I was shocked by the fact that more and more 'artistic works' got a creative commons license. Especially CC-licensed sounds and now even Creative Commons Design licenses. But I have taken a closer look at the Open Design movement, more specifically SomeRightsReserved.co.uk.
"Imagine being able to buy the digital blueprints to any object, being able to take it to a skilled professional and have it produced directly. Imagine instant access to quality design ideas and the means to manufacture products on demand. Imagine completely removing the middleman."(1)
So, actually designers allow people to re-create, re-use and share a copy of the design blueprint. In the kith-kin.co.uk/shop you can see that they sell blueprints, though afterwards you are free to spread the blueprints and use them as you want, as long as you respect the license and act within the legal license borders. Cool!
So I can download how I can build a chair from cart board, or easily create a rockit garden seat or even a 'street sofa'(2). The blueprint is to be downloaded for just a few pounds, and one can found what the estimated costs of creation will be.
So what people have already done with photos, making it available! In combination with what the patent system does, carefully describing how the (design) patent works with in exchange for a temporare monopoly, this can result in something interesting.
Collaborative patents often results in successfull and qualitive products, e.g. common practise is that joint R&D departments are set up in order to innovate and come to better products.
I expect that more people, individual creators, maybe small creative companies that they will not patent their inventions, though that they will use open source designs and patents in order to really innovate. What do you think about it: patents are refined, building upon each others innovations, that could really set the start of a new innovation stadium.
We'll see what the next CC Open License stage will be. Will innovative companies join this collaborative and open license for 'quasi-patents'(3)? Hopefully they move their not so innovative patents to the open license area and take the credit for it and they can focus and secure on their real innovations.
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(1) http://www.kith-kin.co.uk/press/releases/milan/KithKin_SomeRightsReserved_2008.pdf
(2) http://www.kith-kin.co.uk/shop/tetris/, http://www.kith-kin.co.uk/shop/rockit/,
http://www.kith-kin.co.uk/shop/street-sofa/
(3) D.J.R. Sterenborg, "Patentrecht macht dein Leben teuer", via http://www.elsa-germany.org/publikationen/inside.ELSA/de p. 9 and 10
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