3 ms·

>donations I think there is a big psychological difference (and maybe a legal one?) between accepting donations for something you put up for public access vs.

• paulryanrogers 5y ago
  If so would that also impact 'backing' like KickStarter and Patreon?
  • ineedasername 5y ago
    I'm really not sure. I'd guess that, say, YouTubers who provide extras to Patreon supporters often feel a much higher sense of obligation. As for the legal aspect, I'm speculating based on just a bit of knowl she about contract law: If you give something as a donation, I don't think that constitutes a contract. If you give something with the promise or expectation (by all parties) of something in return then it begins to strongly look like a contract. I could imagine a lawsuit against a Patreon recipient if they collected $1m while promising something to supporters and never delivered. (I'm not sure people would bother with a lawsuit, but I could see grounds for one). I think it's a bit different if the exchange was more informal, like "Hey I'm making X for my own enjoyment, I hope you like it too. Click here if you want to send me coffee money" and then collected $1m on that but never finished the project. There's a lot of subtleties though, and plenty of contract disputes revolve around whether or not a contract existed in the first place (written, verbal, or implied) So, if you start saying "I will maintain foss project X if supporters average $Y/month" then I think that really muddies the water on legals obligations in many jurisdictions. It may not matter if you call them donations or not. After all even with donations to non profit there can be an expectation of return: a plaque on a wall, name on a building, etc.