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Purpose and fields of activity of the iconet Foundation

The following section is from the bylaws of the iconet Foundation regarding the field of activities, translated from German (as of March 2022):

§3 Purpose of the Corporation
The corporation is active in two fields of activity for the realization of the two purposes.

Field of activity A:
The corporation promotes science and research in the field of computer science, especially in the field of Internet architecture. Specifically, this involves targeted research on the topic of 'interconnectivity of diverse communication technologies'.

Explanation:
Interconnectivity of diverse communication technologies means that users of different communication applications - e.g. instant messaging services, social networks, social media - can freely interact with each other across the boundaries of these applications. Content and functionalities are received and displayed via a defined interface in the communication partner's application, for example.

Activity A:
The corporation initiates, coordinates, conducts and promotes research on the topic of 'interconnectivity of diverse communication technologies'. Results are processed by the corporation and made available to the general public. A recommendation for a concrete technical standard will be developed as a result of this work.

Field of activity B:
The Body will promote the realization of the knowledge gathered through Activity A, in order to improve consumer protection and autonomy in the field of digital communication media.

Explanation:
To date, users have been limited in their choice of communication applications to use the same applications as their contacts with whom they wish to communicate. Interconnectivity of diverse communication technologies offers users the ability to choose applications freely according to their digital communication and networking needs independently. Users can choose applications and functionalities that take into account their personal values and needs. A diverse product landscape is emerging in which application and network operators are incentivized to protect users' rights, interests, and data for competitive reasons.

In addition, the Body shall provide consumer advice on the choice of the respective applications and functionalities that best cover the personal requirements and values of the users.

In addition, the Company is entitled to take all actions that appear suitable to directly promote the Company's purpose.

Non-profit declaration of the iconet Foundation

The following sections are from the bylaws of the iconet Foundation regarding the non-profit status, translated from German (as of March 2022). Supervision is subject to the Tübingen tax office.

§2 Non-profit status
The corporation exclusively and directly pursues charitable purposes within the meaning of the section 'Tax-privileged purposes' of the German Tax Code. The purposes of the corporation are
(a) the promotion of science and research, and
(b) the promotion of consumer advice and consumer protection.
The Corporation need not pursue all purposes with the same intensity or at the same time.

§ 4 Selflessness
The Corporation shall act selflessly; it shall not primarily pursue its own economic purposes.

§ 5 Use of funds
The funds of the corporation may only be used for the purposes set out within the bylaws. The shareholders may not receive any shares in the profits or any other allocations from the funds of the corporation. They shall not receive back more than their paid-in capital shares upon their withdrawal or upon dissolution of the corporation or upon discontinuation of tax-privileged purposes.

§ 6 Exclusion of inappropriate remuneration
No legal or natural person may benefit from expenditures that are alien to the purpose of the corporation or from disproportionately high remuneration.

§ 7 Use of assets in the event of dissolution
In the event of dissolution or termination of the corporation or in the event that tax-privileged purposes cease to exist, the assets, insofar as they exceed the paid-in capital shares of the shareholders, shall fall to the Free Software Foundation Europe e.V., which must use them directly and exclusively for charitable, benevolent or church purposes.

Legal information

iconet Foundation gUG (haftungsbeschränkt)
c/o Franz!Werk
Bei den Pferdeställen 8
72072 Tübingen
Germany

Registration:
Registergericht Stuttgart
Handelsregisternummer: HRB 782353

Managing directors: Steffen Schnürer, Martin Miller

Responsible for journalistic-editorial content: Martin Miller

This information also applies to the social media profiles linked below.