madisen

“We came before copyright. But publishers now think of libraries as customer service departments for their database products.”

The challenge for the open movement is already clear: build an alternative to corporate, closed machine learning systems. And to protect the commons from exploitation by these systems.

More research is needed in this context to understand the relationship between research institutions and commercial entities, particularly in light of the excep -tions for non-commercial and research uses.

A lot of what’s built the World Wide Web in the open information infrastructure that we understand is just actually embedded in a few laws that basically make it so it can be user originated content that can be then hosted on other companies’ websites without having them have liability. As long as, “Hey, we’re in copyright infringement,” if they... See more

Another proposed solution would entail technical means of tracking uses of openly shared works, which could benefit from advances in web technologies. These tools would make downstream (re)uses of content traceable and, therefore, legible to licensors, creating opportunities to interact with users and potentially enforce additional norms

licensing inside the walled gardens. We wanted flexible licensing tools that would enable creators to share with strangers, and make money if they chose to do so. Those tools now exist, albeit in a form that’s far from ideal. Creators on TikTok and YouTube are making money, sharing stuff they create, and doing so in a relatively frictionless way.... See more

An alternative process entails introducing additional rules and limits to reuse while adhering to the general vision of the commons. Such a more robust form of commons-based ordering has often not been considered a form of openness in the past 3 . It involves harnessing non-copyright-based tools, introducing other legal mechanisms, and considering... See more

the way in which TikTok enables creativity and community building by supporting the reuse of soundtracks, stitching, and dueting, leading to cultural phenomena founded on collaboration

‘openness’ often enables systemic exploitation of developers’ and creators’ labor while maintaining the infrastructural and ecosystem dominance of the largest firms. In the context of high levels of corporate concentration and gatekeeping over the ingredients necessary to build AI systems, ‘open’ AI as currently operationalized is primed for... See more