Lawrence Lessig's birthday spam

It looks like copyright crusader Professor Lawrence Lessig needs a Mary Poppins to tidy his computer. With her supernatural powers, Disney's nanny could bring order to the most chaotic of households.

During those long, anxious hours - staring into the computer, the dark forces of the copyright pigopolists weighing heavily on his brow [see pic] - the Lessig mailing database appears to have degenerated into a mess that simply won't be cleaned up by bedtime.

"This unsolicitated email was published under a Creative Commons License"

One reader alerts us to an email he received today, from the good Professor.

Subject: a favor

Dear person-in my-addressbook, the email begins...

It is my birthday and I have a favor to ask.

Then, as our reader was digesting this solicitation, in popped another. And another. And another after that.

"It's hard not to notice 13 emails asking for 'a favor'. I thought, 'is this some new spam or virus?'. Six emails in all came from the Prof., seven more were forwards.

Lessig does have a charming assistant, who confirmed the chaos was the Professor's own responsibility.

"He has them stored in his address book," the assistant told us. "I received it three times myself."

The email is a solicitation to sign the Eldred petition here, and closes:-

And if you're not, or can't, or don't know who I am, then sorry for the intrusion.

-----
Lessig
Stanford Law School

Let's wish him a Happy Birthday, and hope a magic broomstick is on its way. One that can raise the quality of information in the Professor's address book. ®

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