Learning in a digital age/LiDA103/Defining OER/Ownership of ideas

If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.

In the knowledge and information-based economies of the 21st century, the wealth and prosperity of nations are based on the priceless resource of ideas. The ownership of ideas is in part regulated by copyright. The system of copyright evolved in an era when the expenses needed to print, distribute and sell a book were significant. In a digital world where ideas can be distributed freely and duplicated at the press of a button, we are witnessing unprecedented opportunities to widen access to high quality educational resources for all learners of the world. Nonetheless, there is still much work to be done to realise the potential of digitally available curriculum materials for our national education systems.

Today, the process for capitalizing - either financially or socially - on innovation and creativity is staggering under the strain of a digital revolution of a speed and scale never seen before. At a time when many of their most valuable assets can be shared and exchanged easily, businesses and governments [are] scrambling to redefine who owns what.

This sub-section on the ownership of ideas sets the context for our global mission to return to the core business of education, which is to share knowledge freely.