02033nas a2200121   4500008004100000022001400041245008400055210006900139260004200208520160100250100002401851856003601875       2008                        eng d  a1913-610200aSharing Information on the Semantic Web: The Reminiscence of an Old Legal Issue0 aSharing Information on the Semantic Web The Reminiscence of an O  aOttawabTalent First Networkc07/20083 aThe success story of open source software (OSS) makes us see very clearly that in a networked world, centralized production of information is not the only viable model. It is now largely understood that distributed production can often equal and surpass it, both in quality and quantity. This has led people in all disciplines to rethink their relationship with information, giving birth to a plethora of initiatives generating value by promoting the mass collaboration of individuals over shared sets of information. Based on rich Internet applications, wikis, social tagging or social networking technologies, these initiatives gave birth to a revolution that has been dubbed Web 2.0. Whether they originate in non-profit or business ventures, they all add up to the ever increasing mass of accessible and reusable information.

For current information hubs that have been developed through independent channels, it is anticipated that the next step in the evolution of the web will make seamless integration possible. This development should create tremendous opportunities for those capable of building innovative services and knowledge products on top of this shared knowledge base. In fact, along with the technological foundations of this web of ideas, practical commercial implementations are already starting to appear. However, these early experiments highlight the fact that the most important challenge to overcome might not reside in the technology itself. Instead, the management of rights may, more than anything else, hinder the efficient aggregation of distributed information.1 aLemyre, Pierre-Paul  uhttp://timreview.ca/article/165