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The legal profession self-selects for people who think this way, for a number of various reasons. 1. If you disagree with the base assumptions of copyright, yo

The legal profession self-selects for people who think this way, for a number of various reasons. 1. If you disagree with the base assumptions of copyright, you are going to misunderstand the law and fail your LSAT/bar exam/etc. You will be blinded by "it's just to keep big companies afloat" to notice the actual rules of things like fair use. 2. If you get a law license but disagree with the base assumptions of the law, you are going to be at a financial disadvantage by refusing to represent clients whose politics disagrees with yours.[0] 3. If you choose to represent copyright defendants, you can only do so to the extent that there is a legal argument that they can make. It is illegal for a lawyer to aid a client in the commission of a crime... and if your legal career is based around the idea that something shouldn't be a crime, then you will need to hold your tongue and pick your battles a lot. 4. If you somehow jump through those hoops and competently represent clients... you probably have sacrificed on your "abolish copyright" ideology a fair bit. [0] Remember that at this point you are probably deep in student debt - your legal career is predicated on you paying back your loans by charging your clients lots of money.

formerbanker453 5y ago
I think you may be right. I used to work as a software developer for a banking startup, and a lot of emphasis was placed on things like KYC, AML and "compliance", whatever that is. Fundamentally, I hated all those things with passion (including how they force everyone to use a bank to transact - and here I am working for a bank), because I don't believe they any institution or government should be forcibly gatekeeping and spying upon anyone's transactions. It's really hard to work at a place that contradicts your own convictions. When I was fired, it was a relief.

formerbanker453 5y ago

I think you may be right. I used to work as a software developer for a banking startup, and a lot of emphasis was placed on things like KYC, AML and "compliance", whatever that is. Fundamentally, I hated all those things with passion (including how they force everyone to use a bank to transact - and here I am working for a bank), because I don't believe they any institution or government should be forcibly gatekeeping and spying upon anyone's transactions. It's really hard to work at a place that contradicts your own convictions. When I was fired, it was a relief.