Business Models to Support Content Commons

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. DOI: 10.2966/scrip.040107.59 © Roger Clarke 2007. All Rights Reserved. * Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd, Canberra, Australia. Visiting Professor at the University of N.S.W. in Sydney, the Australian National University in Canberra, and the University of Hong Kong. (2007) 4:1 SCRIPT-ed 60