I've made a translation with Google and I have cleaned up the grammer
and tried to make it as clear as possible without changing the meaning.
Some parts of the German document are ambiguous - I have tried not to
remove any ambiguity. It is just a translation.
It would be really useful for people familiar with German to compare
this with the original document and share feedback. If we can do some
of this ourselves, it will be easier for a lawyer to look at it and
make any final changes.
Regards,
Daniel
Statutes of
the Association debian.ch
Translated by
Google Translate/Daniel Pocock 9-10 July 2012
based
on German language version of 31 January 2011
Note:
this is a literal translation of the words in the German document,
and the legal context of the words has not been analyzed. In some
cases there is ambiguity and this has been noted in parentheses.
§
1 INTRODUCTION
debian.ch is an association under article 60 of
the Civil Code, based in Basel.
§ 2 PURPOSE
-
debian.ch
is the official representative of the Debian project in Switzerland and
Liechtenstein.
-
The
Society holds on behalf of the Debian project assets in Switzerland and
Liechtenstein.
-
It
supports the Debian project and its activities using the Association's
assets.
§ 3
AVERAGE
The
association is financed by donations and other voluntary
contributions. There is
no membership fee.
§ 4 SPONSORS
1.
Persons or companies may
request to become a sponsor/patron by making a
donation of at least CHF 100. Their status
as a benefactor of
debian.ch may be noted on the web
page.
-
Their
status as a patron or sponsor of debian.ch may be acknowledged in any
publications of the association.
-
The
debian.ch patronage is valid for one year
§ 5
MEMBERSHIP
1. Members
of the Debian project with permanent residence or citizenship in
Switzerland or the
Principality of Liechtenstein are eligible for
membership of debian.ch on
request. (translation
note: not clear if the `request' means that the board must accept the
request)
2. Any
member may propose another person for
admission as a member. The General Assembly
will decide on their inclusion. The proposed
member must be present at the meeting unless it is impractical for
them to attend.
3.
A member can leave the
assocation debian.ch at
his own request at any time.
4. The Assembly may choose to
exclude a member
without cause. A
majority of 2/3 of members present must vote
in favour of such a motion for it to be carried.
§
6 INSTITUTIONS - GENERAL MEETING
1.
The Executive Committee (Board)
must call an Annual General Meeting at least
once per year. All
members must be given at least two weeks notice by email.
2.
The invitation period may be less if all members agree.
3.
If a General Meeting resolves to amend the
by-laws of the assocation, the revised by-laws do not take effect
until the close of the meeting.
§
7 BODIES – THE BOARD
1.
The board consists of president, secretary and Treasurer. It is
permitted for one person to hold more than one
office, but essential that the Office of the
President and Treasurer be occupied by two different people.
2.
The Board may undertake business on behalf of
the association as permitted by law.
3.
Non-executive officers may be elected to the
board. (translation note: Beisitzer could be `non-executive officer'
(with voting rights) or maybe it means `observer' (without voting
rights) – clarification needed)
4.
The AGM elects the
members of the board
for a term of one year.
5.
The Board members vote amongst themselves
to select the office
holders.
§ 8 AGENCIES – DEBIAN
PROJECT LEADER (DPL)
The
Debian Project Leader may direct the way in
which the assets held by the association
are used. (translation note: does not
distinguish project assets from assocation's operating
account/assets)
§ 9 DIGITAL
SIGNATURE
A
digital signature may be made in place of a
hand written signature, provided the key used is compliant with the
specification of a Debian Developer
key.
§ 10 ACCOUNTING YEAR
The
accounting year is the
calendar year.
§ 11 of Resolution
1.
A decision to dissolve
the association requires a two thirds majority of the annual meeting.
It must be attended by
at least 50 members or,
if the club has fewer than 66 Members, three-quarters of all members
must be present.
2. Upon dissolution, all assets must
be transferred to Software in the Public
Interest, Inc., Indianapolis, USA.
The actuary
Adrian
von Bidder