[Talk-es] Fwd: [Osmf-talk] Moving the OSMF to the EU?

[Miguel Sevilla-Callejo]

Hola,

A estas alturas todos os habréis enterado de que se está estudiando la 
posibilidad de mover la Fundación OSM fuera del Reino Unido debido a que 
este país está fuera de la Unión Europea y esto lleva a problemas 
diversos de continuidad del proyecto tal y como lo conocíamos.

Por si acaso reboto este correo original, enlazado aquí:

https://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/osmf-talk/2021-June/007860.html

Y también os pego esta noticia que salí hace una semana en The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/30/openstreetmap-looks-to-relocate-to-eu-due-to-brexit-limitations

Saludos

Miguel



-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: 	[Osmf-talk] Moving the OSMF to the EU?
Date: 	Sat, 19 Jun 2021 19:10:01 +0200
From: 	Guillaume Rischard <guillaume.rischard en osmfoundation.org>
To: 	OSMF Talk <osmf-talk en openstreetmap.org>



Hi all,

The OSMF board is considering relocating the OSMF to the EU. We haven’t 
taken our decision yet, and would like to first consult its membership 
for feedback, advice and whether we’ve missed anything.

There is not one reason for moving, but a multitude of paper cuts, most 
of which have been triggered or amplified by Brexit:

• One important reason is keeping /sui generis/ database 
rights (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sui-generis-database-rights-after-the- 
<https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sui-generis-database-rights-after-the->transition-period) 
in the EU. We still have other protections, but this is a solid one and 
has been useful in the past.
• Banking, finance and using PayPal in the UK is becoming more and more 
complicated and expensive.
• We might be able to get charity status, and make our donations 
tax-deductible. We paid about £6000 in tax in the last fiscal year, but 
this will increase geometrically as we raise money for iD and the senior 
reliability engineer job.
• We would be allowed to keep our .EU domains ourselves
• We could more effectively lobby the EU, EU governments and have more 
of an impact, especially in countries where there is no local chapter.
• Managing membership could become easier
• We could more easily employ people in the EU

The negative side is that it would mean a /lot/ of work, and cost time 
and money.

Some points to consider when moving:

• Asset transfer, especially intellectual property
• Will this have an effect on the contributor agreement?
• Porting the AoA to another legal system – adding maybe asset locks and 
takeover protection mechanisms.
• Change membership? Does every member need to agree?
• Would donations be tax-free EU wide?
•  Move the whole foundation? A hybrid approach – keeping the “main” 
OSMF in the UK and having a sister OSMF in the EU – might reduce the 
effort or even work better.

We are not focusing on a certain country yet, but have instead made a 
list of criteria:

Requirements (Must)

• Retention of current license and contributor terms
• Legal successor to OSMF corporation if/when the OSMF is dissolved
• Formal non-profit status so we don’t pay income tax
• No requirement for any director to be resident in country of 
incorporation (this excludes Ireland)
• Relevant laws permit bank accounts to be held by resident non-profits 
with non-resident members and directors
• Communication in English with banks and local authorities is possible 
(this probably excludes France)
• Democratic control. One-person-one-vote
• Ability to have “members”/directors from all (nearly all?) countries
• EU sui generis database protection

Highly desirable (Should)

• Tax-deductible donations
• Low cost of transferring assets from the UK
• Minimal overhead and reporting requirements
• Legal structure easy to understand for community members, donors, and 
the public
• Ability to employ people
• AoA can be written in English
• Accounting can be done in English
• Banking available in EUR, GBP and USD
• Banking available fully in English
• Low non-profit maintenance costs
• Ability to take donations from 501c3 charities in the US

Desirable (Could)

• English-language legal system
• Low incorporation cost
• Corporate address can be maildrop for forwarding

What do you think? Is there anything we’ve missed? Have we missed easier 
ways of solving some of our issues?

Thanks,

Guillaume (treasurer) and the rest of the OSMF board

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