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(English, Catalan, Castillian)

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ENGLISH

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Yes, OXCARS (The biggest free/libre event ever) and International Forum on Access to Culture and Knowledge in the Digital Era – Organization and Action (FCForum) are back! (Barcelona & online)

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Oxcars: 28 October, 21ºº h – Sala Apolo, Nou de la Rambla, 113, Barcelona Metro: Paral.lel

Fcforum: 28 -31 October, http://www.fcforum.net/10

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Like every other year – and this one more than ever – EXGAE invites everybody to participate in the 3rd oXcars edition, the greatest free culture event of all times, in collaboration with Conservas and Telenoika -also EXGAE members- and this year with the help of Red SOStenible and the social networks.

Artists from all the spheres of national and international culture participate in a full surprise gala for demanding that culture stop being a merchandise of the cultural industries lobbies. In the name of the “artists” they put obstacles on our access to  knowledge even though artist don’t support them. The civil society reclaim the lost profit to all knowledge that is being retained and steal from the public use in the name of  private benefits. We don’t want to nurture generations of cultural parasites, we want a cultural field, alive and productive.

Over 100 artists will contribute on this 100% SGAE-free event (p { margin-bottom: 0.21cmSGAE = Spanish General Society of authors and editors) including the writer José Luis Sampedro, member of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), the writer Belén Gopegui, and the famous gastroblogger Txaber Allué, as well as At Versaris, Kate Madison, Akram Khan, Ploomba, Koulomek and other surprises that we’re not going to give away, like an starting appearance of the Pinkertones.

October 28th, 21ºº hrs.- Sala Apolo, Nou de la Rambla, 113 Metro: Paral.lel

Tickets for the oxcards: Help bonus already on sale (3,55€) here; http://www.codetickets.com/sala-apolo/es/sala-apolo.com/566/ Or buy them at Calle Sant Pau 58 Bajos – Barcelona – Monday to Friday 10h to 14h and 17h to 20h – Phone 933020630

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And, then… The FCForum 2010

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Citizens will continue to work on the task of conceiving a digital era that is sustainable and benefits everybody. The oXcars will be followed by the 3-day FCForum, the 2nd  International Forum on Access to Culture and Knowledge in the Digital Era, which is organised by EXGAE together with the international FCForum platform, in collaboration with Arts Santa Mònica.

The FCForum 2010 will assemble the main organisations and active voices in the world of Culture, free/libre knowledge and the new forms of cultural production and distribution..

Among the more than 50 participants, will be Johanna Blakley, an American researcher on global entertainment with the exciting thesis that the key of the success of the fashion industry is no intellectual property.

Notorious examples of New Cultural Entrepreneurs will come, like the Americans Kickstarter, whose business model is being the facilitators between the artist, fans and producers. Their most recent commercial prodigy: raising 30.000 dollars in 3 days for the production of the documentary about The Pirate Bay, “The world’s most resilient bittorrent site”.

The former creator of the legendary The Pirate Bay will also come: Magnus Eriksson and Peter Sunde, who recently created Flattr.com, a micropayments system for downloading content that works like  an Internet tip jar.

The Germans from Freibank will also come. After the experiences on the famous band Einstürzende Neubauten, they set up a distribution cooperative of copyright.

We will also count with the presence of Peter Jenner, best known as Pink Floyd’s manager. He also represented artists like T Rex, Ian Dury, Roy Harper and The Clash.

The FCForum is a open space to all citizens, to everybody who is seriously working towards achieving a legal and economically sustainable future. For citizens and for artists. The SGAE has always refused to participate.

Check out the programe: http://2010.fcforum.net/program/

See you there!

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How to join the Fcforum online?

OXCARS 2010: http://oxcars10.exgae.net/en/

FCForum 2010 : http://2010.fcforum.net/en

Contact: contact[a]exgae.net

Live streaming:

oXcars: http://oxcars10.exgae.net/en/live/

Fcforum: http://2010.fcforum.net/live/

Microblogging:

Identi.ca at @fcforum

Twitter at @fcforum_net

http://twitter.com/exgae

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/FcForum?ref=ts

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CASTELLANO

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Sí, Tornen els Oxcars (el major esdeveniment de cultura lliure de tots els temps) i el Fòrum internacional d’accés a la cultura i al coneixement en l’era digital – Organització i Acció 2010 (FCFòrum)!

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Oxcars: 28 d’Octubre, 21ºº h – Sala Apolo, Nou de la Rambla, 113 Metro: Paral.lel

Fcforum: 28 -31 d’Octubre, http://www.fcforum.net

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Com cada any – i aquest any més que mai – EXGAE convida tothom a participar en la 3ª edició dels oXcars, el major esdeveniment de cultura lliure de tots els temps, en col·laboració amb Conservas i Telenoika, també membres d’EXGAE, i, aquest any, amb l’ajuda de Red SOStenible i les xarxes socials, com no!

Artistes de tots els àmbit de la cultura nacional i internacional participen en una gala plena de sorpreses per demanar que la cultura deixi de ser una mercaderia en mans dels lobbies de les indústries. En nom dels “artistes”, es posen traves al nostre accés al coneixement, però els artistes no els donen suport. La societat civil reclama el lucre cessant de tot el coneixement que s’està retenint i sostraient a l’ús públic en nom de beneficis privats. No volem cultivar generacions de paràsits culturals, volem un territori cultural viu i productiu.

Artistes com l’escriptor José Luis Sampedro, membre de la RAE, l´escriptora Belén Gopegui, el cèlebre gastrobloguer Txaber Allué, a més a més d’At Versaris; Kate Madison; Akram Khan; Reactable; Ploomba; Koulomek i altres sorpreses que no anem a contar-vos, com l’aparició eXtel·lar de Pinkertones brillaran en aquesta edició.

28 d’Octubre, 21ºº h – Sala Apolo, Nou de la Rambla, 113 Metro: Paral.lel

Ja a la venda el bonus d’ajuda per als oXcars. Venda online (3,55€) : http://www.codetickets.com/sala-apolo/es/sala-apolo.com/566/ Venda en mà (3 euros): Carrer Sant Pau 58 Baixos – Barcelona – De dilluns a divendres de 10h a 14h i de 17h a 20h – tel 933020630

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Y, a continuació… Fcfòrum 2010

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Des de la ciutadania continuarem treballant per plantejar junts una era digital sostenible i profitosa per tots. Després dels oXcars comencen els tres dies de l’FCFòrum, el Fòrum internacional d’accés a la cultura i al coneixement en l’era digital en la seva segona edició – que EXGAE realitza conjuntament amb la plataforma internacional FcFòrum i en col·laboració amb Arts Santa Mònica.

L’FcFòrum 2010 té com títol aquest any “Nous models de sostenibilitat en l’era digital” i congregarà les principals organitzacions i veus actives en el món de la cultura, el coneixement lliure i les noves formes de producció i distribució de la cultura.

Entre els més de 50 participants voldríem destacar el treball de Johanna Blakley, investigadora sobre la cultura de l’entreteniment, qui sosté la tesi que l’èxit de la indústria de la moda radique en l’absència de propietat intel·lectual.

Vindran destacables exemples de Nous Empresaris Culturals, com els estatunidencs // Nordamericans dels EUA// Kickstarter, els quals operen sobre un model de negoci basat en ser facilitadors entre l’artista, els fans i els productors. El seu recent prodigi comercial: aconseguir 30.000 dòlars en tres dies per a la producció del documental sobre el llegendari portal de descàrregues The Pirate Bay.

A més, comptarem amb els creadors originals de The Pirate Bay: Magnus Eriksson i Peter Sunde, el qual ha creat Flattr.com, una empresa de microcrèdits per descarregar continguts com un pot de propines en l’Internet.

Estaran presents també els alemanys de Freibank, els quals després de l’experiència del mític grup Einstürzende Neubauten, muntaren una cooperativa de distribució dels drets d’autor.

Comptarem amb Peter Jenner, cèlebre manager de Pink Floyd, qui ha representat també a artistes com T Rex, Ian Dury, Roy Harper i The Clash.

L’FcFórum és un espai obert a tota la ciutadania, a tots els agents els quals s’estan platejant seriosament un futur legal i econòmicament sostenible. Tant per ciutadans, com per artistes.

Ens veiem allà!

Tota la informació i com participar des de la xarxa:

OXCARS 2010: http://oxcars10.exgae.net/ca

FCForum 2010 : http://2010.fcforum.net/ca/

Contacte: contact[a]exgae.net

Retransmisió en viu:

oXcars: http://oxcars10.exgae.net/en/live/

Fcforum: http://2010.fcforum.net/live/

Microblogging:

Identi.ca at @fcforum

Twitter at @fcforum_net

http://twitter.com/exgae

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/FcForum?ref=ts

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CASTELLANO

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Sí, ¡Vuelven la Gran Gala de los oXcars y el FCForum: Foro Internacional de Acceso a la Cultura y el Conocimiento en la Era Digital – Organización y Acción 2010 (FCForum)!

Como cada año – y este año más que nunca – EXGAE invita a todo el mundo a participar en la 3ª edición de los oXcars, el mayor evento de cultura libre de todos los tiempos, en colaboración con Conservas y Telenoika, también miembros de EXGAE, y, este año, con la ayuda de Red SOStenible y de las redes sociales ¡Cómo no!.

Artistas de todos los ámbitos de la cultura nacional e internacional participan en una gala llena de sorpresas para pedir que la cultura deje de ser una mercancía en manos de los lobbies de las industrias culturales. En nombre de los “artistas”, se ponen trabas a nuestro acceso al conocimiento, pero los artistas no las respaldan. La sociedad civil reclama el lucro cesante de todo el conocimiento que se esta reteniendo y sustrayendo al uso público en nombre de beneficios privados. No queremos cultivar generaciones de parásitos culturales, queremos un territorio cultural vivo y productivo.

Artistas como el escritor José Luis Sampedro, miembro de la RAE, la escritora Belén Gopegui, el célebre gastrobloguer Txaber Allué, además de  At Versaris; Kate Madison; Akram Khan; Reactable; Ploomba; Koulomek y otras sorpresas que no os vamos a contar como la aparición eXtelar de Pinkertones brillarán en esta edición.

28 de Octubre, 21ºº hrs.- Sala Apolo, Nou de la Rambla, 113 Metro: Paral.lel

Ya a la venta el bono de ayuda para los oXCARs (3,55€)

Venta online: http://www.codetickets.com/sala-apolo/es/sala-apolo.com/566/

Venta en mano (3 euros): Calle Sant Pau 58 Bajos – Barcelona – De lunes a viernes de 10h a 14h y de 17h a 20h – tel 933020630

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Y, a continuación… FCForum 2010

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Desde la ciudadanía seguiremos trabajando para plantear juntos una era digital sostenible y provechosa para todos. Después de los oXcars comienzan los tres días del FCForum, el Foro Internacional de Acceso a la Cultura y el Conocimiento en la Era Digital en su segunda edición, que EXGAE realiza conjuntamente con la plataforma internacional FCForum y en colaboración con Arts Santa Mònica.

El FCforum 2010 tiene como título este año “Nuevos modelos de sostenibilidad en la era digital” y congregará las principales organizaciones y voces activas en el mundo de la cultura, del conocimiento libre y de las nuevas formas de producción y distribución de la cultura.

De entre los más de 50 participantes querríamos destacar el trabajo de  Johanna Blakley, investigadora sobre la cultura del entretenimiento, quien abraza la tesis de que el éxito de la industria de la moda radica en la ausencia de propiedad intelectual.

Vendrán notables ejemplos de Nuevos Empresarios Culturales, como los americanos Kickstarter, cuyo modelo de negocios se basa en ser facilitadores entre el artista, sus fans y los productores. Su prodigio comercial más reciente: conseguir 30.000 dólares en tres días para la producción del documental sobre el legendario portal de descargas The Pirate Bay.

Además contaremos con los creadores originales de The Pirate Bay: Magnus Eriksson y Peter Sunde, quien ha creado Flattr.com, una empresa de microcréditos para descargar contenidos que funciona como un bote de propinas en internet.

Estarán presentes también, los alemanes de Freibank, que tras la experiencia del mítico grupo Einstürzende Neubauten, montaron una cooperativa de distribución de los derechos de autor.

Contaremos con la presencia de Peter Jenner, célebre manager de Pink Floyd que ha representado también a artistas como T Rex, Ian Dury, Roy Harper y The Clash.

El FCForum es un espacio abierto a toda la ciudadanía, a todos los agentes que seriamente se están planteando un futuro legal y económicamente sostenible. Tanto para ciudadanos como artistas.

Nos vemos allí!

Toda la información y como participar desde la red:

OXCARS 2010: http://oxcars10.exgae.net/

FCForum 2010 : http://2010.fcforum.net/es/

Contacto: contact[a]exgae.net

Retransmisión en vivo:

oXcars: http://oxcars10.exgae.net/en/live/

Fcforum: http://2010.fcforum.net/live/

Microblogging:

Identi.ca at @fcforum

Twitter at @fcforum_net

http://twitter.com/exgae

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/FcForum?ref=ts

Hi!

COMMUNIA organized a panel to discuss the relationship between Free culture research and policy making as part of the 3rd Free culture research conference (Berlin, 8-9 October 2010). I am very proud they asked me to intervene together with Amelia Andersdotter, one of the “phantom MEPs” from the Swedish, Pirate Party; Renata Avila of Creative Commons Guatemala; Marcus Beckedahl, who runs  netzpolitik.org about internet policy and politics; and, moderated by Juan Carlos de Martin of COMMUNIA.

Below you can find the notes of my intervention. What do you think?

Mayo

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Communia Panel: Free Culture Research and Policy

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Notes intervention by Mayo Fuster Morell

My presentation will be framed by my experience on research in the discipline of sociology and political science. And the political context of Spain as part of Europe. Other lessons might emerge from a diverse background.

I thank you Juan Carlos de Martin for inviting me and also for conceiving this panel. This panel address an issue which is obviously very important; and at the same time, have received very limited attention by scholars. An indicator that illustrate this can be found in my own experience preparing this talk. I contacted Donatella della Porta – Professor at the European University Institute, who is a major scholar on political sociology with more than 20 years of experience developing empirical research; I also contacted Joan Subirats, which is the director of a research center on governance and policy-making based at Barcelona. I asked both the same question: Could you send me your writings on these issues?. Surprisingly, both answered me the same: “it is a key issue, but I have never wrote about this”.

Additionally, their position was quiet different in terms of the evaluation they made on their own experience; while Subirats (who works with a local base and in an specialized center, which combined basic research with applied research) was optimistic about research impact into policy-making; della Porta (who develop basic research in a traditional department of european level) was very pessimistic. I think their diverse assignment is not necessarily a contradiction; they develop research differently, so depending on the context and the type of research, research might have more impact or not.

Before reflect on which context and type of research might have more impact; let’s first address directly the question from my own view. If I think how to improve and create a fruitful dialog between free culture research and policy making the first that comes to my mind is that in order to improve the relationship between research and policy-making, you need to change two things: You need to change Academia and you need to change the political system.

I think both the University and the Political System is in an institutional crisis. One of the reasons of this crisis is that with their current institutionalization, they do not talk to each other. An indicator of this is that the university system does not value enough the applicability of research. For example, the applicability of the research is not a major criteria to assign curriculum in post-docs or for research funding.

In this regard, I think the expectation that is implied in the framing of this panel might be problematic. If you expect a direct and fluid dialogue between the single researcher developing research and policy-making, you might end up very pessimistic and frustrated.

To develop basic research and that a policy is changed (both questions) are very complex issues; furthermore, the current institutional context does not facilitate their connexion. For example, when I asked Donatella della Porta on her own experience, she said: “I know to do research, but I wouldn’t know how to better use research in the process of policy-making, there is the need of translators”. In sum, there is the need to think, not in direct terms, but in terms of intermediation, translators or/and channels between the two worlds.

On the one hand, there is the need the more appropriated context to develop applied research; on the other hand, there is the need to have direct interlocutors or possibility to influence in the political system: such as representative into the political institutions or processes of social mobilization.

In terms of the more adequate context to develop research, specialized centers of research and think thanks are in a much better position to do develop applied research and to do this translation, than University departments which mainly favor basic research and do nor incentive applicability. Furthermore, these type of centers developing applied research tend to have a more favoring context at the local and regional level, than at the european and international level. Because, among other reasons, the context of political opportunity for research at the local and regional level tend to be better. Political institutions tend to be more open in these two levels.

Here I could put the example of the Institute of Govern and Public Policy (IGOP) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, which I am part of. With 15 years of applied research on the field on several areas of policy making such as education and social exclusion, it can be fairly said they have an impact into policy making. It develops for example research in terms of indicators to evaluate the impact of policies. There are several reasons that might explain the ability of IGOP to impact public policies:

* It is an specialized center

* It combines basic research with applied research

* It is not independent politically.

In regard to the last point, if the IGOP is able to be sustained doing 15 years of applied research is because they have the capacity to influence the policy-making, maintaining relationship with political parties and with representative in political institutions. Maintaining relationships inside institutions does not only constitute a more direct inter-mediator, but it also determine the possibility to have funding for developing applied research. The funding for applied research is more difficult that come from the academic funding of basic research, than from sources linked to political institutions.

Here I might do a WARMING. Again I want to recall that my reflexions are framed in a context of Spain, also Italy, that is, in South Europe, where there would be much difficult to find funding to do anything which have to do with research on free culture than in Germany. Perhaps in Germany, the conclusion would be another one, because there are more options to develop applied research with more independence of political institutions.

In sum, to create and feed direct interlocutors and bridges inside political institutions is something to do. However, the possibilities to success having impact on the policy making depend on the political agenda (not the research agenda); and the political agenda is defined importantly by political priorities and ideological wills, and the political game, more than by research evidence.

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Building relationships with movements: Research on/for social movements

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Representatives inside political institutions is not the only way to channel research results. Another way is to build a relationship between process of social mobilization and research. Research can help the mobilization process. Actually, movements use research evidence to sustain their claims.

This is my own strategy. While developing my PhD on the governance of digital commons, I did not find interlocutors in order to try to put into practices the lessons emerging from my research. In this regard, I felt the need to contribute to the creation of the Free culture forum of Barcelona (www.fcforum.net) as a way to have a channel where to spread and put into practices my research results. The Fcforum had intervene in the policy making; as the Charter for Innovation, Creativity and Access to Knowledge created in its frame was used in the negotiations with the Spanish Government and during the Spanish presidency of the European Union in 2010. Parts of the Charter were just a copy and past from my own PhD writing. In other words, the Fcforum was for me a possibilities to re-frame my research in a language and as part of a process, which more easily enter into the political conversation.

We need spaces for research (like the Free culture research conference). But also to build relationship and spread our research results in spaces of action; and create what Boaventura do Santos Sousa call “ecologies of knowledge“, that is put in connexion what emerge from different perspectives, that of the research and that of the action.

Even if the theory of social movements have some reluctant to conceive free software or free culture as a movement, I would like to recall the research tradition of action-participation research. The research design in applied research following an action-participation methodology is different: in its inputs, in its process and in the output.

+ In the input because the research question is defined by questions open up and defined as needs in mobilizations processes.

+ In the process because the researcher become more a facilitator of the research, than a director of it. Also in terms of time management: much more time is dedicated to build a relationship with actors, to spread the research and to translate it (in dialogue with the actors).

+ In its outputs because the priority becomes the accessibility to research: not only in terms of using open access forms, but also in terms of dialogging with two communities: the academic community with a research language and the activist community, relying research reports writing from the language of the action.

Research for raising social mobilization is necessary in order to bring knowledge into areas which would support the agenda of a free culture movement. Research can also be applied to know better the practices. For example, to understand how successes like Wikipedia work or what lessons can be learn also from failures. Create evidence of what work. But importantly, empirical research is also necessary to bring critical analysis about the agenda and believes of the free culture movement. Empirical research is a key source to feed a critical perspective. Activist arrogance “to know the true” can be very dangerous for the activist agenda itself. We have to depart from the insecurity of not being sure that what we thing is right; and that we don’t fully know the implications of free culture. We also need to embrace free culture risks and ambiguities.

However, we have to be also very certain that to develop rigorous research being politically committed to an issue is something doable. We don’t have to feel uncomfortable about it. Actually, it is much more common that political science researchers (of any topic) maintain a relationship, affinity or dialogue with political parties or movements, than the opposite.

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Conclusions: A set of guidelines for the future

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1) The relationship between research and policy making is an important issue, but there are very few systematic reflection done. There is the need to put attention into systematize what we know about this issue.

2) Not think of a direct connexions between them, but in terms of building intermediation, translators or/and channels between the two worlds.

3) Specialized centers and/or think thank at the local and regional level have more possibilities to develop applied research and have influence in the policy-making, than those of european/international character and/or developed in a general department which favor more basic research.

4) Create and feed direct interlocutors and bridges inside political institutions.

5) Build relationship between process of social mobilization and research in order to provide scientific evidence on movements believes, to question and adopt a critical approach to them; and, to put light on what actually works (independently of our believes).

6) In order to do so, to adopt the action-participation research tradition which favor the translation and the accessibility of the research.

7) To fully believe that developing rigorous research being politically committed to an issue is something doable.

However, even if following all of these guidelines is not a suficient condition of success. For example, on the issue of climate change, even if there is a quiet broad academic consensus on the issue and a social mobilization process, it had a limitation impact into the policy-making. The same can be said in regard to the war. In sum, to create the better conditions for research applicability listed above is the direction to follow; however, it is better not to rise too many expectations, because without a deep change in the political system the possibilities to have impact into the political process are very limited. These is one of the reasons why I think there is the need to create bridges between the free culture mobilization and other movements aiming to change the political system.

I am glad Michel Bauwens published a resume/blog post at the Peer to Peer Foundation blog commenting my paper on Commercial providers of infrastructure for collective action online. Case studies comparison: Flickr Corporation model and Wikihow Enterprise model for the 3rd Free culture research conference Berlin, October 2010.

See the post by Michel at: Phyles for platforms: Comparing the Corporate and the Mission Enterprise Model for the infrastructure provision of online communities