The focus of this article is the funding of works by charitable foundations, but I would argue that the logic applies equally to government funded initiatives. The author argues that "it's essential that the foundation community recognize a crucial need: to keep tomorrow's information architecture as open, as free for all to use, as possible." The reason for this isn't that the free market is bad; quite the opposite. But "markets have failed to serve some genuine needs, such as treating diseases of the poor and dispossessed." Thus, in areas where there is a significant social benefit to access - such as in education and health care - foundations and government programs ought to ensure that this access is provided. Sounds reasonable to me.
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