It is not necessary, however, for any for-profit firm to own the core components
of a given system. Indeed, from the perspective of engaging the efforts of distributed
innovators, the more attractive environment is when the components in the core are
freely available at cost. Then the creators of optional components do not have to “pay to
play” nor split their profits with the core provider. According to their own preferences,
they can claim the value-added for themselves or assign it to a non-profit enterprise.