dr. lessig, you deal with ethics. i think the average american would be extremely upset to know that people are dying not because we don't know how to treat those people -- that's one sad aspect of life -- but that they can't afford what is, in fact, a minimal cost in terms of the real production of the product to save their lives. it's like somebody over there dying and nobody is going out and reaching them a hand and bringing them in. it's like they're drowning in a swimming pool. what are the ethical implications of that? >> of course, i agree that there's a significant ethical question raised by the problem you described as somebody not voluntarily stepping forth and saving a drowning child. but i think this problem is actually worse because, as jamie was just emphasizing, the government is intervening in this market already. its intervention is in the form of an exclusive right called a patent. the consequence of that intervention is to produce a market where only a tiny slice of those who are affected by the dis

dr. stiglitz. our next panelist is lawrence lessig who is the royal professor of law at law school and center for ethics at harvard university. he founded claetive commons and the foundation for internet society in stanford law school and was previously on the faculty of chicago law school. professor lessig serves on the boards of creative commons, maplelight, brave new film foundation, the american academy berlin, axa research fund and on the advisory board of the sunlight foundation. he's a member of the american academy of arts and sciences and has received numerous awards including the freedom award, fast cast 50 award and being named one of scientific american's top visionaries. >> thank you very much for the opportunity to testify. as you know, since the beginning of this republic, there has been a fierce debate about how best to create incentives for scientists and innovators to discover and to bring to market advances in science that address important public needs. on one side of that debate have been the supporters of exclusive rights secured by the government, the constitution gives congress t