Thinglink – A Free Product Code for Creative Work

Google TechTalks
April 27, 2006

Ulla-Maaria Mutanen

ABSTRACT
Thinglink.org is an open database where makers can register free unique identifiers for their work and create labels for their products. The beta was launched at Maker Faire on Saturday.

Artists, crafters, designers, and small producers need online recommendation systems to compete on the global market because recommendation systems place the products of the small producers on equal footing with those of the large corporations. Recommendation systems require unique identifiers for products. UPCs, EANs and EPCs are the standard ID schemas. However, small producers especially in developing countries do not have access to these codes…