On 08/28/2017 09:41 AM, Sara Safavi wrote: > Hi discuss, > > In the notification emails from CRO to new charter member nominees, the > following is included (emphasis mine): > > *"(Charter Members) have the following responsibilities: (1) annually vote > for OSGeo Board Members; (2) annually vote for new OSGeo Charter Members > and (3) be aware of and protect against a hostile takeover of OSGeo."* > > I have had more than one nominee of mine contact me asking what exactly > this means. I agree with their concerns: this is strange language to use, > is not reflected in our bylaws, and frankly does not fit the image I > presented when I first contacted them asking if they would accept a > nomination. > > It may be a language barrier or simply a misunderstanding, but can we > clarify what is meant by using this kind of verbiage, and consider a > re-wording? > > Thanks, > Sara >
The term comes from the the business world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeover#Hostile In the OSGeo context there was concern early on that OSGeo would be the public puppet of a single company or entity. In particular if the majority of board members worked for the same entity, or if a single entity was a majority sponsor of the Foundation. From that perspective the Charter members who elect the board need to pay attention to the affiliations of who they elect to the board, and ensure the interests of the foundation, and it's mission to protect it's member projects is the top priority. Keep in mind that some projects have their Intellectual Property 'owned' by OSGeo, which means in an extreme case the board could re-license those projects to a non free and open source license. I have no opinion on if and how to reword, or incorporate that more into the the bylaws. As stated it's really a guidance/reminder to uphold the original mission of the and maybe should be worded that way, with hostile takeover as an example. Thanks, Alex _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org https://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss