Free Software Franchising
Henri Bergius
mentions franchising as a possible business model for free and open source software:
In our case this would mean giving other Midgard consultancies the right to use the Nemein brand and working model in their operations. In return, they would pay a franchising royalty to us. According to World Franchising, this royalty is typically 3-6% of revenue.
This is close to what Eric Raymond
called “Free the Software, Sell the Brand” model. Raymond writes:
This is a speculative business model. You open-source a software technology, retain a test suite or set of compatibility criteria, then sell users a brand certifying that their implementation of the technology is compatible with all others wearing the brand.
Bergius’ idea is more than that. He adds a management system, ready-made policies, training, strategies, sales support plus the good old support services.
Not a bad idea. Might work once you have first found a way to become a reputable business.
Update:
Dan Bricklin
and Frank Hecker
have also discussed franchising.
