Non-profit IETF (was RE: I understand that there is an ISO MOU with the IETF...)

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Of course the IETF is a non-profit entity. For-profit entities are
entities whose purpose is for the operations of the entity itself to
produce profits which accrue to its owners/proprietors/partners/...
Non-profit entities are entities with any other purposes.

Note that these definitions have nothing to do with whether the
operations of the entity are actually producing a surplus or a loss.

Note that the definition of a non-profit has nothing to do with whether
its operations are intended to increase in the income of its
members/owners/... only with whether or not it is the purpose of the
operations of the entity itself to produce a profit that accrues to its
owners. For example, associations of businesses and associations of
workers can be non-profit even if their purpose is to increase the
income of their members.

You can generally categorize non-government organization by
for-profit/non-profit, incorporated/unincorporated, and
1-person/multi-person. Some of the combinations of these have particular
names that are typically used for them.

For-profit/unincorporated/1-person: "sole proprietorship"

For-profit/unincorporated/multi-person: "partnership"

Non-profit/unincorporated/multi-person: "unincorporated association"

*/incorporated/1-person: "corporate sole", sometimes just called a
"corporation", could be prefixed with "for profit" or "non-profit" for
specificity

*/incorporated/multi-person: "corporation", could be prefixed with "for
profit" or "non-profit" for specificity

The only remaining combination is a single person, unincorporated, doing
something non-profit which doesn't really have any special name.

I have always maintained that the IETF is an unincorporated association.
Exactly who a court would decide was a member of the IETF for what
purpose is not completely clear.

Donald

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Crocker [mailto:dhc2@xxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Friday, October 13, 2006 4:09 PM
To: John C Klensin
Cc: ietf@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: I understand that there is an ISO MOU with the IETF - I
want to see it...



John C Klensin wrote:
> You are not a member of the IETF.
> Todd is not a member of the IETF.
> I am not a member of the IETF.
> Jorge isn't a member of the IETF either.
> 
> The IETF has no members.


Not only are you right, but per se, the IETF is not a non-profit.

Further most people who participate in non-profits do not fit the legal
definition of "member".  In the world of non-profits, that term has very
specific meaning and carries very specific obligations.  Hence most
non-profits avoid it by having "subscribers" or the like who are not
actually "members".


At base, I cannot figure out why anyone keeps feeding such trollish
topics, I thought it might at least be amusing to comment on the term
member.

d/

-- 

   Dave Crocker
   Brandenburg InternetWorking
   bbiw.net

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