L. Ray Patterson: Copyright (and Its Master) in Historical Perspective

The title of this tribute to the late L. Ray Patterson of the University of Georgia School of Law is a play on the title of Patterson’s magisterial study of the history, and pre-history, of Anglo-American copyright law: Copyright in Historical Perspective. Patterson’s central idea in that work was that copyright is a creature not of natural law but of positive law—not a proprietary right but a species of trade regulation. The tribute includes not only many glowing assessments of Patterson’s body of work in copyright by his peers, but also ringing quotes from his own voluminous publications. The author concludes with a toast he offered to Professor Patterson face-to-face, at an event purportedly convened for other purposes, shortly before he died: “To PROFESSOR PATTERSON. Copyright Hero. Model. Scholar. Activist. Radical. Teacher. And may I add with the greatest pride on this very special occasion: Friend.