Q&A: Ownership of a Gift to a Group
Ownership of a Gift to a Group
Question
Our company received quite a few donations of different kinds during the war, and now as we approach discharge a question has come up for us: who owns the donations? Is each soldier the owner of what he received, or is the “company” the owner of the donations? In other words, can a soldier who is being discharged / leaving take home the equipment we received, or must he leave it with the company for the next soldier who enlists in his place?
Should one try to determine what the donors intended (in a general way, or perhaps for each donation separately) — given that they probably did not really think about this question?
Is it correct to distinguish between military equipment (where there is more room to view it as belonging to the combat framework as a whole) and civilian equipment?
P.S. Thank you very much for all the content on the site.
Answer
The obvious distinction is between military equipment and personal equipment. But it seems to me that even personal equipment should properly be left for the soldiers who come after you. It is supposed to serve them in the army, not at home. Presumably that is also the donors’ implicit intention (even if they did not think about it explicitly).