@lozross This is a great idea, but the implementation would be complex. It would require a code forge (Github Premium? Github Academia?) that only provides short descriptions of the code base and doesn't allow cloning for less than $50-$80. And only provides FLOSS licensed code if the developer pays over $500 in "Open Access Fees".
Oh, and if some clever developer cracks the system and provides free and open access to the code, the forge has to go after them and harass them legally until driving them to suicide, the way academics did with Aaron Schwarz.
I.e., it would need to be something that puts open source code distribution on equal standing to academic publishing.
And something tells me that maybe information technology workers might not see this as a good deal.