Thank you for this rather concise wording and moving this forward. Yes, changing Council rules requires a referendum; Full stop. Said referendum is well overdue since many things still point at Nokia, which has not been a factual participant for a long while now.

I think part of that was more of a concern that it would be difficult for non-EU members to be actual members of the GA. Anonymity was one issue raised by a few people, but only a handful. Most in that camp were also fine with having limitations on their "absolute say" being gospel for retaining said anonymity, save maybe one.

This is where we disagree. Council rules are already alterable by the "passive members". I see why that's concerning, but also, so what? It won't impact the e.V. even if they did, since they have no legal standing within it.

Say the Council goes crazy and passes a referendum that promotes something illegal (like posting copyrighted material). The Board can halt the activity, as it should and legally can/must under German law. No matter what Council's "rules" say, they have no legal ground to enforce it. Just like when Nokia ran the show.

I can start a David Hasselhoff fan club, and make a rule that K.I.T.T. must appear in all of his future music videos. It won't impact him or his production staff, no matter how vocal our fan club is or how many there are of us. If the producers don't hold the rights to use that image, they simply can't, and won't.

If someone really wants to push an issue, that's what GA membership is all about. Put your name on the line, sign on for accepting part of the legal responsibility for it by being a member, and convince enough others to do the same and take legal responsibility for said action. Don't want to do that? Sucks to be you, because that's how the real world works.

This same argument (by the same people, I might add) is the main reason HiFo failed quite as spectacularly as it did. Several people wanted to have "absolute say", but almost none of them wanted to take on the legal responsibility/liability for those choices. That's why HiFo as yet to have a single Board member complete a full 2- year term without resigning, myself included.

I'm hoping the e.V. will do better, but so far... I'm seeing lots of the same patterns (and same rabble rousers).