From open source to open content: Organization, licensing and decision processes in open cultural production

Abstract

The organization of talent in online communities has been pivotal for the development of open source software. We are currently witnessing a related phenomenon that is at least of equal importance: the 'open-sourcing' of digital content through a dramatic increase in user-generated content and the development of appropriate licenses for users to share their works and build on each other's creativity. This article compares and contrasts (a) the objectives of software development vis-à-vis the development of new media content, (b) the organizational forms that have developed in respective online communities, and (c) the role that licensing plays in the production of 'functional' vis-à-vis 'cultural' goods. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.