Paper short abstract:

The last version of Web´s hypertext standard called HTML5 is also a new digital commons developed in order to stop the proliferation of proprietary software that takes place during the “Web 2.0” period. Understanding the role of this kind of standards is of outmost importance in digital economy.

Paper long abstract:

The last version of Web´s hypertext standard called HTML5 has been developed from 2004 to 2014. During this era, it has experienced a great number of technological trajectories and social interactions among the different groups of stakeholders interested in its development. With the standard getting official by the W3C on October 2014, a period of uncertainty around the future of the Web comes to an end. But at the same time, it opens up doors to a major change in the own conception of the hypertext´s standard. In this paper we review the state of the art of the digital commons and the development of HTML5. We also check that work with semi-structured interviews to HTML5 experts for obtaining qualitative outputs. These lead users represents at the same time different stakeholders of Web´s value chain.

We claim that the development of HTML5 is really the making of new digital commons in order to stop the proliferation of proprietary software that takes place during the "Web 2.0" period. We argue that the World Wide Web promotes the development of new digital commons due to its own basis as a non-proprietary socio-technological platform. We also state that the development of standards and non-proprietary digital technologies is of outmost importance for the future of the Web because it creates new business models that can be fostered in these digital commons.