Here's a long (and long overdue) post summarising everything I should have blogged about over the summer if we hadn't been so busy doing, um, all this stuff...
Thirty and counting
We now have thirty documented use cases we're working on, spanning music, film, photography, newspapers, text, academia and other sectors. They have come from existing companies, new startups, collecting societies, cultural institutions and beyond, and span a range of ideas from simplifying existing processes, through to adding new markets to existing industries and completely new ideas from stealthy startups. We are looking for more, which we will build into our plans at the most appropriate moment.
A lot of great ideas are coming from the increasing number of workshops we're running. If you would like us to do one with your team we'd love to come and see what exciting ideas we can help stimulate.
Great happenings in Euston Road
Our partners the Digital Catapult have been in a frenzy of activity leading up to their Innovator Centre launch which is on 5th November.
We are extraordinarily fortunate that they are sharing their space at 101 Euston Road with us, so when you come to see us you'll be able to see the fabulous collaboration space the Catapult has built as well as all the work we have done and are doing.
Contribute to the Hub
One of the Hub's unique and compelling characteristics is that it is entirely funded by industry contributions. Together with our collaboration with the Digital Catapult this is what makes it possible for us to develop our project in the way that we are, and to operate on a not-for-profit basis, giving our technology away to help develop the largest and most diverse possible marketplace.
Our next year of funding begins on December 1st. It will be a momentous year: we will see the launch of our first live use cases, we will see the first open source release of software for others to build on, we will start to see our ideas and work turn into real businesses.
As before we're seeking contributions from as wide a group as possible to fund a considerably greater level of activity for the coming year. We're already more than half way to our target of £500,000 and we would like to invite everyone who is willing us on to support us by making a contribution of any size.
Contact us to find out more.
We think this will be the last year we seek funding in this form, our intention is to move to a self-supporting model over the coming 12 months as the detailed operating costs and models become easier for us to see and plan. Please support our continued momentum. We are creating something amazing.
Video
Our new video will be finished soon. It's an animation, explaining the idea of the Hub in two minutes, aimed at an audience of non-copyright experts (i.e. mostly everyone). It will make its debut this week at the Catapult's launch, and shortly after that it should make it onto our website. We plan to create more videos and presentations in this style to explain more aspects of the Hub.
Copyright Hub and the world
You probably know that the Hub has attracted a lot of attention from elsewhere in the world. We're building it so that it's capable of adoption anywhere, because we believe that there's no such thing as a solution which only works for the UK. Richard Hooper is in South Korea this week talking about it and our inbox is frequently filled with messages and meetings from places near and far flung - we're waiting for Antarctica but the the other continents are well spoken for. As we build our technology we are hopeful we will spawn more activity right across the world
Other happenings
Our Technical Working Group is ramping up activity in line with the increasing range and complexity of technical work under way and we expect that will continue.
The Executive Board has kicked off a detailed process to consider all aspects of the future governance of the Hub. A working group has been formed and we'll post more updates on their work as it progresses.
More news coming...
There are lots of milestones coming up very very soon and lots of updates I must more diligently impart. Thanks for all support and please do keep sending feedback, comments and questions.