U.S. advised to promote open standards, source, innovation

Keywords: Match:

Apr. 18, 2006

A business- and university-led public policy group has issued a downloadable 72-page report examining open standards, open source software, and "open innovation." The report concludes that openness should be promoted as a matter of public policy, in order to foster innovation and economic growth in the U.S. and world economies.

The report was released by the Committee for Economic Development (CED), a non-profit, non-partisan public policy research organization comprised of about 200 senior corporate executives and university leaders. The report resulted from a project within CED's Digital Connections Council (DCC), which is chaired by Paul M. Horn, SVP of research at IBM. The project was directed by Elliot Maxwell, described as "a key advisor on digital economy issues in the Clinton Administration."

The CED report concludes that intellectual property (IP) law and business practices designed for the trade of physical goods threaten economic development and innovation in digital information product markets such as software. It recommends several specific steps aimed at helping public policy makers promote openness, innovation, and economic growth:

Open Standards
- Governments should "encourage the development and use of open standards, through processes as open to participation and contribution as possible"
- The results of government-supported research should be readily available for inclusion in open standards
- Governments should create incentives for early disclosure of intellectual property rights affecting open standards, because historically, companies have waited, in order to maximize damage claims
Open Source Software
- Governments should not mandate any particular license, such as requiring open source software only; however...
  - No citizen should be required to use the hardware or software of any particular vendor
  - International procurements should also supprt inter-operability requirements
Open Innovation (such as 'peer production' systems like WikiPedia and eBay user ratings)
- To foster open innovation, federally funded, non-classified research should be widely disseminated, following the example of the NIH (National Institute of Health)
- "Any legislation or regulation regarding intellectual property rights [should be] weighed with a presumption against the granting of new rights ... because of the benefits to society of further innovation through greater access to technology."
- The NSF (National Science Foundation) should fund research into "alternative compensation methods, similar to those created to facilitate the growth of radio, to reward creators of digital information products"

The full 72-page CED report is available for download, here (PDF download). A brief summary, on which this story was largely based, is also available, here.

Related Stories:

(Click here for further information)

Approaching the Linux Desktop
The purpose of this paper is to help organizations evaluate the Linux desktop against their own enterprise needs and discover what benefits the Linux desktop might bring to their organizations.

Migrating To Linux: Application Challenges and Solutions
Several solutions exist to help organizations migrate in an orderly fashion from Windows to Linux desktops. This paper establishes the characteristics of an ideal cross-platform solution and reviews these alternatives in light of this ideal standard. The paper takes a closer look at the pros and cons of various solutions and outlines the business benefits that can be achieved.

Linux Advantages: Publicly Available Information on Linux Software
This paper offers a brief summary of readily-available Linux information to help businesses sort out this widely misunderstood operating system.

Top 5 Strategies for Managing Linux
Despite continuous evolution in the manageability of Linux, a 2006 survey cited manageability concerns as a top reason why organizations are hesitating to adopt Linux. Levanta believes Linux can be as manageable, if not more so, than other operating systems by following key strategies. These strategic recommendations were developed from experiences in numerous customer environments, both large and small.

Why Choose Novell for Linux?
This paper outlines the benefits of switching to the Linux platform and choosing Novell as a high-performance, enterprise solution.

Enterprise Linux Selection Guide
Considering moving your enterprise to the Linux operating system? Since there are so many similar versions, choosing the right one can be tough. This paper offers a clear process to help you make an informed decision and get the features, support, and cost that are right for your business and technical needs.

Overcoming Challenges in Managing Linux
Levanta has created a new administration model with innovative technology that breaks down the barriers to making the most of Linux systems. This paper will provide an in-depth look at the workings of Levanta’s product, the first Linux appliance of its kind.

SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 for Retail Businesses
Discover why major retailers have switched to SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop in the back office. SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 is a low-cost desktop that offers a complete set of productivity applications and interoperates seamlessly with the other Windows, Macintosh and UNIX desktops in your store.

Moving to a Linux Desktop
Migrating from Windows to Linux on the desktop can be a substantial undertaking because it has the potential for touching -- and perhaps disrupting -- every user in your organization. Unlike a data center (server and infrastructure) migration that is largely transparent to users, the cultural and administrative transitions and environment readiness required to support a Linux desktop migration are extensive.

Seven Good Reasons to Exchange Exchange
This paper describes seven compelling reasons why you should switch from Exchange to Scalix.

Got a HOT tip? please tell us!

ADVERTISEMENT
(Advertise here)

Popular recent stories: • Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges • Linux gains action RPG • World's cheapest Linux-based laptop? • WiFi software arrives on Linux desktops • BeOS-like distro focused on content creation • Graphics board vendor touts faster Linux drivers • Linux mini-PC takes two Watts to tango • Hats off to Fedora 9 • Debian looks to launch lenny in Sept. All-time Classics: • Choosing a desktop Linux distro • Banshee -- the next best thing to Linux iTunes • The Best Free Desktop Linux . . . and how to make it better • Running World of Warcraft on Ubuntu • Linux-powered Asus Eee PC mini-laptop arrives • A simple Linux backup method • The well-tempered Debian desktop • What's the best Linux for beginners? • VirtualBox: The best virtualization program you've never heard of • Getting to know Puppy Linux • Xandros 4: The best desktop Linux for Windows users	Desktop Linux books Join our Desktop Linux discussion forums: • Moving to Linux • Linux/Windows debate! • Linux Q&A . . . and more

BREAKING NEWS

• OSCON 2008 presentations, videos posted
• Debian distro named for little green man
• Google spins web browser
• Summit debuts for Linux end users
• "UbuntuLite" reviewed
• Linux in the SME
• Linux: not yet photo-friendly
• Linux to gain anti-virus software
• Linux gains backup utility
• Testing Lenny
• HP offers Linux on low-end mini-notes
• Dell shipping five Hardy Heron systems
• IBM pushes "Microsoft-free" desktops
• Unified communications groupware comes to Linux
• Lightweight GNOME alternative emerges

Linux-Watch headlines:
• OSCON 2008 presentations, videos posted
• Linux -- not yet photo-friendly
• Microsoft buys additional Linux support
• SFLC publishes GPL compliance guide
• Linux switch vendor sued over GPL
• Judge Kimball rules -- the sequel!
• Microsoft tactics push India toward Linux
• Bell, SuperMicro sued over GPL
• "Business intelligence" software goes GPL
• Will Atom bomb?

Visit the...

news feed

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Home \| News \| Articles \| Forum \| Polls \| About \| Contact

	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| ROI Calculators \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| Channel News
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| Web Buyer's Guide \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep
Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Except where otherwise specified, the contents of this site are copyright © 1999-2008 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise is prohibited. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.