[Linux-aus] Legality of automatically assigning membership

[James Bromberger]

Brad Hards (bhards at bigpond.net.au) wrote:
> Below is a message I sent to Pia Smith in response to a message sent to 
> everyone that attended LCA2003. Since a month has passed and I have received 
> no response, I'll go wider. Note that I have editted it slightly to correct 
> spellos.
> 
> On what basis is the automatic membership considered constitutional?
> 
> On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 20:57, Pia Smith wrote:
> > As you may (or may not) be aware, your Linux Conf Au 2003 registration
> > included membership to Linux Australia.
> Nice idea, but I think it is illegal. Because being a member carries certain
> obligations, people can't be members without their explicit consent - it is a
> common law issue relating to how to two people cannot act to bind a third
> person (or something like that - IANAL).


Well, IIRC from the haze and flashing lights that was LCA2003, there was
a membership form to be returned to the then LCA committee to give
consent, no? I know I madly made sure mine was filled in and handed to
Anand at the time.
 
> Appendix 1 shows that the application needs to be signed by the applicant,
> which clearly hasn't been done for all the "auto-members".
> 
> Thoughts?

IMHO, the 'auto-members' is the pickup for those that were given
membership, and didn't bother to fill in the form. So, the question is,
if our there are people who were given memberships and did not fill them
in, do they:
	(a) get a membership anyway
	(b) get prompted via email saying "you got a free membership,
	but you should have filled in the form in the conference pack.
	We cant find yours; please complete by return email"...
	(c) get forgotten since they couldn't be bothered (however some
	may have been misplaced??)


OK, off to bed. 00:26 BST (+0100).

Regards,
  James

-- 
 James Bromberger <james_AT_rcpt.to> www.james.rcpt.to
 Remainder moved to http://www.james.rcpt.to/james/sig.html

I am in London on UK mobile +44 7952 042920.
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