New Year Message 3

: No qualifications or status are required to build Eco Centers. Anyone can learn to build and operate these facilities. You can make your home an Eco Center ? if that is your goal. A commercial greenhouse project can incorporate an Eco Center; as can an Incubation Center, or Commercial Business Mall, Industrial Park, Research Center, Campus Residence, Tourist Resort, Survivalist Retreat, Health & Wellness Center, multi residence Eco Villa ? and Eco Village projects - any project that will let the public and professionals encounter and gain direct experience with Eco Living � these projects can all be members of the Eco Center ? Network. All these enterprises can be united through combining their information, know how, experience and resources by helping to build the Solaroof Wiki knowledge base. This means that we will establish the Eco Center ? Network as a high level Social Enterprise with GLOBAL presence but LOCAL action plans. To the Solaroof Wiki we will gradually add many strengthening ICT innovations that will build technical, social, financial and economic mechanisms to enhance the support for the implementation of a vast number of Eco Center ? projects. Projects will have all the best characteristics of successful franchise businesses but the "franchisor" is the opensource community and therefore the returns on our common capital of knowledge can be invested in "Pay It Forward" initiatives.
: I would therefore reassure people like the Rutgers University Eco Complex ? that the use of the term Eco Center ? is generic and all projects would be expected to have, like the Rutgers facility, a descriptive name that would usually identify place and or organization that is sponsor of a project that is a collaborative member of the Solaroof Wiki and as such is helping to build the shared knowledge base. Now if some organizations restrict their activity to the development of proprietary information exclusively for enhancement of their brands and trademarks then they may not wish to share this information with our collaboration - to me this is simply misguided since I believe that participation in the collaboration will enhance the profile of any individual or organization.
: Also, while the Solaroof Wiki and website is an environment for Open Source disclosure, such disclosure is not the same as a granting or gifting the information disclosed to the public domain. In fact the information can be disclosed and shared in our opensource community and still remain the property of the disclosing party but the information becomes subject to our opensource policy for the use of the information that is provided. All proprietary information on the Solaroof Wiki is contributed with permission for non-exclusive use of patented technology (generally standard terms of use will provide for direct royalty to the inventor by the manufacturers) while original works (no patent is required) will all be eligible for direct compensation to the intellectual property (called "IP", meaning copyright, industrial design, patent etc.) owners by means of a voluntary Honor Payment system. The type of compensation sought by the contributor of IP would be specified at the time of disclosure or publication to the Solaroof Wiki and the disclosure confirms the acceptance of the conditions and terms that are stipulated by our openSource License (still under development).Contributors, who disclose information, or participate in authoring content, or publish original works that may include IP to the Open Eco ? Wiki must all understand and be in agreement with the rights to the use of this information that is thereby granted to all members of our community.
: Members of our community are persons, including individuals and legal entities, which share our purpose and intend to observe our community ethics and policies (name and email for formal membership). Members may be contributors and/or users of the knowledge base. We must always remember that the general public also has internet access to all of the information that members do and that they are free to ignore the opensource policy since it is a moral guideline and not a legal requirement. However we do not intend to waste precious resources and energy "policing" or protecting "Intellectual Property" from abuse by the public or our members. Individual members that have contributed IP covered by issued patents must assume personal responsibility for any enforcement of their right to non-exclusive royalties directly with the users of this IP. Our reliance on an Honor Payment system is based upon the firm conviction that while the unauthorized use by solaroof members might result in problems, which will be minor as compared to the vast benefits (including direct compensation to inventors and authors) that can be achieved through an "Honor System" of cooperation. Some individuals will free-load the community - but the community is strong enough to bear this and our educational process will gradually show people how the process can ultimately help everyone to respect this value system. The Honor Payments ? and Pay It Forward voluntary contributions are only intended for those who have the ability and those not in such circumstance can use and pay later - always on a voluntary basis. Our products and activities will not exploit anyone - nor is there to be any exclusion to access to our knowledge base due to lack of financial means. As long as they have the intention to make the Honor Payment and Pay It Forward contributions in the future, as and when the financial position improves, then everyone - including those in poverty have the freedom to move ahead and build a wealth generating and sustainable lifestyle.

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