[p2p-research] Fwd: Dual Licensing of Research in Renewable Energy

[Michel Bauwens]

Dear friends,

Thanks for reading through this request/proposal of a new funding mechanism
for open hardware research

Austin, a little question. Since dual licensing works with FOSS, and is at
the basis of different open source companies, why would it not work, or work
differently with open design, since that is equally an immaterial process?

Michel



*From:* Austin <brentley at gmail.com>
*To:* michelsub2003 at yahoo.com
*Sent:* Thursday, June 11, 2009 1:38:47 PM
*Subject:* Dual Licensing of Research

Hello Michel,

My name is Austin and I recently came across your article (
http://www.we-magazine.net/we-volume-02/the-emergence-of-open-design-and-open-manufacturing/)
concerning open manufacturing..  I found this piece very encouraging since
over the past several weeks, I have been outlining a research paper for
school in which a self-sustaining business model could actually help speed
up R&D in the renewable energy sector.  I realize, after reading your
article, that my business model is not nearly as "new" as I had previous
believed....although my approach has a few key differences.

I can only imagine how busy you must be, but I was hoping you might provide
some clarity concerning dual licensing in an open innovation business
model.  I think a very brief background on the actual idea might make my
questions easier to frame.  the basic components are:


   - Investors pool money into a research firm (we'll call it Green R&D)
   - Green R&D works exclusively on renewable technology.  They pay for the
   labs, scientists, etc.
   - The research is posted online periodically so that anyone and everyone
   can contribute, ask questions, make recommendations etc....the information
   is essentially in the commons under a "public" license of sorts..
   - Solar panel or Wind turbine companies can use this growing body of
   research to bring products to market.
   - Green R&D receives an ex post royalty (under a dual license) from any
   successful products created by these solar panel and wind turbine companies.
   - Green R&D pays out dividends to initial investors and/or uses these
   royalties to fund additional research.

Energy companies have lower R&D costs since they benefit from Green R&D's
public findings.  Innovation happens more quickly since the silo effect has
been removed.  You still have market incentives (which help to pay for the
research equipment).  And Green R&D only needs a few innovations to actually
come to market...kind of how only a fraction of dual licensees in the open
source world end up funding the entire Innovation Pool for everyone else (as
you mentioned).

As you can see, this model bears some similarities to the community-based
innovation you discussed in your article....but as I mentioned, there are
some major differences as well.

This is the starting point of my research paper, but I've run into some
difficulties...namely, measuring, monitoring, and enforcing the
collaborative IP created under such a framework.  Dual-licensing is easy to
implement in the digital world since source code can be monitored, tracked,
and segmented.  Not so with research and other forms of technology.  As you
pointed out, the manufacturing world (and to a lesser extent the research
world) requires capital outlays that don't necessarily exist in open source
communities.  Do you believe that dual licensing could work under the
business model outlined above?

Anyway, thanks in advance for any insights that you might be able to offer.
I'm a latecomer to the P2P, open source, and collaborative genres, but I
really applaud what you are doing.

Many regards,

-Austin
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listcultures.org/pipermail/p2presearch_listcultures.org/attachments/20090616/b2cfa62f/attachment-0001.html>