OPEN PANEL — Entity Model Wire Diagrams
OPEN PANEL — Entity Model Wire Diagrams
Section titled “OPEN PANEL — Entity Model Wire Diagrams”Org-layout flowcharts for each candidate structure from
ENTITY_STRUCTURE_REVIEW.md. Optional / add-later components are drawn dashed. Read the legend first. Status: DRAFT v0.1 — not legal advice; counsel confirms before formation.
Legend (how to read every diagram)
Section titled “Legend (how to read every diagram)” ┌─────────┐ solid box = required entity / brand │ ENTITY │ └─────────┘
┌┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┐ dashed box = OPTIONAL / add-later component ┊optional ┊
──IP──▶ labeled arrow = what flows (IP · $ · royalties · free comics) ══control══▶ heavy arrow = CONTROL / mission-lock direction ◀── free comics to READERS = the charitable-feeling output (always free)Four things to track in each layout: who owns the IP, who holds control, where officer/creator wealth lands, and how locked the “free forever” mission is.
A · Current draft — 501(c)(3) + C-corp (for contrast; not recommended for this brief)
Section titled “A · Current draft — 501(c)(3) + C-corp (for contrast; not recommended for this brief)” DONORS / GRANTS ──$──▶ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ OPEN PANEL FOUNDATION │ owns IP + marks READERS ◀─free comics──│ 501(c)(3) charity │◀══ INDEPENDENT BOARD (control) └───────────┬────────────┘ ▲ │ arm's-length master license (IP use) royalties │ ▼ (UBIT-excl) │ ┌────────────────────────┐ └───│ VARIANT · C-corp │──▶ merch / media / editions ──▶ $ └───────────┬────────────┘ ▼ OFFICERS (equity in VARIANT only)Misfit: control ceded to the board · IP can never be sold (locks in charity) · the whole inurement + arm’s-length + §512(b)(13) bridge exists only to cross the tax-exempt boundary.
B · PBC-center ★ RECOMMENDED START
Section titled “B · PBC-center ★ RECOMMENDED START” ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐ READERS ◀free─│ OPEN PANEL, INC. │ owns IP + marks │ Delaware Public Benefit Corp │ │ ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────────────┐ │ │ │ FOUNDATION │ │ VARIANT │ │ ← brands / divisions │ │ free reader │ │ licensing·editions │ │ of ONE company │ └──────────────┘ └─────────┬──────────┘ │ └──────────▲───────────────────────┼─────────────┘ founders OWN & run ║ control │ licensing $$ ──▶ merch/media/partners the company ════════╝ ▼ OFFICERS / CREATORS (equity · options · profit · royalty share — all legal here)
┌┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┐ ┊ SATELLITE 501(c)(3) ┊◀──deductible $── DONORS / GRANTS (OPTIONAL · later) ┊ outreach charity ┊ funds school / library / creator-grant PROGRAMS only — ┊ ✗ does NOT own the IP ┊ never touches the crown-jewel IP, so none of the └┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┘ inurement / UBIT machinery attaches.Fit: founders keep control · exit stays open · officer wealth native · mission carried by the charter, not a tax election · free comics = deductible business expense.
C · Perpetual Purpose Trust / golden share (permanence upgrade — the Patagonia move)
Section titled “C · Perpetual Purpose Trust / golden share (permanence upgrade — the Patagonia move)” ┌────────────────────────────────────┐ │ PERPETUAL PURPOSE TRUST │ holds VOTING CONTROL │ stewardship committee (founders │ locks mission permanently: │ may sit on it) │ "free forever · IP serves mission · NO SALE" └─────────────────┬──────────────────┘ ║ control + mission-lock ▼ ┌────────────────────────────────────┐ READERS ◀│ OPEN PANEL, INC. │ owns IP · free reader + VARIANT licensing free │ for-profit (PBC or C-corp) │──▶ licensing $$ ──▶ merch / media / editions └─────────────────┬──────────────────┘ │ profit (ECONOMIC rights — not control) ▼ OFFICERS / CREATORS salary · profit share · equity-like ✗ no sale windfall
┌┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┐ ┊ OPTIONAL: park the economic shares in a (c)(4)/(c)(3) that receives the profit. ┊ ┊ Patagonia = Purpose Trust [control] + Holdfast Collective 501(c)(4) [economics]. ┊ └┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┘Fit: strongest mission-lock + retained control (as steward) + legal officer wealth — but closes the exit by design. Adopt only once you commit to “never sell.”
D · Steward-ownership LLC + golden share (light permanence — cheaper than C)
Section titled “D · Steward-ownership LLC + golden share (light permanence — cheaper than C)” ┌──────────────────────────┐ │ MISSION ENTITY │ holds ONE golden share: │ tiny foundation / │ VETO over { sell company · end "free forever" · │ nonprofit LLC │ strip mission } — and nothing else └────────────┬─────────────┘ ║ golden-share veto (mission-lock ONLY) ▼ ┌──────────────────────────────────────┐ READERS ◀│ OPEN PANEL, LLC │ founders hold operating + economic control; free │ operating agreement bakes in mission;│ run day-to-day normally │ IP + licensing live here │──▶ licensing $$ ──▶ $ └────────────┬─────────────────────────┘ ▼ OFFICERS / CREATORS (profit / distributions)Fit: ~80% of C’s permanence for a fraction of the legal cost. Founders give up only the right to sell / un-mission; keep everything else.
E · Open-story / closed-trademark (asset overlay — pairs with B, C, or D)
Section titled “E · Open-story / closed-trademark (asset overlay — pairs with B, C, or D)” ┌──────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┐ │ THE STORIES (the comics) │ THE BRAND + CANON (the real asset) │ │ ── GIVEN AWAY ── │ ── KEPT PROPRIETARY ── │ │ Creative Commons license │ · trademarks (OPEN PANEL · VARIANT) │ │ free · copyable · remixable │ · "official" VARIANT editions │ │ │ │ · adaptation / media rights │ │ ▼ │ · the authoritative universe / canon │ │ anyone can read & share │ │ │ │ → maximum reach, truly "free" │ ▼ │ │ │ licensing $$ ── the moat is BRAND, │ │ │ not control of files │ └──────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘ Pattern: Arduino (open HW + TM moat) · SCP (CC content) · Wikipedia (free text, owned mark). Makes "free forever" LEGALLY TRUE — not a revocable promise — independent of entity choice.F / G / H — variations in brief
Section titled “F / G / H — variations in brief”F · Creator cooperative (use as a component, not the whole vehicle)
CREATORS ══member-owners══▶ ┌──────────────┐ ──free comics──▶ READERS one-member-one-vote │ CO-OP │ ──surplus shared──▶ creators └──────────────┘ strong creator-trust story (CANON §5) · weak on founder control + raising capital → adopt as a creator REV-SHARE class inside B/C/D, not the parent entity.G · Employee/Creator Ownership Trust (EOT) (= C, but beneficiary = the makers)
┌──────────────────────────┐ owns the company, perpetually, FOR creators/employees │ CREATOR OWNERSHIP TRUST │ └────────────┬─────────────┘ ▼ OPEN PANEL co (for-profit) ──profit──▶ benefits the people who make the comicsH · Mozilla inversion (named so it can be ruled out)
┌────────────────────┐ wholly owns ┌────────────────────┐ │ FOUNDATION 501(c)(3)│════════════▶│ OPEN PANEL CORP │──▶ $ └────────────────────┘ └────────────────────┘ control sits with the charity · officer EQUITY near-impossible → fails the control+wealth brief.Summary table
Section titled “Summary table”| Model | Owns IP | Control | Exit | Officer wealth | Mission lock | Adopt when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A 501(c)(3)+C-corp | Charity | Ceded (board) | Foreclosed | VARIANT equity only, via bridge | Strong, rigid | Only if grants become a real pillar |
| B PBC-center ★ | PBC | Founders | Open | Native (equity/options/profit) | Charter (soft) | Now — fits this brief |
| C Purpose Trust | For-profit | Founders as stewards | Closed (by design) | Native, no sale windfall | Permanent | When you commit to never sell |
| D Golden-share LLC | LLC | Founders | Closed for sale only | Native | Strong (veto) | Want permanence, cheap & light |
| E Open/TM overlay | (overlay) | n/a | n/a | n/a | Makes “free” legally true | Always — pair with B/C/D |
| F Co-op | Co-op | Members | n/a | Shared surplus | Member-driven | As a creator-share class only |
| G EOT | Trust | Stewards | Closed | For the makers | Permanent | Creator-permanence priority |
| H Mozilla inv. | Charity | Charity | Foreclosed | ✗ near-impossible | Strong | Rejected for this brief |
Decision path
Section titled “Decision path” Are deductible grants/donations a FUNDING PILLAR? │ yes ─────────────▶ keep a 501(c)(3) in the mix (A, or B + satellite) │ no ▼ Must founders keep CONTROL? │ yes ─────────────▶ rule out the classic 501(c)(3) (A) ▼ Committed to NEVER sell (permanence) yet? │ NOT YET ─────────▶ ┏━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┓ │ ┃ ★ STRUCTURE B ┃ ◀── START HERE │ ┃ PBC-center ┃ (+ satellite c3 only if │ ┗━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┛ grants ever appear) │ YES ▼ How heavy a lock? ├─ light ──▶ D · golden-share LLC └─ full ──▶ C · Perpetual Purpose Trust (or G · EOT if creator-benefit)
── overlay E · open-content + trademark moat on whichever you pick ──Bottom line: start at B, keep C/D as the permanence upgrade you migrate to with no teardown, and apply E regardless so “free forever” is a legal fact, not a brand promise.
Companion to ENTITY_STRUCTURE_REVIEW.md. Diagrams are schematic, not legal opinions;
counsel confirms entity mechanics before any filing.