CFP: 3rd Free Culture Research Conference, Oct 8-9, Berlin

Call for Papers - Abstract Deadline: June 7, 2010


The 3rd Free Culture Research Conference (FCRC)
Free Culture between Commons and Markets: Approaching the Hybrid Economy?


The Free Culture Research Conference presents a unique opportunity for
scholars whose work contributes to the promotion, study or criticism of a
Free Culture, to engage with a multidisciplinary group of academic peers and
practitioners, identify the most important research opportunities and
challenges, and attempt to chart the future of Free Culture. This event
builds upon the successful workshop held in 2009 at the Berkman Center for
Internet and Society at Harvard University, organized and attended by
renowned scholars and research institutions from the US, Europe and Asia.
The first event was held in Sapporo, Japan, in 2008, in conjunction with the
4th iCommons Summit. This year's event is larger in ambition and scope, to
provide more time for interaction in joint as well as break-out sessions. It
is hosted jointly by the Free University of Berlin and the Max Planck
Institute for the Study of Societies and will take place at October 8-9,
2010 at the Free University Campus in Berlin, in collaboration with
COMMUNIA, the European Network on the digital public domain. Funding and
support is also provided by the Heinrich Böll Foundation.

Given this year's theme and the generous support of the Free University's
School of Business and Economics, we encourage submissions at the interface
of Free Culture and business, although we welcome submissions from any
relevant discipline, will be inclusive and will maintain the
interdisciplinary nature of the event, as in previous years. Enabled by new
Internet technologies and innovative legal solutions, Free Culture prospers
in the form of new business models and via commons-based peer production,
thereby both challenging and complementing classic market institutions.
Alongside business perspectives, we expect that perspectives from law, IT,
the social sciences and humanities will help us develop a better
understanding of the challenges at hand, for individuals, business, law, the
economy, and society at large. Topics of interest include:

*    Studies on the use and growth of open/free licensing models
*    Critical analyses of the role of Creative Commons or similar models
*    The role of  Free Culture in markets, industry, government, or the
non-profit sector
*    Technical, legal or business solutions towards a hybrid economy
*    Incentives, innovation and community dynamics in open collaborative
peer production
*    Economic models for the sustainability of commons-based production
*    The economic value of the public domain
*    Business models and the public domain
*    Successes and failures of open licensing
*    Analyses of policies, court rulings or industry moves that influence
the future of Free Culture
*    Regional studies of Free Culture with global lessons
*    Best practices from open/free licensing, and the application of
different business and organizational models by specific communities or
individuals
*    Definitions of openness and freedom for different media types, users
and communities
*    Broader economic, sociopolitical, legal or cultural implications of
Free Culture initiatives and peer production practices
*    Methodological concerns in the study of Free Culture

This is the first time the event will be held in Europe, the home of many
past supporters and participants of the Free Culture workshops and also home
to millions of individual and institutional adopters of open licensing
models. We will therefore strive to promote and connect European scholars
working in relevant spheres, while also representing the global diversity of
the field.

For more information see:

*    Submission Process:
http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/display/fcrc/Submission+process
*    Venue: http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/display/fcrc/Venue
*    Organizing Committee:
http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/display/fcrc/Organizing+Committee
*    Academic Program Committee:
http://wikis.fu-berlin.de/display/fcrc/Academic+Program+Committee





Giorgos Cheliotis

Assistant Professor

Communications and New Media

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

National University of Singapore