Gates Buys Feynman's "Messenger" Lectures to Become Freely Available for Public

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From Symmetry Magazine:

Bill Gates recently bought the rights to a series of lectures by legendary Caltech physicist Richard Feynman. The former Microsoft head’s purchase shows that the cultural and scientific legacy of Feynman remains strong even 21 years after his death.

The lectures, given in 1964 as part of Cornell University’s Messenger Lecture Series, were filmed by the BBC, who had retained the rights since. Gates purchased the lectures for an undisclosed amount.

But what would the former Microsoft head want with the copyright to lectures by the revered physicist? In a recent interview with the CERN Bulletin, Gates said that his only plan is to make the footage freely available to the public.

Add to that Gates’ reverence for Feynman, and it makes sense. The lectures are only the latest addition to Gates’ personal collection of Feynman-related material, which includes original manuscripts of some of Feynman’s best known work. Read more

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