Meetings/2010-01-19/Agenda/Secretary's Report

Actions

• AT to ask about Ian Hawkins filming the AGM on the email list and with OKFN and to ask Ian Hawkins if we could have a copyright-free copy of his filming. Carried forward
• AT agreed to write up a proposed Initiative to support the Celtic League project and to update the Celtic League. Carried forward
• AT will develop a proposal for a projector Carried forward
• AT to draft an email to the Foundation re problems Cancelled
• AT agreed to inform the Charity Commission when we come to a conclusion on CRB checks. Done
• AT agreed to approach 9 Stone Buildings for a quote for our fundraising agreement Carried forward
• AT agreed to approach a second solicitor for a quote for charity status. Done
• Minutes of meetings on 30 October and 3 November are still outstanding Carried forward
• AT will amend the Child Protection Policy with regard to CRB checks as applicable. Done Discuss
• AT will contact the Charity Commission to update them on our child protection checks Done
• AT and MP will agree the Public Domain Day press release and send out on 29 December. Done
• AT will send the WMF setting out our interpretation of the Chapter Agreement to clear up any uncertainty regarding a drafting error. Done
• AT will respond to the two Wikipedia complaints received Carried forward

Progress

1. I had various emails and phone conversations regarding the Public Domain Day. Our press release was covered in the Daily Telegraph. Some lessons learnt:
   1. Journalists are interested in "events": it's more important to say what we are doing in response to Public Domain Day rather than just the legal fact that items are going to become public domain
   2. Despite checking and rechecking, some of the core facts of our story were still misleading: we focussed on UK PD law and then said we would upload material to wikisource, where US law is more relevant.
   3. I had some negative response from a wikisource editor [1] partly related to #2. In future we would be better organising this with the wikisource community
   4. The event we ended up going with has required quite a bit of our input - celebrity recordings of Yeats' poetry. I still think it's a good project but we need to be 100% sure that the poems in question relate to poems that became US PD on 1/1/10 and do some work to drum up some more celeb interest
2. Legal Advice: I had a meeting with Brown Jacobson which I sent an email to the board regarding. They have offered a capped fee of £350+VAT which they will expect will cover initial contacts with the Charity Commission and some small re-drafting of the Articles. If more significant redrafting is required then they will come back for further instructions. Our alternative quoet from the direct access barrister was £1000+VAT. I recommend we instruct Brown Jacobson in both the charity status and Fundraising Agreement matters. Discuss
3. I have received four cheques in the post which I will forward to TH
4. I received an application form from the Charities Aid Foundation regarding "our enquiry". Given that we are not (yet) a charity, we wouldn't be eligible to receive funds so I have not responded.
5. I have a New Year card from Wikimedia Poland, wishing us good luck with our "Public Domain Day" publicity
6. I have received an invitation, addressed to Mike Peel, to the launch of the Wildscreen ARKive 2010 project Discuss