Asia and the Commons Case Studies 2008

The Asia and the Commons case study project represents an effort to uncover exemplary individuals and organisations engaged in the commons in the Asia-Pacific region. From Australia and New Zealand to Malaysia and India—in text and film and music and image—this booklet is a snapshot of the Asian commons. The booklet has been prepared as part of ACIA: International Workshop on Asia and Commons in the Information Age in Taiwan on 19-20 January, 2008.

This research is part of the Creative Commons Clinic research program, funded by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation at the Queensland University of Technology. It is being undertaken in collaboration with Creative Commons Australia as part of the iCommons Local Context, Global Commons initiative.

Its primary goal is to examine past, present, and future implementations of commons-based projects to offer insights into the innovative operation and possible future direction of Asia and the Commons.

The case studies assembled to date represent activities in nine countries, broader regions such as the Arab nations, and global efforts towards sustainability and social justice, revealing creative ways of participating in the commons. Featured are remix artists, performers, open-source software programmers, filmmakers, collecting institutions and publishing houses focused on democracy and change, who demonstrate a diverse set of motivations to engage with the shared ideals of openness and community collaboration.

We hope that you enjoy reading these vignettes, and are inspired to contact the individuals and organisations involved. This booklet will contribute to a larger selection of case studies to be presented at the iSummit ’08, to be held in Sapporo, Japan, between 29 July and 1 August, 2008.

Case Studies

1. Following Alexis West
2. Strange Symphonies Blog
3. Pig Head Skin & Jesus Rocks!
4. Creative Commons Taiwan
5. International IDEA Publishing
6. 60Sox
7. Arab Commons
8. Show Some Color
9. Global Voices Online
10. Foundation for P2P Alternatives
11. EngageMedia
12. Moshang & Asian Variations
13. NLA Picture Australia Click & Flick
14. openDemocracy
15. Creative Commons Clinic
16. Sony eyeVio

To this end, we invite any individual or organisation participating in the commons to submit their stories to info@creativecommons.org.au. Bountiful thanks go to all contributors and participants in these projects for helping to make the commons a flourishing cultural movement.

Or you can download the booklet here

If you want to do your own print run of the case studies, a printer-ready version with bleeds included in available here here

View the whole PDF online in this Scribd frame: