Unravelling Intellectual Property in a Specialist Social Networking Site

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Author(s): Sal Humphreys (University of Adelaide, Australia)
Copyright: 2013
Pages: 19
Source title: Digital Rights Management: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Information Resources Management Association (USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-2136-7.ch016

Keywords: Information Ethics / Information Science Reference / Knowledge Management / Security & Forensics

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Abstract

This chapter examines how the complexity of motivations and practices found in a specialist social networking site intersect with the institutions of intellectual property. The popular niche or specialist social networking site (SNS) called Ravelry, which caters to knitters, crocheters and spinners, is used as a case study. In this site people use, buy, sell, give away, and consume in a mixed economy that can be characterised as a ‘social network market’(Potts et al., 2008). In a co-creative social networking site we find not only a multidirectional and multi-authored process of co-production, but also a concatenation of amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals occupying multiple roles in gifting economies, reputation economies, monetised charitable economies and full commercial economies.

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Unravelling Intellectual Property in a Specialist Social Networking Site

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