<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Carlos, to the best of knowledge, that this is true in every US jurisdiction, certainly the ones I know. This is fairly standard stuff. If it's not true in any state, it's probably because they don't have member non-profits in their statute, and not because they place members in a relatively lesser position vis a vis the Board. (Caveat: I have not done a 50 state survey on this, I'm not admitted to the California bar, and this is not a legal opinion.)</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Nigel, in the US, Members would not be considered "owners" of a public benefit corporation or similar non-profit. Generally speaking, non-profits cannot be owned (there are some exceptions in some states, but they are narrow, e.g., a non-profit may have a non-profit subsidiary in some states, but the parent non-profit still can't be owned). I* would take from that that Members do not have a property interest in the public benefit corporation. Their power does not come from property. It comes from the powers given to Members by the statute of the relevant jurisdiction. (There is something called a "mutual benefit" corporation, which benefits only its members, where the analysis might be different. Since ICANN is clearly not one, I will eschew the rabbit hole.)</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Greg</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Sep 28, 2015 at 2:45 PM, Nigel Roberts <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:nigel@channelisles.net" target="_blank">nigel@channelisles.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">This is the case for similar jurisdictions (such as the United Kingdom).<br>
<br>
The Membership are the group of people who come together for a common purpose. They are the legal owners of the corporation. (In a non-profit they are generally restricted from selling up . .).<br>
<br>
The Board are simply that body of people appointed (or elected) to manage the day to day operations of the corporation.<br>
<br>
Legitimacy as well as legality derives from the bottom-up, not the top-down.<span class=""><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 28/09/15 19:39, Carlos Raúl Gutiérrez wrote:<br>
</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><span class="">
Greg,<br>
<br>
a clarification please:<br>
<br>
<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<br>
The Membership of a US non-profit (here, a California Public Benefit<br>
Corporation) has a power relationship to the entity's Board that is<br>
unique (and uniquely powerful).<br>
</blockquote>
<br>
Is this the case for the whole US or for California only?<br>
<br>
best<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Carlos Raúl Gutiérrez<br>
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