they-think-and-defend-it-in/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [I think if the copyright regime focuses on the people we are supposed to be helping, the artists and creators, and builds a system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/i-think-if-the-copyright-regime-focuses-on-the-people-we-are-supposed/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) > [There is still the illusion that if we could declare corporations are not people or that money is not speech, all would be solved.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-lessig/there-is-still-the-illusion-that-if-we-could-declare-corporations-are/) [Lawrence Lessig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) [Explore all 137 Lawrence lessig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-lessig/) ## More Cable tv quotes > [Conservatives, despite their increasingly powerful presence on cable TV and talk radio, feel excluded and disregarded by the longstanding preponderance of liberal voices on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-medved/conservatives-despite-their-increasingly-powerful-presence-on-cable/) [Michael Medved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-medved/) > [The whole cable-TV original programming just changed the nature of television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-mount/the-whole-cable-tv-original-programming-just-changed-the-nature-of/) [Anson Mount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-mount/) > [During its retransmission dispute, CBS pulled its signal off of certain cable TV systems - and also blocked all Time Warner broadband customers from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-rielly/during-its-retransmission-dispute-cbs-pulled-its-signal-off-of/) [Michael O'Rielly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-rielly/) > [Cable TV? Stressful? Never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-bash/cable-tv-stressful-never/) [Dana Bash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-bash/) > [I just think there's more paparazzi, there's more cable TV, there's millions of networks now, there's more paparazzi. People liked gossip then, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-just-think-there-s-more-paparazzi-there-s-more-cable-tv-there-s/) [Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/) > [“The U.S. stock market now trades inside black boxes, in heavily guarded buildings in New Jersey and Chicago. What goes on inside those black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-u-s-stock-market-now-trades-inside-black-boxes-in-heavily-guarded/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [There's nothing terribly wrong with The November Man in a serviceable late-night cable TV sort of way but neither is there anything terribly right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-berardinelli/there-s-nothing-terribly-wrong-with-the-november-man-in-a-serviceable/) [James Berardinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-berardinelli/) > [It's not like Alaska isn't wilderness - it mostly is. But most Alaskans don't live in the wild. They live on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/it-s-not-like-alaska-isn-t-wilderness-it-mostly-is-but-most-alaskans/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [“There’s a lot of dirty theology out there, the religious counterpart to dirty politics and dirty business, I suppose. 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There were no computers, cell phones, Internet, credit cards, cassette tapes or cable TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/i-graduated-from-high-school-in-1963-there-were-no-computers-cell/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) [Browse all 76 Cable tv quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cable-tv/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If “piracy means using the creative property of others without their permission- if “if value, then right” is true- then the history of the content industry is a history of piracy. Every important sector of “big media” today- film, records, radio, and cable TV-was born of a kind of piracy so defined. 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