Sometimes I Can Share
The law school at Duke University has just received an anonymous one million dollar donation to fund a center to look at finding a balance between intellectual property rights and the public domain.
I'm a writer. And I've made money off my writing, and I think this is a good thing. Continually extending the life of copyright, the current DMCA, and even more draconian proposed laws affect all of us, they regulate how we create, what we can build from the past and how we learn and grow. When the balance leans too heavily either way--control of intellectual property or general public use, either one--the public good suffers. Balance is a good thing.
I wish them well in their endeavors.