C,mm,n foundation

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This page contains the latest state of play on the foundations (stichting) that's being set up as a legal entity to take care of the license protecting the ideas exchanged within the c,mm,n community. As the legal entity will be based in the Netherlands, its articles need to be in Dutch, which is why part of the page is in Dutch. The draft legal text is in Dutch, considerations and underlying principles are in English.

As an inspiration on how this foundation could be set up, please read the Blender Foundation principles. The c,mm,n foundation primarily supports the COPL; the c,mm,n open product licence.

To join the (fully English) debate on the open source license itself, go to the License discussion page.

Contents

Why a Stichting c,mm,n foundation?

The online development platform will soon be launched. Many people, including individuals, companies, universities and others, will be sharing ideas and designs in order to further develop everything that's c,mm,n.

All of this requires protection in two ways: first to ensure that 'open' is really 'open', and second that no one abuses the openness of the c,mm,n community. This is usually taken care of in an 'open source license'. As c,mm,n is quite unique an open source community in the sense that it's main product is not just software, but technologies, designs services and good ideas in general, we can't just go ahead and copy some standard license: we need to make it ourselves. Of course we can use other licenses as inspiration.

A license needs a licenseholder, a legal entity. To this end we're setting up a foundation (stichting) in the Netherlands.

Considerations

Who sets up the Stichting

The idea is to keep it light and simple. The foundation is not to be an expicit daughter of Stichting Natuur en Milieu (the organisation who took the initiative to create c,mm,n). Nevertheless, some people have to be mentioned in the Foundations articles as the official founders. We plan these people to be the first board members.

Goal, aims and means of achieving them

Any Stichting requires its goals and aims formulated. Stichting c,mm,n should contain:

  • The principle goal of the foundation: to take care of the c,mm,n 'open source' license
  • The aim to accelerate the development, introduction and implementation of technologies, services and other ideas that contribute to making (individual auto-)mobility more sustainable.
  • The aim to empower people, by giving them choices in their own individual, sustainable mobility.

The Stichting also contains a description of how it plans to achieve its goals.

  • facilitating the development of technologies, services and other ideas for sustainable mobility between members of the c,mm,n community;
  • “beheren van” a license, which governs the way in which all technologies, services and ideas developed by the c,mm,n community are made available to the public, and the way in which they may be used outside the c,mm,n community;
  • organising funds or business models that support the goals and aims of the Stichting, in order to cover the costs of the Stichting; QUESTION: is this too broad a formulation?

Board

  • the board will consist of at least four persons, each representing different interests in the community: sustainability, science and education, commerce and the “open source” character of the c,mm,n community.
  • the first generation of board members will be chosen from what is now the c,mm,n community: Stichting Natuur en Milieu, the three technical Universities, a series of commercial project partners, and several 'high profile' individuals.
  • the idea is to eventually evolve the way the board is chosen towards a more 'meritocratic' approach. We believe we're upholding this principle as much as we can at the moment, given the limited size and diversity of the community at this time.
  • the first generation of board members is elected until January 2010, at which time new candidates can be presented/present themselves, and current board members are eligible for re-election. The community as a whole will have a say in who becomes the board. The exact procedure of this will grow during 2009, and will be transparently decided upon within the community

Money issues

c,mm,n foundation has no aim of making profit. The rules about making profit with c,mm,n mobility products designed within the community, is laid down in the c,mm,n [License].

The Stichtings funds will be generated by

  • revenues out of its organised activities
  • donations and subsidies
  • hetgeen de stichting door erfstelling, legaat, schenking of op enigerlei andere wijze wettig verkrijgt (legal text)


Draft articles (statuten)

(will be updated soon, text below represent a slightly outdated approach)

Naam en zetel

Artikel 1

  1. De stichting draagt de naam: Stichting c,mm,n foundation zij heeft zetel in de gemeente Utrecht.
  2. De stichting is aangegaan voor onbepaalde tijd.

Doel

Artikel 2

  1. De stichting heeft primair ten doel: Om mensen de middelen en mogelijkheden te geven om controle uit te oefenen over hun duurzame, individuele mobiliteit.
  2. De stichting tracht haar doel te bereiken met alle mogelijke wettige middelen en voorts door:
    • a. Het in het leven roepen van producten en diensten voor actieve gebruikers en ontwikkelaars van c,mm,n.
    • b. Het onderhouden en verbeteren van het huidige c,mm,n product via een publiek toegankelijk broncode systeem onder de c,mm,n open product licentie.
    • c. Het organiseren van financiering of verdienmechanismen die de doelen van de stichting dienen en de kosten van de stichting dekken.

Vermogen

Artikel 3 Het vermogen van de stichting zal worden gevormd door:

  1. Opbrengsten van activiteiten
  2. Subsidies en donaties
  3. Hetgeen de stichting door erfstelling, legaat, schenking, of op enigerlei andere wijze wettig verkrijgt.

Bestuur

Artikel 4

De stichting wordt bestuurd door een bestuur, bestaande uit ten minste drie leden. Het bestuur kiest uit zijn midden een voorzitter, secretaris en penningmeester. De penningmeester legt uiterlijk in de maand mei van elk jaar aan het bestuur rekening en verantwoording af van het door hem in het voorafgaande boekjaar gevoerde beheer. Een boekjaar valt samen met het kalenderjaar.

Artikel 5

  1. Bestuurders worden benoemd voor een periode van onbepaalde tijd. De voorzitter, secretaris en penningmeesterrol binnen het bestuur worden ieder jaar herzien door het bestuur. Bestuurders worden benoemd op basis van verdienste en competentie binnen de gestelde doelen van de stichting.
  2. Voorts eindigt het lidmaatschap van het bestuur door overlijden, door bedanken voor het bestuurslidmaatschap, door verklaring in staat van faillissement, door aanvrage van surseance van betaling, door curatelestelling
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