[CREATE] [LGF] A name !

[a.l.e]

hi dave

> > what i'm still missing are the advantages against just creating a
> > very simple association and using an external organization (like
> > the gnome foundation) to manage our funds.
> 
> "Create a simple association" implies a certain number of things in my
> mind: By-laws & statutes, a membership structure, a governing
> jurisdiction, a board of directors, tax returns, elections...
> basically, a formal structure, registered with some government
> somewhere, governed by the rules of that government (and if you want
> to give tax deductible relief to sponsors, or you want to not pay
> taxes on donations yourself, you have a lot of paperwork to do to
> justify your organisation).
> 
> By putting yourself under an existing umbrella organisation, you avoid
> that - informal elections or nominations of the people who will deal
> with the umbrella folks would be useful, but you don't need to have
> legally water-tight statutes & by-laws, AGMs, treasurer reports
> submitted to the IRS every year, etc. You're getting all the benefits
> and none of the down-side.
> 
> Plus, in general, the only reason to create an association for a free
> software project is a bank account, some kind of co-ordinated
> marketing/branding campaign, and elected representatives. You don't
> need an association to do the 2nd & 3rd.

most of what you write in here does not apply under swiss laws and / or may not apply depending on the type of association we want to create.
(basically, an association without commercial goals and with a revenue under a certain level can't be registered for taxes, the paperwork is very minimal and you don't even have to register the association anywhere; you still need an election once a year, but -- under certain circumstances -- only one person may have to be present).

to make the things even simplier, we agreed that -- if we decide to create an association in switzerland and i can make sure that the whole process is legal under swiss laws -- the bof in bruxelles will be considered as the founding meeting of the association.


ciao
a.l.e