Geodata access policy: the English approach

A social and economical explanation of the consequences of the lack of free access to geodata in UK, it’s worth reading it: the tragedy of the Enclosed Lands.
If interested in the topic from an economical perspective, I suggest you to read a study I mentioned in the post about Italian ZIP code monopoly: an English study stating that Public sector information holders keeping hidden information (raw data) cost the economy half a billion.