Congress and the New Corruption - Lawrence Lessig October 2, 2008

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/08/13/Lawrence_Lessig_Wants_to_Change_Congress

Stanford Law Professor and Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig argues that while politicians have historically taken money from special interest groups for their own personal benefit, they now must cater to these groups simply in order to be reelected to office.

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Lawrence Lessig, law professor, author, and founder of the Creative Commons, explains the negative influence of private interest groups on the United States Congress and discusses what he is doing to fight corruption on Capitol Hill.

Lawrence Lessig is a professor of law at Stanford Law School and founder of the school's Center for Internet and Society.

He teaches and writes in the areas of constitutional law, contracts, and the law of cyberspace. Prior to joining the Stanford faculty, he was Berkman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and a professor at the University of Chicago.

He clerked for Judge Richard Posner on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and for Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court. For much of his career, he has focused on law and technology, especially as it affects copyright.

Recognized for arguing against interpretations of copyright that could stifle innovation and discourse online, he is CEO of the Creative Commons project, and he has been a columnist for Wired, Red Herring, and The Industry Standard.