L'économie du logiciel libre. Organisation coopérative et incitation à l'innovation

An open source software is defined by the availability of its source-code that cannot be privately appropriated. Its production is based on a special cooperative organisation mode, called the ?bazaar??, which functions particularly well in the context of Internet. Its functional viability till now was related to the fact that the users and developers of these software products considered themselves in the same category of actors. Today, open source software is entering the market and the existing form of organisation can now be the source of profits. The model?s viability is related to its ability to sustain a high level of innovation. Hence, it depends on individual incentives to participate, and public spiritedness can no longer be relied upon as an effective substitute. Classification JEL : D23, H41, L86, O31, O34