Freecycle

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The Freecycle Network (often abbreviated TFN or just known as Freecycle) is a non-profit organization registered in the state of Arizona, USA, and separately registered as a UK charity,[1] that organizes a worldwide network of "gifting" groups, aiming to divert reusable goods from landfill. It provides a worldwide online registry, and coordinates the creation of local groups and forums for individuals and non-profits to offer and receive free items for reuse or recycling, promoting Gift economics as a motivating cultural outlook. "Changing the world one gift at a time" is The Freecycle Network's official tagline.

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[edit] Background

The organization originated as a project of RISE Inc., a nonprofit corporation, to promote waste reduction in Tucson, Arizona. RISE subsequently handed it over to the project leader, Deron Beal. Beal set up the first Freecycle e-mail group for the citizens of Tucson. The concept has since spread to over 85 countries, with thousands of local groups and millions of members.

Each local group currently exists as a Yahoo! Groups mailing list run by volunteer moderators. TFN encourages the formation of new groups, subject to approval by regional New Group Approvers (NGAs). Groups approved by TFN are listed at the official website, can use the name and logo, and are subject to rules enforced by a structure of global and regional GOAs (Group Outreach Assistance). TFN originally planned to move a custom designed, centralized site in 2004, but the project moved slowly, largely because of a shortage of skilled volunteer labor. In 2008, Freecycle went live with a beta version of a centralized, custom site.

[edit] Successes

TFN has grown rapidly into a global organization of over four thousand local chapters, and passed the 2 million member mark in February 2006.[2] As of July 2008, the membership stands at 5,531,000 across 4,556 communities.[3] The original idea has since been copied and varied by hundreds of similar groups around the world.

[edit] Controversies

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  1. In February 2005, Deron Beal accepted TFN's first corporate support of $130,000 from Waste Management, Inc. (WMI)[4] This polarizedTemplate:POV-statement opinion amongst group moderators. Some view it as a sensible way of raising funds, from a company Beal describes as America's "largest recycler." But others consider it selling out to corporate interests. Further criticism was provokedTemplate:POV-statement by a decision to take paid Google ads on the TFN web site, contrary to the initial stated principles. A second grant from WMI was received by TFN in February 2006 in the amount of $100,000, bringing their total funding to $230,000.
  2. Beal has been criticized for defending TFN's trademark by imposing rules on copyright language and logo usage at the expense of closing down community groupsTemplate:POV-statement that did not comply. Beal insists this intends to prevent commercial interests from appropriating the name or establishing a competing website freecycle.com. Critics claim that it could be equally protected from corporate abuse by establishment as a generic term.
    • A formal trademark opposition[5] was filed in federal court by Tim Oey of FreecycleSunnyvale against The Freecycle Network[6] in January 2006. An injunction was granted against Mr. Oey in May 2006 for allegedly disparaging the TFN trademark.[7] This injunction was stayed in July 2006 and was eventually dissolved by the Ninth Circuit in September 2007.[8]
    • During 2006, in order to defend their trademark TFN also pursued other free recycling groups who either mentioned the term "freecycle" or allegedly had "confusingly similar derivations thereof",[9].
    • Free speech advocates, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and 38 law professors filed an Amicus brief[10] to oppose a trademark infringement lawsuit TFN filed against Tim Oey. The basis for the opposition is that the lawsuit violates First Amendment rights. Separately Lawrence Lessig, Jimmy Wales, and some other law professors filed a second amicus brief[11] also supporting Tim Oey.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Official sites

[edit] News and media

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