The Freecycle Network

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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 landfills. 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.[citation needed], a nonprofit corporation, to promote waste reduction in Tucson, Arizona. RISE subsequently handed it over to the project leader, Deron Beal[citation needed]. 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.[citation needed]

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).[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] In 2008, Freecycle went live with a beta version of a centralized, custom site.[citation needed] As of March 2009, all new groups must be started on www.Freecycle.org's new group system, giving TFN even more control over the individual groups. Moderators of existing Yahoogroups have the choice (at this time) of remaining on Yahoogroups or moving their groups to the freecycle.org site. [2]

[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.[3] As of July 2008, the membership stands at 5,531,000 across 4,556 communities.[4] The original idea has since been copied and varied by hundreds of similar groups around the world.

[edit] Controversies

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[edit] Corporate support

In February 2005, Deron Beal accepted TFN's first corporate support of $130,000 from Waste Management, Inc. (WMI)[5] This polarized[neutrality disputed] opinion amongst group moderators.[citation needed] 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 provoked[neutrality disputed] by a decision to take paid Google ads on the TFN web site, contrary to the initial stated principles[citation needed]. 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[citation needed].

[edit] Trademark issues

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 groups[neutrality disputed] that did not comply. Beal insists this intends to prevent commercial interests from appropriating the name or establishing a competing website freecycle.com[citation needed]. Critics claim[citation needed] that it could be equally protected from corporate abuse by establishment as a generic term.

  • A formal trademark opposition[6] was filed in federal court by Tim Oey of FreecycleSunnyvale against The Freecycle Network[7] in January 2006. An injunction was granted against Mr. Oey in May 2006 for allegedly disparaging the TFN trademark.[8] This injunction was stayed in July 2006 and was eventually dissolved by the Ninth Circuit in September 2007.[9]
  • 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",[10].

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Freecycle UK" is registered under charity number 1118148 and its registration refers to uk.freecycle.org as its official website address.
  2. ^ The Freecycle Network moderator Yahoogroup
  3. ^ http://freecycle.org/pressreleases/06-02-21_2millionMembers.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.freecycle.org/
  5. ^ Angel, Wendy (2005-03-01). "Free and Fabulous". WasteAge. http://www.wasteage.com/mag/waste_free_fabulous/. Retrieved on 2007-12-29. 
  6. ^ FreecycleSunnyvale (2006-01-18). "Notice of Opposition" (PDF). Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, USPTO: Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, USPTO. ESTTA62464. http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-91168664-OPP-1.pdf. Retrieved on 2007-12-29. 
  7. ^ FreecycleSunnyvale v. The Freecycle Network, No. C06-00324CW .
  8. ^ The Freecycle Network, Inc. v. Oey, No. CV 06-173 (CV-06-00173-RCC) , 5 (D. Ariz. May 11, 2006).
  9. ^ http://caselaw.findlaw.com/data2/circs/9th/0616219p.pdf
  10. ^ http://www.chillingeffects.org/trademark/notice.cgi?NoticeID=5022
  11. ^ http://volokh.com/files/freecyclelemleybrief.pdf
  12. ^ http://volokh.com/files/freecyclepostbrief.pdf

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Official sites

[edit] News and media

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