"David Bollier will discuss the rise of the commons paradigm in the digital environment, the subject of his new book, Viral Spiral: How the Commoners Built a Digital Republic of Their Own (New Press). The book traces the origins of free software, the Creative Commons licenses and the online “sharing economy” ..."

"...It is this intensive effort at the private appropriation of knowledge that has created different movements of resistance. The free software movement, the movements of farmers against biopiracy in seeds and animal and vegetal types, where Western corporations are privatizing the fruits of thousands of year of communal cooperation; the movement of patients and developmental organizations for access to reasonably priced medicines and medical knowledge; the movement for free access to scientific publications, are all related reactions to these New Enclosures.

We are currently living in a historical moment which will define and shape digital rights and information freedom on the internet for generations to come. It’s one of those rare moments where the issue is black and white and where the two opposing camps can be identified without over-simplifying the issue.

"The following is a post from a guest, Ian Elwood, who has been involved in social justice movements for some time and has tried to bring the Free Software and Free Culture movements to them. We post it here because it expresses a voice in the discussion of free network services. Indymedia London recently considered questions very much like these. Ian Elwood’s thoughts follow..."

"...We can only promote the commons as a new narrative for the 21st century if they are identified as a common denominator by different social movements and schools of thought. In my point of view, enforcing the commons would be not only possible, but strategically intelligent.

"Free culture advocate and Brazilian Minister Gilberto Gil said that digital technology offers a rare opportunity to bring knowledge to under-privileged people around the world and to include them in the political process..."

"It's no secret that everything’s up for grabs in this brave new and rapidly unfurling world, but journalist/media critic/activist David Bollier has found himself ahead of the curve by going back to basics.In his new book 'Viral Spiral: How The Commoners Built a Digital Republic of Their Own', Bollier expounds on the virtues of the "free culture" movement of the commons, which can best be descri

"Digital Tipping Point, a documentary on the free software and free culture movements, recently posted over 80 digitized hours (350 hours have been shot in total) of CC BY-SA licensed footage of 'leading politicians, CEOs, and software developers from all over the world.' ..."

"...Arturo di Corinto, a sharp and ebullient Italian media activist, writer and film-maker, set out a bold vision of free software as a common resource: ‘Thanks to its characteristics, the free software is a distributed property that is capable of evolving into a common good’, he declared. [...] Can ideas, both inspirational metaphors and actual experiences, from the free software movement provide any guide for turning public services into commons?