Free Beer (as in free speech)

I've just finished reading Lawrence Lessig's book The Future of Ideas and so this article, published in Wired this week caught my eye. Building on the open-source software movement, the former chief of development at Carlsberg beer has come up with a new idea for free beer. To clarify, that's not free as in 'Woo-hoo, we're all going to get drunk for nothing' but free as in 'free speech'. I'll let Lawrence explain: What makes Free Beer free is the same thing that makes free software free: Its recipe is open and licensed freely. Anyone can make improvements. But anyone who distributes an improved version must release the changes as well. You can get updates on its latest development and place orders here. In his book, Lawrence talks about open-source software in the wider context of the architecture of the internet and the potential for innovation that the medium has allowed, a potential that is increasingly under threat from changes to this architecture. What the book does so well is highlight the importance of the technical workings of the internet to the wider context of societal development - and manage to make it all readable at the same time. In his examination of the gradual extension of intellectual property laws coupled with the increased control allowed (and increasingly allowed) by technology, he makes the convincing argument that limiting the resources in the public domain will lead to a world with stunted innovation. Anyway, highly recommended for anybody working in media. I now feel like I'm viewing the whole 'old' vs. 'new' media blogosphere debate in a new light. This about much more that just bloggers vs. newspapers. It's about either creating opportunities for new technologies to develop and be used to their full potential for the benefit of society vs. the protection of the status quo for the benefit of those who are currently in power. It's about sharing ideas vs. controlling ideas. Of course, Free Beer isn't free as in 'free beer' - the company can still turn a profit. But it allows its customers to add their own innovation into the mix. It involves its customers in the brand and uses their combined knowledge to improve it. This is something that brands in general are going to need to get better at as the internet gives new power to people to express their views.