Berkeley University's Center for Law & Technology (BCLT) has received a $1 million grant from Microsoft Corp. to support new research on law and technology policy issues.

The grant will support two BCLT faculty research projects a year, and provides the scholars, whose areas of expertise range from patent and copyright to cyber law, the opportunity to meet with Microsoft representatives each spring to discuss their research interests for the coming year and for each partner to weigh in on areas they believe are particularly important. It will also establish an annual Microsoft Fellow in Law Technology program.

"The exchange between BCLT scholars and Microsoft lawyers and technologists will be invaluable for deepening our understanding of the real-world consequences of legal and policy changes that we wish to recommend, especially now that patent reform is under serious consideration in Congress," said Pamela Samuelson, a BCLT director and an expert in the areas of copyright, software protection, and cyber law.