Ballot 205 – Membership-Related Clarifications

Ballot overview

• Ballot 205, Membership-Related Clarifications, was a CA/Browser Forum bylaws amendment.
• The ballot was intended to clarify what happens when an existing member no longer meets membership criteria, to make clearer that recognition of currently-issued certificates by at least one browser member is a membership requirement, and to add the definition of Affiliate from the IPR policy.

Outcome

• The voting period ended and the ballot passed.
• The page states that the ballot passed all required approval thresholds for CAs and browsers.
• Because this was only an amendment to the Forum Bylaws, there was no Review Period under the IPR Agreement, and the ballot was immediately in effect.

Main changes in the motion

• Added a new section on ending Forum membership.
• Browser member membership would automatically cease if it stopped providing updates for its membership-qualifying software product, or if six months elapsed since the last published update.
• CA member membership could be suspended if it failed its membership-qualifying audit, had its audit revoked, rescinded, or withdrawn, if fifteen months elapsed since the end of the Audit Period of its last successful membership-qualifying audit, if it stopped issuing certificates to openly accessible Web servers, or if its currently-issued certificates were no longer treated as valid by at least one Browser member.
• The Chair would investigate reported qualification issues and could announce suspension if evidence was not provided within five working days.
• A suspended CA member could be unsuspended if it later re-met the criteria and provided evidence on the Public Mail List.
• A CA member would automatically cease six months after suspension if it had not re-met the criteria by then.
• While suspended, CAs could still participate in meetings and discussion lists, but could not propose or second ballots or vote.
• Section 2.1(a) and 2.1(b) were updated to add wording about actively issuing certificates to openly accessible Web servers, with validity determined when using a browser created by a Browser member.
• Section 2.2(b) was updated so only one vote per Member company would be accepted and representatives of corporate Affiliates would not vote.
• The Definitions section was updated to add Affiliate and define control as direct or indirect beneficial ownership of more than fifty percent of voting stock, or decision-making authority where there is no voting stock.

Procedure and voting thresholds

• Discussion period: 22 June to 29 June
• Vote for approval: 29 June to 6 July
• Approval required two-thirds or more of CA votes and greater than 50% of browser votes, with quorum required under Bylaw 2.2(g)
• The page states quorum was met and the approval requirements were met for both CAs and browsers

Compliance timing

• The ballot was in effect immediately because there was no IPR Review Period.
• The evidence does not provide a separate later compliance date beyond the ballot becoming in effect.