[Chapter-delegates] Renewal Internet Society Chapter Charter

[John More]

Evan

I have some sympathy with the issues you raise.  The original form was an MOU.  I am not certain why it was changed. The MOU might be easier to support.  

As internal legal counsel to the Washington Chapter, I am not certain I can advise the Chapter to sign, especially since there is no peer review built in to the enforcement mechanism.

John More
Greater Washington DC Chapter

On Nov 18, 2013, at 12:19 PM, Evan Leibovitch <evan at telly.org> wrote:

> Hi Ted, 
> Hello everyone,
> 
> I don't have a problem with the intention of the document. However there may be some local obstacles, and the Canada Chapter has submitted the renewal document to our own legal review.
> 
> Specifically: non-profit orgs in Canada must have clearly stated objectives in their applications for incorporation. The Canada Chapter may - we likely will - have problems with local regulators if we legally obligate to objectives that are both foreign (ie. housed in Reston) and not completely known (what if ISOC HQ objectives and priorities change after we incorporate?)
> 
> The current core values of ISOC are hard coded into the Canadian bylaws and beyond controversy. It is reference to external, potentially volatile objectives that worries local regulators.
> 
> In this light, I would personally prefer that the "paper" link between chapters and HQ be in the form of a flexible partnership-based Memorandum of Understanding, rather than the current doc that more resembles a franchise agreement. An MoU approach offers the extra flexibility that chapters may require, to adapt the ISOC vision to best address local environments. It requires more mutual trust than a formal contract...  But really, without a heightened level of mutual trust, can we really achieve our shared goals as well as we need to?
> 
> Evan Leibovitch
> President
> Internet Society Canada Chapter
> 
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