Funding [LWN.net]

Funding

Posted Apr 13, 2006 23:37 UTC (Thu) by BrucePerens (guest, #2510)
In reply to: Why the ads? by hppnq
Parent article: Open Source Parking

User "hppnq" asked about financial details. There is no money today. The money collected would be banked for the purpose. When approximately $10K was collected, a not-for-profit corporation would be formed. It can't be a 501(c)3, because those can't collect money for a PAC. SPI can't do it for this reason, nor can EFF. So it would be a conventional corporation run not-for-profit. A few trusted folks in the community would be on the board, and more of them on the advisory board. As additonal money comes in, it will be used for lobbying and promotion of issues important to Open Source.

Why not use CCIA/OSAIA? They aren't willing to take on the software patenting issue as strongly as we need someone to take it on.

Thanks

Bruce

to post comments

Funding

Posted Apr 14, 2006 11:22 UTC (Fri) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link] (8 responses)

All the organisations you have mentioned on this page actively support the battle against software patents: it seems like the inability to work with them is your own choice. Trying to convince me that they are not doing enough or are not effective enough -- do I taste despair? -- is not exactly bolstered by your proposed strategy, that has every sign of being as effective as a leaky screwdriver in a nuclear power plant.

Your financial strategy basically is "send me the money and I will take care of it". I hope you realise that most people get these requests per mail every day. And that there is a reason why organisations have financial policies.

Funding

Posted Apr 14, 2006 14:27 UTC (Fri) by dwheeler (guest, #1216) [Link] (7 responses)

But as Bruce noted above, those organizations CANNOT do certain things to work against software patents BECAUSE of the way they're organized. Therefore, there's a good reason to create another organization, to do things the others can't.

I would agree that if Bruce wants to manage a serious amount of money, then he needs to define more details about how the money will be used. But to be fair to him, he's just starting to get this thing off the ground; I get the impression that his short-term goal was simply to counter nonsense statistics. I suspect that when he realized a small amount of money might become available, that's when he noted his plans for any money.

Funding

Posted Apr 14, 2006 15:12 UTC (Fri) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link] (6 responses)

But as Bruce noted above, those organizations CANNOT do certain things to work against software patents BECAUSE of the way they're organized.

Yes, I got that.

Therefore, there's a good reason to create another organization, to do things the others can't.

No, not per se. That's one of the things that's bothering me. We could also rent a huge balloon and paint "Free Software Now" on it in big red capitals. You send me the cash, and I guarantee you it will at least fly. :-)

Funding

Posted Apr 14, 2006 16:57 UTC (Fri) by BrucePerens (guest, #2510) [Link] (3 responses)

If I pull this off, I would obviously want to work with people from FSF, EFF, Public Knowledge, etc. For their own reasons, those organizations are not choosing to do this work today.

It is possible for a 501(c)3, or at least the members of one, to create a not-for-profit foundation that is not a 501(c)3 and can do this work. For example, there is ARRL and the ARRL Foundation, two separate organizations working closely together.

EFF could conceivably do this, but is not. EFF is pretty stretched financially, as they historically were funded by one person who saw his wealth diminish in the stock bubble. FSF has other avenues it would rather pursue. I had lunch with Eben and the Freedom Law Center folks last week and discussed this thoroughly.

Thanks

Bruce

Funding

Posted Apr 16, 2006 10:07 UTC (Sun) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link] (2 responses)

I had lunch with Eben and the Freedom Law Center folks last week and discussed this thoroughly.

Yes, and the outcome was ...

By the way, what did the Apache people think of your plan?

Funding

Posted Apr 16, 2006 12:19 UTC (Sun) by BrucePerens (guest, #2510) [Link] (1 responses)

I don't want to say what Eben would spend money on, that's for him to announce.

I haven't discussed this with Apache folks yet.

Bruce

Funding

Posted Apr 16, 2006 15:37 UTC (Sun) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link]

I don't want to say what Eben would spend money on, that's for him to announce.

Ah, that's obviously not what I meant. But I'm not pushy. :-)

Funding

Posted Apr 15, 2006 17:25 UTC (Sat) by illtyd (guest, #2124) [Link] (1 responses)

hppnq:

Has Bruce asked you for any money? No

The only people being asked for money are potential advertisers on the parking site. IF you want to advertise there, then you can decide if you want to on the basis of value for money and whether you like the idea of the PAC. My guess is you aren't going to be advertising, so what does it matter to you what Bruce does with the money he gets from it.

Funding

Posted Apr 16, 2006 10:27 UTC (Sun) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link]

Your train of thought comes to a screeching halt at the first junction.

Bruce does ask me for money.

Why found another 501c(6)?

Posted Apr 14, 2006 16:40 UTC (Fri) by andrel (guest, #5166) [Link] (1 responses)

Bruce,

You've gone down this road before. What went wrong with GTPI?

Thanks,
--Andre

Why found another 501c(6)?

Posted Apr 14, 2006 16:59 UTC (Fri) by BrucePerens (guest, #2510) [Link]

The same thing that went wrong with Userlinux. I was attempting to support myself as an independent consultant and do all of that at the same time.

Bruce