[gentoo-nfp] Foundation

[Colonel Panic]

Re:http://www.gentoo.org/foundation/en/

"In order to sustain the current quality and development swiftness the Gentoo project needs a framework for intellectual property protection and financial contributions while limiting the contributors' legal exposure."

Such a framework should be an ethical one, in that it should be fair and just and not misleading in any way. Ideally reference to the misnomer of intellectual property should replaced by recognition of the ongoing benefit which arises from constructive input, whether it be a bug report or a complete software management system.

"The Gentoo Foundation will embody this framework without intervening in the Gentoo development."

What is primarily important is recognising how this framework is embodied at the present time, in order that a path toward a desired situation can be formulated.

"This latter aspect should be seen as a clear separation between coordinating the Gentoo development and protecting Gentoo's assets. Both are distinct concepts requiring different skills and working methods."

Strategies for development coordination and asset protection should arise from a common philosophy and a common set of values. If this is not the case Gentoo will be a house divided against itself.

"The Gentoo Foundation decouples necessary bureaucracy from development, providing faster and higher quality results as the developer can now focus his attention completely at the community and his responsibilities (being software, documentation, infrastructure or others)."

The bureaucratic structure currently employed by the Gentoo Foundation has the potential to cause fraudulent and heavy-handed acts. The reason that this is the case is not specific to Gentoo, but is due to public ignorance of the law and features of western law which are inherited from Roman law. The remedy is principally a matter of education.

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Colonel Panic <cp@××××××××××.cx>
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