On 16/11/2007, Lars Aronsson lars@aronsson.se wrote:
Already from the start, the word "foundation" in the title of the Wikimedia Foundation has caused confusion. In Florida, you register a corporation, and "foundation" is just part of a name. In some countries in Europe, there are completely different laws for corporations, associations and foundations (German: Stiftung).
In short, a foundation (Stiftung) is an immutable long-term, self-governing holder of money. A typically example is the Nobel Foundation, which holds the money inherited from Alfred Nobel, and every year spends the interest on the Nobel Prizes.
In the UK, "an immutable long-term, self-governing holder of money" would be a fund or a trust. Still in terms of the UK, "foundation" is a fair description of what the Wikimedia Foundation does. Legal definitions change between countries, so I'm not sure what your point is.I don't think a legal term exists in *all legal jurisdicitons* that would validly describe what the WF does and not cause confusion.