Petition to End Private Control of the Codex Leicester and Secure Permanent Public Access
To: Bill Gates
Cc: The Global Art Community, UNESCO, The Italian Government, The Public

We, the undersigned, call for the Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci to be removed from private control and placed into permanent public stewardship.

This manuscript is not a collectible object — it is a cornerstone of human knowledge. When cultural works of global significance remain privately held, access becomes limited, scholarship is constrained, and the public is separated from its shared intellectual heritage.

Digital copies and temporary exhibitions cannot replace continuous, guaranteed access. Humanity’s history should not depend on the discretion of ownership.

We urge Bill Gates to return the Codex Leicester to a public museum, library, or academic institution where it can be permanently preserved, studied, and experienced by all. Leonardo da Vinci’s legacy belongs in the public sphere, available to present and future generations without restriction.

Knowledge is humanity’s inheritance. The Codex Leicester should live in public hands.