--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't copyright a urinal. But you…" description: "\"You can't copyright a urinal. But you could probably copyright a sculpture of a urinal. And like Duchamp's famous work, code is both, at the same time...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/sarah-jeong-18613_copyright_you-can-t-copyright-a-urinal-but-you-cou_2401283.jpg" --- # You can't copyright a urinal. But you could probably… ![“You can't copyright a urinal. But you could probably copyright a sculpture of a urinal. And like Duchamp's famous work, code is both, at the same time.” quote by Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/sarah-jeong-18613_copyright_you-can-t-copyright-a-urinal-but-you-cou_2401283.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/sarah-jeong-18613_copyright_you-can-t-copyright-a-urinal-but-you-cou_2401283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7f/sarah-jeong-18613_copyright_you-can-t-copyright-a-urinal-but-you-cou_2401283.jpg) > “You can't copyright a urinal. But you could probably copyright a sculpture of a urinal. And like Duchamp's famous work, code is both, at the same time.” [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Legal protection can apply to artistic representations of functional objects, blurring lines between utility and art. **In simple terms:** You can copyright a sculpture of a urinal, not the urinal itself. Key Takeaway Consider how form and function affect IP rights. Themes intellectual property art law creativity Mood thoughtful analytical Type legal philosophical When to use this quote - product design - museum curation - software licensing - branding Key Concepts copyright artistic expression functional objects Questions to Reflect On - How does transformation affect protectability? - When does functional design become art? A Different Perspective Copyright may be challenged if the work lacks originality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Copyright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Sculpture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculpture/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Urinal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/urinal/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [The strangest place I have been recognised is a urinal. I was like: 'Why are you talking to me now?' 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It potentially involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-soloway/if-you-go-to-europe-public-bathrooms-have-any-gender-sink-areas-and/) [Jill Soloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-soloway/) > [Love: a burnt match skating in a urinal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hart-crane/love-a-burnt-match-skating-in-a-urinal/) [Hart Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hart-crane/) > [The best leaks always take place in the urinal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cole/the-best-leaks-always-take-place-in-the-urinal/) [John Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cole/) > [“Whenever I see a strange man at a urinal, I always approach him slowly and say, “Dad, is that you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/whenever-i-see-a-strange-man-at-a-urinal-i-always-approach-him-slowly/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Duchamp's urinal was art once he put it in a gallery. In fact, one working definition of art is anything that is in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-slotover/duchamp-s-urinal-was-art-once-he-put-it-in-a-gallery-in-fact-one/) [Matthew Slotover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-slotover/) > [In France one must adapt oneself to the fragrance of a urinal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/in-france-one-must-adapt-oneself-to-the-fragrance-of-a-urinal/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [My introduction to the Madonna Inn came as a young boy when we would take summer vacations to a nearby town. My dad would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ruell/my-introduction-to-the-madonna-inn-came-as-a-young-boy-when-we-would/) [Aaron Ruell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ruell/) > [“At a public urinal the presence of a neighbor delays my micturition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douard-lev/at-a-public-urinal-the-presence-of-a-neighbor-delays-my-micturition/) [Édouard Levé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douard-lev/) > [I think the guy next to me is gay. I'm trying to take a shit but he keeps giving me looks. I'll try the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-think-the-guy-next-to-me-is-gay-i-m-trying-to-take-a-shit-but-he/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“Walk around with an open can of tuna in your pocket. You know, for a way to start conversations and offer strangers some finger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/walk-around-with-an-open-can-of-tuna-in-your-pocket-you-know-for-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“It’s a urinal! It’s not even the original. The art is in the idea, not the object.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-gompertz/it-s-a-urinal-it-s-not-even-the-original-the-art-is-in-the-idea-not/) [Will Gompertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-gompertz/) > [“Yes, the hermitage is underground--miles beneath the surface of Antarctica. And yes, Ike refers to it as unten--literally 'under' or 'below.' But, hello, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/yes-the-hermitage-is-underground-miles-beneath-the-surface-of/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) ## More by Sarah Jeong > [I was a kid when the Tamagotchi craze hit, and I was always envious of my friends and cousins who got to hand-rear their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/i-was-a-kid-when-the-tamagotchi-craze-hit-and-i-was-always-envious-of/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [In the early days, I loved Facebook. I loved being able to keep tabs on hundreds of college classmates all at once, of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/in-the-early-days-i-loved-facebook-i-loved-being-able-to-keep-tabs-on/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Not everyone can afford to plunk down hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on a laptop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/not-everyone-can-afford-to-plunk-down-hundreds-or-even-thousands-of/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [In 2018, streaming companies know with precision how many people are listening to what song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/in-2018-streaming-companies-know-with-precision-how-many-people-are/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Gentrification and housing shortages are complex issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/gentrification-and-housing-shortages-are-complex-issues/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Oracle v. Google is a vast, sprawling piece of litigation over the Android platform, one where the billions of dollars at stake were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/oracle-v-google-is-a-vast-sprawling-piece-of-litigation-over-the/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Artificial intelligence cannot solve the problem of not knowing what the hell you're doing and not really caring one way or the other. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/artificial-intelligence-cannot-solve-the-problem-of-not-knowing-what/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Because the American credit reporting system relies on both good and bad reports of creditworthiness, a consumer must have some kind of credit -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/because-the-american-credit-reporting-system-relies-on-both-good-and/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [A cashless society promises a world of limitation, control, and surveillance - all of which the poorest Americans already have in abundance, of course.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/a-cashless-society-promises-a-world-of-limitation-control-and/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [People don't object to spying on the grounds that the secret dossier about them might be full of errors. They object to spying because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/people-don-t-object-to-spying-on-the-grounds-that-the-secret-dossier/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [The effect of letting someone sue without showing harm is obvious: It makes it really easy to sue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/the-effect-of-letting-someone-sue-without-showing-harm-is-obvious-it/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > ['Star Wars' is life, but 'Star Wars' is also not very good, which is why 'Rogue One' - a Frankenstein's monster assembled from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/star-wars-is-life-but-star-wars-is-also-not-very-good-which-is-why/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Surveillance has long been theorized as a way to control the surveilled - namely, by getting them to police themselves out of fear of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/surveillance-has-long-been-theorized-as-a-way-to-control-the/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Wherever information gathers and flows, two predators follow closely behind it: censorship and surveillance. The case of digital money is no exception. Where money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/wherever-information-gathers-and-flows-two-predators-follow-closely/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) > [Information is lightning-quick. It crosses cities, states, and national borders in the twinkle of an eye. It passes through many kinds of devices, flowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jeong/information-is-lightning-quick-it-crosses-cities-states-and-national/) [Sarah Jeong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) [Explore all 34 Sarah Jeong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jeong/) ## More Copyright quotes > [Of course, corporations and governments have a right to something for their money. They pay the wages. But they don't have the ethical right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/of-course-corporations-and-governments-have-a-right-to-something-for/) [John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/) > [Any replacement to the current copyright position (life plus 70 years) needs to have an answer lined up for this, and similar, messy edge cases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/any-replacement-to-the-current-copyright-position-life-plus-70-years/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [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/) > [“In our haste to disseminate news, it should not be forgotten that the Framers intended copyright itself to be the engine of free expression.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-weinstock-netanel/in-our-haste-to-disseminate-news-it-should-not-be-forgotten-that-the/) Neil Weinstock Netanel > [In 2002, Google began an ambitious project to digitize every book in the world. It was intended as a search project: type in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/in-2002-google-began-an-ambitious-project-to-digitize-every-book-in/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) > [The rights of copyright holders need to be protected, but some draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-leahy/the-rights-of-copyright-holders-need-to-be-protected-but-some/) [Patrick Leahy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-leahy/) > [In India, most people are not aware or are unconcerned about copyright laws. This has proved disastrous for the music fraternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilaiyaraaja/in-india-most-people-are-not-aware-or-are-unconcerned-about-copyright/) [Ilaiyaraaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilaiyaraaja/) > [You need to recognize that the copyright date on a book reflects when it came out, not when it was written - assume that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/you-need-to-recognize-that-the-copyright-date-on-a-book-reflects-when/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [Whenever a copyright law is to be made or altered, then the idiots assemble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/whenever-a-copyright-law-is-to-be-made-or-altered-then-the-idiots/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [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/) > [I have a hunch that the unknown sequences of DNA will decode into copyright notices and patent protections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-knuth/i-have-a-hunch-that-the-unknown-sequences-of-dna-will-decode-into/) [Donald Knuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-knuth/) > [Napster's only alleged liability is for contributory or vicarious infringement. So when Napster's users engage in noncommercial sharing of music, is that activity copyright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boies/napster-s-only-alleged-liability-is-for-contributory-or-vicarious/) [David Boies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boies/) > [I'm a bit cynical that it ever will be addressed properly. I think it is healthy to get some sort of copyright protection. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/i-m-a-bit-cynical-that-it-ever-will-be-addressed-properly-i-think-it/) [Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/) > [The U.S. obviously has all the evidence they need to prosecute bankers. They just need to search their own spy database and then there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dotcom/the-u-s-obviously-has-all-the-evidence-they-need-to-prosecute-bankers/) [Kim Dotcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dotcom/) [Browse all 235 Copyright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/copyright/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't copyright a urinal. But you could probably copyright a sculpture of a urinal. 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