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Open Economies - Let's create a Knowledge Commons to stimulate knowledge-based eco nomic [Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] Let's create a Knowledge Commons to stimulate knowledge-based eco nomic
Hi, I think that's a great idea. -Tony --- "Moore, James" <jmoore@geopartners.com> wrote: > > Let's create a Knowledge Commons to stimulate > knowledge-based economic > development > > James F. Moore > Berkman Center for Internet and Society > > > > > Common resources are vital > > > > In traditional agrarian societies, there are common > resources shared and > used by members of the community. Some of these > common resources are > physical: water, grazing rights on a common field or > mountainside, > fishing rights offshore. Others involve knowledge: > agricultural > methods, medical lore, child-rearing practices, > language and literacy, > and psychological and spiritual training. > > Similarly, in advanced knowledge-based economies > such as the United > States, there are common resources shared and used > by members of the > community. In particular, there are knowledge-based > resources that have > been enormously important for the development of > these advanced > economies. Examples include the public education > system, ranging from > elementary and secondary schools to graduate > fellowships, paid for by > government funds, to train scientists and engineers. > I myself benefited > from extensive public subsidization of my education, > including a > post-doctoral fellowship paid for by one of the US > national scientific > institutes. This is true for many involved in the > high technology > economy. Other notable examples include the > billions of dollars > invested each year in pharmaceutical research by the > US government, > either directly in research centers such as the > National Institutes of > Health, or indirectly through government funding of > university-based > research. The Internet itself, as is well known, > grew out of the > government-funded ARPANET. Indeed, the US > government not only developed > the Internet, it also funded the operation of the > Internet backbone > during the crucial first years before usage reached > critical mass in > numbers of users and service providers. > > Emerging elements of a Knowledge Commons > > > > It may be possible to use knowledge-based common > resources to accelerate > economic and social development in regions of the > world with less > advanced economies. A +IBw-Knowledge Commons+IB0- > can become a shared resource > to those creating knowledge-based businesses and > industries in the > developing world. > > There are a number of interesting examples of > elements of knowledge that > are being made available in the developing world for > purposes of > advancing social and economic development. These > and other similar > resources illustrate what a Knowledge Commons would > be constituted from: > > Some leading universities are making their course > materials available > free online. Perhaps most notable is the > Massachusetts Institute of > Technology, which recently committed to make > +IBw-open source+IB0- its course > content, distributing it free over the worldwide > web. MIT Open Course > Ware > +ADw-http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2001/ocw.html+AD4-. > > > The major medical journals have just announced that > they will make > themselves available at a dramatic discount in > developing countries. > Medical Journals for Developing Countries > +ADw-http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/09/health/09MEDI.html+AD4- > (Reading this > article requires registering, available free of > charge, to the New York > Times online version.) > > The Digital Opportunity Task Force report to the > Genoa Summit of the G8 > group of Nations, to be held in two weeks, > recommends that Open Source > software be adapted and distributed widely as a > means of promoting > economic development and e-government. > http://dotforce.org/reports/dot+AF8-force+AF8-report+AF8-v+AF8-5.0h.html > > +ADw-http://www.markle.org/DigitalOpportunitiesforAll.pdf+AD4- > > > The debate over how to make drugs available to fight > AIDS has brought > attention to the need to allow some regions of the > world freedom from > paying for the knowledge-based part of the price of > drugs. It is my view > that the answer to AIDS and other infectious > diseases will create a de > facto knowledge commons that includes pharmaceutical > intellectual > property. This is already occurring through a > combination of discounting > by pharmaceutical companies, the threat of > compulsory licensing of drug > patents, and through importing drugs from nations > such as Brazil and > India that recognize process-patents but not > use-patents. > > Proposal and request for your help to create a > Knowledge Commons > > > > We at Open Economies are interested in joining with > others who would > like to pursue creating a Knowledge Commons. > Elements of such a commons > are emerging everywhere. What we have in mind is > accelerating this > trend by adding a certain amount of intention and > strategy to the > process-and forming a community of interested people > to help advance > this goal. Interesting topics abound: How might > patent and copyright > law be adapted to allow individuals and > organizations the flexibility to > make their property available to such a commons, but > to protect them > from losing rights to their property in the > developed world? How might > the notion of a commons inform investments in > telecommunications and > Internet infrastructure in the developing world? > Are there critical > portions of infrastructure that-if commonly held, > with creative rules > for open and shared access-accelerate economic and > social development? > Might radio spectrum be allocated and regulated in a > manner to make it > more available to creative uses not yet identified, > and to companies not > yet born, rather than solely to existing carriers? > Might this > accelerate innovation and economic advances in the > developing world? > > If you are interested, please respond to me directly > at > jmoore+AEA-cyber.law.harvard.edu > +ADw-mailto:jmoore+AEA-cyber.law.harvard.edu+AD4-. > If > you have ideas along these lines that the community > at Open Economies > can benefit from, please respond to this post at the > discussion list > openeconomies+AEA-eon.cyber.law.harvard.edu > +ADw-mailto:openeconomies+AEA-cyber.law.harvard.edu+AD4- > (if you are not already > a member, subscribe at > +ADw-http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/mailman/listinfo/openeconomies+AD4- > ) > > > > Knowledge Commons Proposal > === message truncated === > ATTACHMENT part 2 application/octet-stream name=Knowledge Commons Proposal.doc __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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