In German law it's pretty clear - and I think it can't be much different in the US - that every website has to provide information about the responsible legal person.

Especially as there is a real risk for a site that size to get involved in a lawsuit, more so when publishing content from total strangers.

Now I was always under the impression that Tim Vroom was the original person, who "held the keys", and that he only shared/delegated the administration of this construct to the other gods.

But at some point he might have thought, that he didn't want to carry all the risk anymore and sought the legal umbrella of the TPF.

The fact that it's not better defined in writing here - including your own confusion - seems to indicate a deliberate gray zone. And the Perl community was always inclined to a certain hippy-like laissez-faire way.

But the easiest way to clarify, is to ask Vroom himself. It must be in his vital interest to know, who might need to pay for the lawyers. I wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise.

edit

My bet is that there is an - at least informal - agreement that TPF forms that protective umbrella. Because that's what the TPF was created for.

But that doesn't mean that "they" have the power to decide about the design. Whatever "they" means.