# Dinner with Lawrence Lessig

- Author: Joichi Ito
- Date: 2002-11-05T21:59:51Z


Just finished having dinner and am in the cab on the way home... DInner was so interesting that I forgot to take a picture. Joi "always-takes-a-picture" Ito forgot to take a picture. Oh well. You all know what he looks like and we ate in the same restaurant that I took Dan and Noriko to. 

It's really great having someone like Larry in Japan. Kara, Megan, Dan... We're on a roll!

Larry can really help push some of the issues I find most frustrating working in Japan. Japanese lawyers don't understand technology and technologists don't understand law. IP is still not considered a very important social issue and the value of "public domain" is greatly un-appreciated in Japan. Also, I think that the one of the biggest risks for Japan is to become irrelevant. Having great thinkers like Larry experiencing Japan ang leaving with an understanding of the issues, but a appreciation for our real assets will be one of the things that will save Japan as we go through the massive changes ahead.

Larry will be in Japan for a few more months. I hope I get to see him again and introduce him to the folks he won't meet at Tokyo University. ;-)





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