Dear Wikimedians,
The chapter agreement recognizing Wikimedia India ended on September 14,
2019 -- officially ending the chapter's status as a recognized Wikimedia
movement affiliate. In this email, we are providing background information
and suggestions about how to participate in active organizations supporting
Wikimedia in India. Furthermore, the purpose of this communication is to
notify the Indian communities about the status of the former Wikimedia
India Chapter and to share brief background information to clarify the
timeline of communications with the former affiliate.
It has come to the Affiliation Committee’s (AffCom) attention that the
formerly-recognized chapter in India has continued to operate using the
Wikimedia name and trademarks. Recognition as a Wikimedia movement
affiliate -a chapter, thematic organization, or user group- is a privilege
that allows an independent group to officially use the Wikimedia trademarks
to further the Wikimedia mission.
While most affiliates adhere to the basic compliance standards set forth in
their agreements with the Wikimedia Foundation, a protocol exists to
address the exceptional cases when a Wikimedia affiliate fails to maintain
the specified compliance standards and its continued recognition as a
Wikimedia affiliate presents a risk to the Wikimedia movement [1].
On November 10, 2018, Wikimedia India was notified of its suspension as a
Wikimedia affiliate due to long-standing non-compliance with reporting
requirements. Along with the notice, the chapter was provided with an
explicit list of tasks and deadlines as action items to return to
compliance with its chapter agreement. The chapter could not manage, or
failed, to take the corrective actions by the deadline of May 30, 2019, and
was consequently notified in June that it would no longer be recognized as
a Wikimedia chapter after the termination of their Chapter Agreement on
September 14, 2019. Even though Wikimedia India is presently not a
Wikimedia affiliated group, they are still obligated to abide by the
guidelines and permitted trademark usage policy. For that reason, we once
again ask that the group immediately ceases to use the Wikipedia trademarks
while not an officially recognized Wikimedia affiliate organization.
October 7, 2019, following some back and forth on the chapter’s meta talk
page about specific criteria [2], the committee communicated via email to
the Executive Committee to reaffirm that the September revocation was final
and to remind the former chapter of required next steps for ending all use
of “Wikimedia” wordmark, the Wikimedia logo, or any other Wikimedia
trademarks as an organization.
If you have questions about what this means for community members in the
affected affiliates’ regions or languages, we have put together a very
basic FAQ [3]. Feel free to ask additional questions on the Wikimedia India
meta talk page [2]. For a list of affiliates and their compliance status,
please consult the affiliate status page on Meta [4]; there is also a page
linked from there that lists formerly-active affiliates.
The Wikimedia Foundation remains committed to supporting volunteer editors,
contributors, readers, and donors across India. We recognize that Wikimedia
has a very engaged and growing community in India who together have created
a significant and lasting impact within our global movement. We continue to
support Indian community user groups who lead meet-ups, contests, and other
local events.
Wikimedia India was not the sole representative of the movement in India,
and there are many other new and existing affiliates in the region. AffCom
stands ready to support the remaining affiliate members and Indic
communities in their continuing efforts to collaboratively grow the
affiliate infrastructure of the movement in India. We are deeply grateful
for the efforts of Indic communities to support Wikimedia’s free knowledge
mission and we look forward to continuing this work together.
Regards,
AffCom
[1]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_movement_affiliates/Protocol_for_…
[2]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_India
[3]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliations_Committee/Wikimedia_India/FAQ
[4]
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_movement_affiliates/Affiliates_St…