July 02, 2013 by Logan Harper

Lawyer-turned-activist Lawrence Lessig coupled his understanding of copyright law with his observations about how it should change over time to meet the needs of the Digital Age. He founded Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization dedicated to lifting legal restrictions on copyright. After reforming online copyright law, Lessig shifted his focus to combatting the negative influence of money on politics. In his 2013 TED talk and in his book, Republic, Lost, Lessig discusses how campaign finance in the United States has left our political system corrupt and broken.

Lessig offers a simple solution that gives the republic back to the people it was intended to serve: Funding must be spread out among all people, so that the citizens may determine who runs in the general election, not the funders. The equal distribution of funding would level the playing field for all citizens.