Open Access News

News from the open access movement


Sunday, July 15, 2007

Special issue on Creating Commons

The March 2007 issue of SCRIPT-ed is devoted to Creating Commons.  (I missed this at the time; thanks to Cedarburgdentalgroup for the alert.)  All the articles are OA-related, but see especially:

  • Roger Clarke, Business Models to Support Content Commons.  Abstract:  The application of conventional, 'scarce resource' economics to content has been mistaken and harmful. More appropriate forms of economic analysis highlight the critical role that accessibility to information plays in the process of innovation. Meanwhile, down at the micro-economic level, there is an all-too-common perception that open content approaches are unsustainable and bad for business, and reflect naïve idealism on the part of their proponents. This paper identifies a range of suitable business models, and thereby demonstrates that the content commons is sustainable and appropriate for profit-oriented business enterprises.