[momoschili]

I think the problem for me here is that previous you mentioned yourself that the primary funders are nonprofits and government organizations (NSF, Nat Geo Society, Gordon & Betty), so it doesn't seem like even you believe the private commercial piece of the puzzle is very large. I doubt allowing the models to be open would sabotage the work they do with any of the aforementioned organizations, or hurt their ability to target future government/non-profits.

If in fact what you said is true about the sources of funding, it would then seem that the US taxpayers (the relevant party here) are footing a large part of the bill from direct and indirect subsidies. I feel that it can be reasonably argued that a non-profit organization that is benefiting from significant public subsidy should make their model available for public use.