A n anonymous gift of $1 million was made to Duke Universityis law school and is being used to fund research into the recent changes in copyright law and the public domain. Last week, ZDNet reported that James Boyle, a professor of law at the school, says that the research will most likely be of a "skeptical" nature.
Boyle says he is not a copyright abolitionist. He agrees that some legal protection is necessary. But, he added, "the burden of proof should be on those who say we need to have property rights in this situation. Why will this work? Why is this necessary? We see the system getting out of control, out of balance. This is a way to restore the balance."
The school says that the identity of the donor may not be revealed, wanting to keep even the most general information quiet. You can read the report in full at the ZDNet Web site.