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Continuing saga of the sizing chart problems for original shirts
Gildan removed the sizing chart entirely from their website again
after yet another redesign. Originally, we deep-linked into files in
their CDN for the charts, but it appears that in 5c72071 that I
introduced cut-and-paste error on the sizing charts. I cannot find
the original links, but finally I simply decided we'd mirror the
files in our CDN, which is where these now link to.
I suspect that I didn't do this to start for worrying about copyright
infringement, but upon second thought, I think it's very reasonably
fair use for us to distribute these images. We bought a lot of
t-shirts from Gildan and just trying to sell through.
Gildan removed the sizing chart entirely from their website again
after yet another redesign. Originally, we deep-linked into files in
their CDN for the charts, but it appears that in 5c72071 that I
introduced cut-and-paste error on the sizing charts. I cannot find
the original links, but finally I simply decided we'd mirror the
files in our CDN, which is where these now link to.
I suspect that I didn't do this to start for worrying about copyright
infringement, but upon second thought, I think it's very reasonably
fair use for us to distribute these images. We bought a lot of
t-shirts from Gildan and just trying to sell through.
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{% block subtitle %}Member Project Services - {% endblock %}
{% block submenuselection %}Services{% endblock %}
{% block content %}
<h1>Member Project Services</h1>
<p>Conservancy assists FLOSS project leaders by handling all matters other
than software development and documentation, so the developers can focus
on what they do best: improving the software for the public good. The
following are the services and options that are available to FLOSS
projects that have joined Conservancy as a member project.</p>
<h2>Tax-Deductible, Earmarked Donations</h2>
<p>Member projects can receive earmarked donations through Conservancy.
Since Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) charity incorporated in New York,
donors can often deduct the donation on their USA taxes. Additionally,
the donors can indicate that their donation should be used to advance a
specific member project, and those funds are kept in a separate account
for the member project by Conservancy. This structure prevents
developers from having to commingle project funds with their own
personal accounts or having to set up their own project specific
account.</p>
<p>Since Conservancy is a tax-exempt organization, there are some
limits that the law places on what member projects can do with their
assets, but those limits are the same as if the project was an
independent non-profit entity. Usually, the project leadership
instructs Conservancy's leadership on how the project's funds are spent.
Conservancy spends these funds on the project's behalf on any expenses
that constitute appropriate activity under Conservancy's 501(c)(3)
not-for-profit mission. Some typical uses of earmarked donations by
Conservancy's member projects are:</p>
<ul>
<li>funding travel expenses for project developers to attend relevant
conferences.</li>
<li>domain name fees, bandwidth costs, and computer equipment
purchases.</li>
<li>purchasing media for distribution of project software at conferences
and events.</li>
<li>paying key developers on a contractual basis to improve the project's
software and its documentation.</li>
<li>sponsoring and organizing conferences for the project.</li>
<li>trademark registration and enforcement.</li>
<li>FLOSS license enforcement and compliance activity.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Asset Stewardship</h2>
<p>Conservancy can hold any assets for the project on its behalf. This
includes copyrights, trademarks, domain names, physical computer
equipment or anything that should be officially held in the name of the
project. Member projects are not required that Conservancy hold all
assets of a project. (For example, member projects are
not <em>required</em> to assign copyrights to Conservancy.)
However, Conservancy can accommodate the needs of projects that want
their assets under the control of a not-for-profit entity and exercised
only for the public good.</p>
<h2>Contract Negotiation and Execution</h2>
<p>Projects sometimes need to negotiate and execute a contract with a
company. For example, when a project wants to organize and run a
conference, the venue usually has a complicated contract for rental of
the space and services. Conservancy assists projects in the negotiation
of such contracts, and can sign them on behalf of the project.</p>
<h2>Conference Logistical Support</h2>
<p>Many Conservancy projects have an annual conference. Conservancy
provides logistical support for these conferences, particularly in the
area of financial responsibility and liability. Conservancy provides a
small amount of logistical support for conference in other ways,
resource-permitting.</p>
<h2>Basic Legal Advice and Services</h2>
<p>Since projects, upon joining, become organizationally part of
Conservancy, Conservancy can provide basic legal services to its member
projects through Conservancy's own General Counsel, outside counsel, and
pro-bono attorneys. For example, Conservancy assists its projects in
handling issues related to trademark registration, trademark policy
development and licensing, trademark enforcement, copyright licensing
and enforcement, and non-profit governance questions and issues.</p>
<h2>FLOSS Copyright License Enforcement</h2>
<p>Complying with FLOSS licenses is easy, as they permit and encourage
both non-commercial and commercial distribution and improvements.
Nevertheless, violations of FLOSS licenses (in particular of
the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html">GPL</a>
and <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html">LGPL</a>) are all
too common. At request of the project's leaders, Conservancy can carry
out license enforcement activity on behalf of the project's copyright
holders.</p>
<h2>Fundraising Assistance</h2>
<p>Conservancy provides various tools and advice to member projects on
methods of raising funds for their projects' earmarked accounts.</p>
<h2>Avoid Non-Profit Administrivia</h2>
<p>Member projects can continue to operate in the same way they did before
joining Conservancy without having to select a board of directors or
any other layer of corporate management, without having to maintain
corporate records and without having to do any of the other things
required of incorporated entities. Conservancy handles all of that
burden on behalf of its projects.</p>
<h2>Leadership Mentoring, Advice and Guidance</h2>
<p>Many of Conservancy's <a href="/about/board">directors</a> are
experienced FLOSS project leaders. They offer themselves as a resource
to member project leaders who need assistance or face challenges in
their work leading their projects.</p>
<h2>Some Personal Liability Protection</h2>
<p>When a project joins Conservancy, it formally becomes part of the
Conservancy. (The project is thus somewhat analogous to a division of a
company or a department in a large agency.) As such, project leaders
benefit from some amount of protection from personal liability for their
work on the project.</p>
<h2>Officiating Community Elections and Ballot Initiatives</h2>
<p>Conservancy will organize and run community leadership committee elections
and/or ballot initiatives for its member project communities,
using <a href="https://gitorious.org/conservancy/voting/">online voting
software</a>.</p>
<hr/>
<p>Those familiar with non-profit terminology will recognize most of these
services
as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_sponsorship">fiscal
sponsorship services</a>. This term is not particularly well
known in the FLOSS community, and many are confused by that term.
However, if you are familiar with what a fiscal sponsor typically does
in the non-profit sector, the term does fit many of services that
Conservancy offers its member projects.</p>
<p>Project
leaders that believe their project might benefit from these services can
<a href="/members/apply/">apply to become a member project</a>.</p>
{% endblock %}
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