On 28 Dec 07, at 15:48, Adam Chlipala wrote: > OK, another question: What would the logistics be of having HCoop be a > member of Cernio? What would it mean for HCoop to read and understand > the Statement of Principles and Terms of Service? What would it mean > for HCoop to vote in Cernio elections? > > [This question may be as much for Graham as for our more legally-savvy > members.]
Greetings from a functional computer, having lost only 12 hours of locally-stored data. It's nice when backups work, but the restores are what count. So, you're asking about logistics, but this is a good time to raise a legal issue: Cernio is still not a legal entity in its own right. Everything that it does is done under my name, which is treated for tax purposes as a sole proprietorship. The $37K contract with United Layer, the $15K in equipment, and the surprises that come up from time to time - all on me in the end. The 57 people who have joined as members have in fact given me between $60 and $300 with the understanding that I'll refund their membership money (but not fees) if/when they leave and that some day I'll find the time to complete the process of incorporating Cernio as a Canadian cooperative, at which point I'll issue membership share certificates accordingly. If Hcoop were to join before Cernio incorporates, it'd be the same arrangement. You'd have to proceed with the worst-case scenario assumption that you'll never see your membership investment dollars again, but the likelihood is that you'll have nothing to complain about. The primary reasons this incorporation process has been so slow are twofold: (1) At present, nobody is paid for their time for doing Cernio work, and the tech stuff tends to be more fun that the bureaucratic stuff, and (2) we've had a lot on our plate. But at this point, we have the necessary board members, the necessary physical locations in the appropriate Canadian provinces, the cash to grease the wheels, the attorneys and accountants on both sides of the border to keep us out of trouble, and general agreement among the membership on how to proceed. At this point it's just a matter of me completing a couple of projects for my paying clients and hitting the phones. To answer your logistical questions: Hcoop would have one or two representatives, with whom Cernio communicate and to whom Cernio would hold responsible for Hcoop's adherence to the relevant policies. When it came time to vote, Hcoop would have one representative casting one vote. Throughout, Hcoop as an entity would be just one Cernio member - the 58th, if you joined today. thanks, Graham Freeman General Manager, Cernio Technology Cooperative Email/Jabber: [EMAIL PROTECTED] +1 415 462 2991 http://cernio.com/cooperative/ _______________________________________________ HCoop-Discuss mailing list [email protected] https://lists.hcoop.net/listinfo/hcoop-discuss
