interest in NPO registration? facts? has this been discussed b4?

[Peter Whittaker]

On Sat, 2006-02-12 at 22:05 -0500, Dave Sullivan wrote: 
> On Sat, 2006-12-02 at 00:56 -0500, C. Martens wrote:
> >  
> > Funding, sponsorship, and expenses for the event came up, of course...
> > [is] Ubuntu Canada ... registered as a [formal organization]

I'd suggest we seek the advice of ubuntu-ca members and their friends
and family members who have experience with this sort of thing. For
example, if a private company can be found to sponsor an Ubuntu-related
event, what level of formality is required in the "Ubuntu body" with
which the private company is working? This depends partly on the level
of trust the ubuntu-ca community has in the management/ownership of the
sponsoring company... ...the less trust, the more formal the Ubuntu body
needs to be, and the more formal it is, the less the sponsor is required
for "heavy lifting"....

I bring up sponsors because these are formal organizations that can hold
whatever leases, advertising contracts, etc., are necessary to such an
event. Depending on the sponsor, the event could be charitable, a
marketing write-off, etc. Alternatively, a private consultant (sole
proprietorship, etc.) who happens to be a member of ubuntu-ca may be
able handle and write off all of the paperwork. Or an Ubuntu-friendly
landlord could be found to donate space, etc.

BUT! IANAL, let's get knowledgeable friends/families involved to make
sure bases are covered properly.

On a related and very important note, I believe that right now, ANYONE
could organize a Linux conference and call it an Ubuntu conference. This
is because AFAIK in Canada the term Ubuntu is restricted only in the
wine business, where it is a trademark of Paarl and their Canadian
agents.

Refer to http://tinyurl.com/ynf4yc, the friendlier version of 
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/app/cipo/trademarks/search/buildSearch.do;jsessionid=0000F1_Jtzma1RHO5SRqjoQ8a1D:vjite1ad?language=eng&textField1=ubuntu&selectField1=tmlookup_ext&submitButton=Search&andOr1=accrue&textField2=&selectField2=tmlookup_ext&andOr2=and&textField3=&selectField3=tmlookup_ext&andOr3=and&textField4=&selectField4=tmlookup_ext&andOr4=and&textField5=&selectField5=tmlookup_ext&selectWithin=&selectStatus=&selectDateStatus=&selectYear1=1865&selectMon1=1&selectDay1=1&selectYear2=2006&selectMon2=11&selectDay2=28&selectMaxDoc=500&selectDocsPerPage=10

> There is a great resource [1] on the Ubuntu wiki about starting
> and running LoCo teams, which also covers typical team activities
> and projects... It... suggests that there be a central resource
> per country....

The Wiki LoCo page is silent on the question of trademarks. Presumably,
this is Canonical's responsibility. And while there are conference-
related pages, e.g., https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuAtConferences, the
Wiki is relatively silent on the question of permissions: What
permissions are required to organize Ubuntu-related conferences, or even
run an Ubuntu booth? Or are any permissions required?

IANAL, and I don't want to be a wet blanket. But there is a very real
question of protecting Ubuntu against either deliberate attack by
FUDders or accidental insult (sorry, cannot think of better word) by the
well-intentioned naive. That's one reason why trademarks are so useful:
There are clear and well-known rules on how they can be used.

FWIW, YMMV, etc.

pww

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