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# System prepended metadata

title: OSMF Affiliation Models FGD 2025-04-26

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# OSMF Affiliation Models 2025-04-26

## Attendees

1. Eugene - PH
2. Arnalie - PH / UN Mappers
3. Brazil - BD
4. François - FR / FPOSM
5. Naveen - IN
6. Laura - KE / Board
7. Julien - FR / FPOSM
8. Md Limon - BD
9. Keerthana - Sri Lanka
10. Muluba - DRC
11. 

## Notes

1. Is becoming an official affiliate of the OpenStreetMap Foundation important to you or your group?

- Arnalie (UN Mappers) - Not a priority for the UN because UN is big; Is it important for the OSMF to be affiliated with big orgs like the UN?
- Julien (FPOSM) - It's important because it gives a kind of "legitimacy" when groups lead OSM promotion actions.
- Francois (Grid Initiative) - useful for us to be affiliated with the OSMF to get some support to comply with the community standards

What advantages or disadvantages do you see with becoming an affiliate?

Advantages
- currently, LC has wide use of OSM trademark (logo, SotM)
- Julien (FPOSM) - Being able to use the name is definitely important, so the trademark agreement meant a lot for us indeed!
  - https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Board/Minutes/2025-04#2025/Res09_Extend_the_current_trademark_agreement_with_the_F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_des_Pros_d'OSM_(FPOSM)


Disadvantages
- Arnalie: reporting requirements, though this isn't really followed
- Arnalie: going through the process of becoming a chapter is a problem
- Julien: I guess the biggest disadvantage for FPOSM was that the discussions on trademark agreement took quite some time, but that's the point of setting up a new affiliation model!
- Laura: potential conflict between affiliate and community

If the OSM Foundation decides to recognize user groups, what sort of criteria is good to meet in order to become an official user group?

- FPOSM: must adhere to the code of conduct: https://fposm.fr/charte-ethique/

- Still has to be non-profit
  - FPOSM is itself non-profit even if its members can be for-profit
  - if for profit, join as a Corporate Member: https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Corporate_Members

Wikimedia user groups: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_user_groups/Requirements

- Arnalie:  I think the OSMF needs to define the scope of what a local chapter mean if we're considering local thematic groups

- Julien: Maybe the best way to answer that would be to list potential affiliates and see whether they fit in the existing proposed categories. for example I'm not sure FPOSM would be a thematic group? that's probably something different from the wikimedia landscape, they are many more corporate involved in OSM I guess

- François: Let's say trademark affiliate

If we will add new types, should Local Chapters remain as the ideal type?

- Laura: yes
- François: maybe user groups are complementary to LCs and not necessarily a stepping stone
- Arnalie: I'd frame it as different considerations and different priorities, and so will be given different benefits, but I dont think anyone should be higher or "important" than the other. They can co-exist on the same level




How can we create and enforce agreements for non-registered entities?

- Arnalie: @eugene are you familiar how it is with the wikimedia user group? how did they do it?
  - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_user_groups/User_Group_Primary_Contact_Rights_%26_Expectations

- Arnalie: does the Wiki user group has legal benefits to use Wiki trademarks? or other legal benefits (representation, etc)?
  - Wikimedia: "Recognition from the Affiliations Committee allows a group to apply for using the Wikimedia trademarks and to get certain grants; however, recognition is not required to do any of the work typical user groups do or might do, it is an optional extra step with connected benefits and some requirements."

- François: grants for maintaining software tools would be good

- Laura: user groups vs. chapters
  - Brazil LC application problem

