No. 19 Lawrence Lessig, academic and lawyer
Last year's position: Not placed
Why? Revolutionising copyright law
Digital media has transformed the copyright debate and Lawrence Lessig is the man paving the way for the new online era.
His Creative Commons licences offer a new paradigm for how to deal with the granting of usage rights in creative works. More than just a good idea, the licences are inching their way into mainstream use - one reason the Agenda Setters panel brought Lessig back into the top 50 after a year's absence.
A professor of law at Stanford University, Lessig also exerts his influence in the courtroom for president-setting cases including the current battle over the usage of James Joyce's works.
An outspoken advocate for free and open source software, prolific author and expert on all aspects of cyber law, Lessig's influence is only growing, says the panel.
Take a walk down memory lane - and find out who made the Agenda Setters poll over the years:
"Ray Ozzie is a radical change force for Microsoft. He is moving them in a very different direction."
--Richard Sykes, Agenda Setters panellist
"My observation is that [kids today] are far more networked and open than any other generation we have ever seen."
--Peter Cochrane, Agenda Setters panellist
The world's most powerful women Forbes.com
Smart 50 - Asia's best users of IT ZDNet Asia
Chron 500 - The San Francisco Bay Area's top public companies San Francisco Chronicle
The 50 people who matter now Business 2.0
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