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Code: Version 2.0

essay by Lawrence Lessig

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ5139971 ↗
Source-derived summary

Code: Version 2.0 is a 2006 book by Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig which proposes that governments have broad regulatory powers over the Internet. The book is released under the CC BY-SA 2.5 Creative Commons license.

The book

The book is an update to Lessig's book Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, which was written in response and opposition to the notion that state governments could not regulate cyberspace and the Internet. The original argument that Lessig took issue with was weakened in the years following the book's release, as it became widely acknowledged that government regulation of the Internet was imminent, and so the author thought it necessary to update the work. Lessig acknowledges that there are those who continue to disagree with his viewpoint, but adamantly maintains that the Internet will increasingly evolve in a more regulable direction.

Dedication

The book is dedicated to Wikipedia with the words:

Dedicated to Wikipedia, the one surprise that teaches more than everything here.

Collaboratively writing the book

Code: Version 2.0 was developed by Lessig and a group of Stanford Law School students with the help of the Jotspot Code V2 wiki.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Code: Version 2.0” as essay by Lawrence Lessig. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA concise reference frame for defining the subject, testing terminology and identifying the institution closest to the evidence. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2006—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2006. The account is most persuasive where Code, Version and essay can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as essay by Lawrence Lessig. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5139971. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2006.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Code: Version 2.0”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Code: Version 2.0 primary sources, Code: Version 2.0 archive and Code research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Code: Version 2.0”?
  2. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
  3. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Code: Version 2.0” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.