Ownership System

The ownership system is the foundation of ikigize's role-based access control. It determines who controls entities and who can assign roles across the platform. Licensing-related behavior is planned and depends on this ownership layer.

What is Ownership on ikigize?

Ownership on ikigize defines rights and responsibilities for entities across the platform. It determines who can modify content, manage visibility, and assign roles, while providing the foundation for future licensing and monetization.

Ownership Types

ikigize supports three primary ownership models, each designed for different use cases and content strategies:

User Ownership
Individual users own and control their content with full rights to permissions and future licensing configuration

Key Features

Complete creative control over content
Prepared for creator-led licensing (planned)
Flexible permission management
Personal brand building opportunities

Common Use Cases

Personal courses and content
Freelance educational work
Individual expertise sharing
Personal portfolio content
Organization Ownership
Organizations own content and manage permissions with future licensing and revenue policies on behalf of their members

Key Features

Centralized content management
Brand consistency and quality control
Institutional licensing readiness (planned)
Scalable permission management

Common Use Cases

Corporate training materials
University course content
Enterprise knowledge management
Institutional resources
Public Ownership
Content is publicly owned and oriented toward broad accessibility, with open-licensing approaches planned where relevant

Key Features

Maximum accessibility for all users
Community contribution and improvement
Educational equity and open access
Open licensing pathways (planned)

Common Use Cases

Open educational resources (OER)
Community-driven content
Public domain materials
Collaborative projects

Ownership Across Platform Entities

Ownership applies consistently across all platform entities, ensuring a unified approach to rights management:

Content Entities
Individual pieces of educational content that can be owned and managed

Courses

Complete educational programs with multiple modules and sessions

Modules

Individual learning units within courses

Sessions

Specific learning experiences or lessons

Resources

Individual files, documents, and learning materials

Platform Entities
Organizational structures that contain and manage content

Campuses

Educational institutions and their content collections

Projects

Collaborative initiatives and their associated content

Organizations

Multi-campus entities and enterprise content

Ownership Examples

Here are practical examples of how ownership works across different scenarios:

Individual Creator
Content owned by individual users with full control over permissions and future licensing configuration
Personal course creation with full control over permissions and future licensing settings
Module contribution to larger courses while retaining ownership
Planned resource licensing paths for educational materials
Organization Content
Content owned by institutions with structured access control and group management
University courses owned by educational institutions
Corporate training materials with employee group access
Campus resources with public availability options
Collaborative Content
Content with shared ownership and planned revenue distribution support among multiple contributors
Multi-author courses with shared ownership and future revenue allocation
Community projects with public ownership models
Cross-organization collaboration with planned revenue-sharing support
Public Content
Openly accessible content with no ownership restrictions for maximum reach
Open educational resources (OER) freely accessible to all
Community knowledge bases maintained collectively
Public domain materials with no ownership restrictions

Ownership and System Integration

Ownership directly determines capabilities across all five layers of the access control system:

Role Assignment Rights

  • Private (User-Owned): The user owner can assign any roles to other users
  • Organisation-Owned: Organization admins control role assignments
  • Public: Platform admins control role assignments for public entities

Learn more: Roles System

Permission Control

Ownership determines who can:

  • Assign roles to users (which grant permissions)
  • Configure entity visibility and join conditions
  • Modify entity content and metadata
  • Configure eligibility for future licensing options
  • Prepare ownership records for future revenue workflows

Learn more: Roles & Permissions and Visibility & Access

Licensing Rights

  • Private (User-Owned): Will be able to define licensing terms when licensing is released
  • Organisation-Owned: Will be able to manage organization-level licensing policies
  • Public: Expected to prioritize open access models over direct monetization

Learn more: Licensing System

Revenue Sharing

When licensing launches, ownership will determine the revenue sharing model:

  • Primary Owner: Planned primary allocation holder
  • Contributors: Planned proportional allocation by contribution
  • Platform: Planned platform fee for operations and transaction handling

Learn more: Licensing System

Best Practices for Ownership

For Content Creators

Choose Appropriate Ownership: Select the ownership model that best fits your content strategy and goals.

Document Contributions: Keep contributor records clear so future licensing attribution is straightforward.

Understand Licensing Implications: Treat licensing and monetization as planned features when defining ownership.

For Organizations

Establish Clear Policies: Create clear policies about content ownership within your organization.

Consider Mixed Models: Use different ownership models for different types of content based on strategic goals.

Plan for Transitions: Have policies for handling ownership when employees leave or content strategies change.

For Administrators

Monitor Ownership Changes: Track ownership changes to keep permissions accurate and future licensing ready.

Support Contributors: Provide tools and processes for fair revenue sharing among content contributors.

Maintain Records: Keep detailed records of ownership and contribution information for legal and financial purposes.

Ownership and Access Control

Ownership is the foundation for role-based access control decisions:

Role Assignment Authority

  • Owners: Can assign any roles for their entities
  • Admins: Can assign roles based on their admin scope (org, campus, course, etc.)
  • Non-Owners: Can only access entities based on roles assigned to them by owners/admins

Permission Inheritance

  • Entity Hierarchy: Child entities can inherit ownership from parent entities
  • Role Propagation: Higher-level roles don't automatically grant lower-level access
  • Explicit Assignment: Each role must be explicitly assigned at the appropriate entity level

Public Access

  • Public Entities: Accessible to all users based on visibility and join conditions
  • Discovery: Public entities appear in appropriate catalogues based on visibility settings
  • Join Conditions: Even public entities can have join requirements (free, ask to join)

Future Ownership Features

The ownership system is designed to support advanced features currently in development:

Advanced Revenue Sharing

  • Automatic Distribution: Revenue automatically distributed based on contribution percentages
  • Dynamic Adjustments: Revenue sharing can be adjusted based on content performance
  • Multi-Currency Support: Support for different currencies and payment methods

Ownership Transfers

  • Content Sales: Ability to transfer ownership of content between users or organizations
  • Inheritance: Policies for handling ownership when users leave the platform
  • Mergers and Acquisitions: Support for organizational changes and ownership transfers

Legal Integration

  • Copyright Management: Integration with copyright and intellectual property systems
  • License Compliance: Automatic enforcement of licensing terms and conditions
  • Dispute Resolution: Tools for resolving ownership and licensing disputes

Your Next Steps

Understanding ownership is the first step in effectively managing content on ikigize. Whether you're creating content, managing an organization, or setting up access controls, ownership provides the foundation for all other platform features.

Explore Related Topics

Ready to Set Up Ownership?

Start by determining the appropriate ownership model for your entities:

  • Private Ownership: Best for personal content, individual coaching, or creator-owned courses
  • Organisation Ownership: Ideal for institutional content, organizational learning programs
  • Public Ownership: Perfect for open educational resources, community content, public knowledge sharing

Consider long-term goals and collaboration needs when making ownership decisions. Ownership choices affect role assignment authority, visibility control, and readiness for future licensing and monetization.