How Timothy Leary's Prank Became Cyberspace Legend

In 1989, Autodesk pursued a trademark for ‘cyberspace’ while building early virtual reality systems. William Gibson, who had coined the term in his 1984 novel Neuromancer, objected to the filing. Eric Gullichsen, working at Autodesk’s lab, wrote to Gibson in response; Gibson’s lawyers replied to Autodesk.

What followed became one of internet’s enduring myths: that Gibson retaliated by trademarking ‘Eric Gullichsen’ himself. The story has circulated as fact for decades. In reality, it was fabricated entirely—a prank by Timothy Leary, who had befriended Gullichsen and admired Gibson’s work. Leary spread the story as a joke, which others embellished and perpetuated until it became accepted history.

Gullichsen and Gibson encountered each other a year later at Art Futura 1990 in Barcelona. Gibson quipped that while the street finds its own use for things, Autodesk was not the street. Subsequent evenings of socializing over drinks effectively resolved the earlier friction.