The Information Commons, A Public Policy Report

    Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law

   Free Expression Policy Project, 2004

   The Information Commons. Authored by former American Library Association President Nancy Kranich, this report is the first comprehensive, easy-to-read summary of a new movement that offers exciting alternatives to today's increasing restrictions on access to information, scholarly research, and other resources so necessary for democracy.

In the past two decades, technological advances, increased consolidation in the media industry, and growing imbalance in the copyright system have led to a serious problem of information “enclosure.” One response has been the growth of information communities that emphasize open access, sharing, collaboration, and communal management.

The Information Commons gives an overview of the problem of enclosure, explains how theories of the commons have been adapted to the information age, and describes dozens of flourishing information communities, ranging from Linux designers to the Open Video Project, from a knitting commons to the OYEZ Supreme Court Multimedia Archives

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