ARTICLE 1
PURPOSES AND OBJECTS
1.1 General Purpose
The name of this corporation is 10 GIGABIT ETHERNET
ALLIANCE ("the Corporation"). The
Corporation is a nonprofit mutual benefit corporation organized under
the Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law of
the State of California. The business of the Corporation
shall not be conducted for the financial profit of its members, but
shall be conducted for the mutual benefit of its
members. The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful
act or activity for which a corporation may be organized
under such law.
1.2 Specific Purposes
(a) The
specific purpose of the Corporation is to promote standards based 10
Gigabit Ethernet technology and to encourage the
utilization and implementation of 10 Gigabit Ethernet as
a key networking technology for connectivity of various computing, data
and telecommunications devices.
(b) The
mission of the Corporation will be to nurture and help develop a broad
market by promoting the proliferation of 10 Gigabit
Ethernet into the networking market broadly defined
including LANs, MANs, and WANs. Also, the Corporation is committed to
promoting multi-vendor interoperability.
(c) The
charter of the Corporation will be comprised of the following major
goals:
(1) Support the 10 Gigabit Ethernet standards
effort conducted in the IEEE 802.3 working
committee;
(2) Contribute resources to facilitate convergence and consensus on
technical specifications;
(3) Promote industry awareness, acceptance, and advancement of the
10 Gigabit Ethernet standard;
(4) Accelerate the adoption and usage of 10 Gigabit Ethernet
products and services;
(5) Provide resources to establish and demonstrate multi-vendor
interoperability and generally encourage and promote
interoperability and interoperability events;
and
(6) Foster communications between suppliers and users of 10 Gigabit
Ethernet technology and products.
(d) The
activities of the Corporation will include, but not be limited to:
(1) The active promotion of 10 Gigabit Ethernet in
the marketplace;
(2) Supporting tradeshows, industry conferences, market development,
and interoperability activities;
(3) Providing the public, press, and analysts with a single,
comprehensive source of information regarding
10 Gigabit Ethernet technology, infrastructure,
and the 10GbE market in general; and
(4) Performing other activities as permitted under these Bylaws in
furtherance of the goals of the Corporation.
(e) The
members of the Corporation ("Members") are individually and
collectively committed to open competition in the development of
products, technology, and services, and the Members
are not restricted in any way from designing, developing, marketing,
and/or procuring hardware, software, systems,
technology, or services.
1.3 Limitations on Corporate Activities
(a) General
Limitations. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary,
nothing contained in these Bylaws shall authorize
the Corporation directly or indirectly to engage in any act
or thing incidental to or connected with the purposes set forth in
Article 1 hereof or in advancement thereof which
would cause the Corporation to be disqualified as a business league
within the meaning of Section 501(c)(6) of the United
States Internal Revenue Code. No part of the
Corporations net earnings or assets will inure to the benefit of any
Member, Director or private person.
(b) Compliance
With Anti-Trust Laws.
The Corporation and its Directors and Members
acknowledge that the purposes and objects of the Corporation prohibit
discussion about sales levels, methods, or
channels of distribution, markets, customers, prices or profitability
or any other topic which would restrict use of hardware, software,
technology, or services. The Corporation and its
Directors and Members further direct that the purposes and objects
of the Corporation prohibit discussions or activities on any topic that
could have an adverse impact on national or
international competition or trade or could violate any national or
international law regarding competition or trade. The
Corporation and its Directors, Members and
participants shall strictly comply with state, federal and foreign
antitrust laws. Members are not restricted in any
way from designing, developing, marketing, and/or procuring hardware,
software, systems, technology, or services.
ARTICLE 2
OFFICES OF THE CORPORATION
The
principal office of the Corporation shall be located at such location
within the State of California as the Board of
Directors ("Board") so elects. The Board of Directors may
change the principal office from one location to
another within the State of California. The Board of Directors
may establish other offices within or outside the State of California as
appropriate for fulfilling the purposes of the
Corporation.
ARTICLE 3
MEMBERSHIP
3.1 Membership Candidates
Any
individual or legal entity, private or governmental, interested in
promoting the purposes of the Corporation may
become a member of the Corporation in accordance with these Bylaws,
provided that the Board may from time to time establish membership
requirements that are designed to further the
purposes of the Corporation. The Corporation does not restrict membership
on the basis of race, color, disability, sex, religion, or national
origin.
3.2 Classes of Membership
(a) The
Corporation shall have three classes of membership: Principal Member,
Participating Member, and Auditing Member. Any person or
entity dedicated to the purposes of the
Corporation and meeting any requirements established pursuant to Section
3.1 shall be eligible for membership upon the
Corporation's approval of its membership application and the payment
of such dues and fees as apply at the time.
(b) All
classes of membership are entitled to:
(1) Access to all Working Committee working
documents, meeting minutes, written
contributions and Technical Committee Contributions;
(2) Submit Technical Committee Contributions; and
(3) Subscribe to all general e-mail exploder lists published by the
Corporation.
3.3 Principal Members
(a) The
Corporation's Principal Members are committed to active participation in
the activities conducted by the Corporation to
achieve its goals.
(b) Principal
Members shall have the right to vote on all matters requiring a vote of
the membership, as set forth in these Bylaws. In
addition, Principal Members shall have all rights afforded
voting members under the California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation
Law.
(c) Representatives
of Principal Members have the right to run for a Board of Directors
seat and to serve as an officer of the Corporation and a working
committee chair or vice-chair. In addition, each
Principal Member is entitled to:
(1) Representation at annual, general and special
meetings of the Members and in working
committees (to include task groups);
(2) One (1) vote at all membership meetings (annual, general and
special), in all elections (Board of
Directors, officers, working committee chair/vice-chair) and
in all circumstances where a Member may cast a ballot;
(3) Proactively direct the work undertaken by the Corporation;
(4) Propose new task groups to address specific issues;
(5) Receive first priority to participate in marketing activities;
(6) Receive first priority to participate in interoperability events
hosted by the Corporation;
(7) Use the Corporation's Member logo and Member plaque, denoting
involvement in the Alliance;
(8) Receive first priority of speakers to the Corporation's
Speaker's Bureau for industry conferences,
trade shows and other events; and
(9) Have Company name posted on the Corporation's WWW site.
3.4 Participating Members
(a) Representatives
of Participating Members are entitled to serve on committees and to
chair any working committee sanctioned by the Corporation and to
participate in all Corporation-sponsored events,
including interoperability events. Participating Members of the Corporation
have access to information regarding achievements of the Alliance and
plans for future activities. In addition, each
Participating Member is entitled to:
(1) Representation at annual, general and special
meetings of the Members and in working
committees (to include task groups);
(2) Contribute to the work products of the Alliance;
(3) Participate in marketing activities;
(4) Participate in interoperability events hosted by the
Corporation;
(5) Use the Corporation's Member logo and Member plaque, denoting
involvement in the Alliance;
(6) Provide speakers to the Corporation's Speaker's Bureau for
industry conferences, trade shows and other
events when opportunities are not filled by
Principal Members;
(7) Have Company name posted on the Corporation's WWW site.
(b) Participating
Members have no voting rights at any meeting of Members of the Corporation.
Representatives of Participating Members may not run for the Board of
Directors or serve as officers of the Corporation.
3.5 Auditing Members
(a) Auditing
membership is restricted to employees of colleges and universities and
other not-for-profit institutions who have been invited
by the Board of Directors to join the Alliance as
an Auditing Member. Auditing Members of the Corporation can influence
the technical activities of the Corporation and
have access to information regarding achievements of the
Corporation and plans for future activities.
(b) Auditing
Members have no voting rights at any meeting of Members of the Corporation
and are not entitled to participate in any activity sponsored by the
Corporation except by invitation of the Board.
3.6 Membership Participation
Principal
Members and Participating Members in good standing will be eligible to
attend and participate in all meetings of Members,
will be eligible to attend and participate in any working
committee that might be formed, will be eligible to participate in any
shows, activities, seminars and conferences, and
will be entitled to receive all documentation and materials generated
by the Corporation. Business of the Corporation, including meetings of
the working committees, shall be conducted in
accordance with fair and democratic procedure.
3.7 Member Representatives
(a) Each
Member company shall be entitled to have an unlimited number of participants
in the Corporation's events, however, each Member company shall be
responsible for designating a single person (and
may designate additional persons as alternates) who shall be authorized
to act as the representative of that Member where a vote or other action
on behalf of that Member is required. The
designated representative of any Member company, and any alternate,
must be an employee or authorized agent or contractor of that company
and no person may simultaneously act as the
authorized representative of more than one Member.
(b) Separate
divisions or subsidiaries of a single Member company may participate as
part of the Member company but may not hold a separate
Membership in the Corporation. Employees,
contractors and persons affiliated with a single Member company or
individual Member may participate as part of the
Member company but may not hold a separate Membership
in the Corporation. (c) An authorized
representative of a Member, including a member of the Board of Directors
or any officer, cannot continue to act in such capacity in the event
that person ceases to be affiliated with the
Member he or she represents, or upon termination of that person's
authority by the Member giving written notice of
such termination to the Corporation and designating a new
authorized representative. A person who has, for any reason, ceased to
be an authorized representative of a Member may at
any time thereafter become an authorized representative for any
other Member. If such person was formerly acting as an officer of the
Corporation or a member of the Board, the Board
may reappoint such person to the same or any other office and/or
may appoint such person to fill the vacancy on the Board pursuant to
Section 5.8 of these Bylaws.
3.8 Member Working Committees
(a) Working
committees may be created by the Board or Officers to address specific
issues or topics. These working committees will be headed
by a volunteer from a Principal Member or a
Participating Member. The participants will be comprised of all
interested Members as well as any other
individuals or groups invited by the committee chair.
(b) Members
may be requested to provide qualified representatives to further the
work of various working committees. The working
committees may organize themselves in any way they
deem appropriate in order to complete a given assignment, but in all
cases subject to these Bylaws and the policies and
procedures of the Corporation. The working committees may meet
as often as they determine necessary and will be responsible for
reporting their progress to the Members.
(c) The
working committee chair shall be responsible for the generation of
documentation related to the activity being pursued. Upon
completion of a working committee activity, the
results will be submitted to the Membership. In addition to
participating in working committees, the Members
are expected to participate in seminars, conferences, and other activities
on a periodic basis to help further the goals of the Corporation.
3.9 Dues, Fees, and Assessments
(a) Each
member must pay, within the time and on the conditions set forth in
these Bylaws, the dues, fees, and assessments. The
dues, fees, and assessments shall be equal for all Members
of each class, but there may be different dues, fees and assessments for
different classes of Members. Dues, fees and
assessments may be prorated to a renewal date. Any increase to
the annual membership dues above the amount of initial dues set forth in
Section 3.9(b) below shall be subject to approval
by the Principal Members.
(b) The
initial dues shall be as follows:
Principal Member: $20,000.00 per year
Participating Member: $10,000 per year
Auditing Members: None
(c) The
Board of Directors may at any time levy special assessments upon the
Principal Members to cover any extraordinary, unusual, or
unanticipated operating expenses or operating
deficits of the Corporation; provided, however, that unless
approved by majority vote of the Principal
Members, the total amount of all special assessments levied within the
same fiscal year shall not exceed fifty percent
(50%) of the annual membership dues charged to the Principal
Members for that fiscal year.
(d) If
any payment of dues or any assessment is not made as and when required,
the Board of Directors shall cause a notice of
default to be sent to the delinquent Member. If the payment
is not made within forty-five (45) days after the date of sending such
notice to the delinquent Member, the Board may
send a further notice advising the delinquent Member that its membership
in the Corporation may be suspended if the default is not cured within
forty-five (45) days. Upon failure or refusal by
the delinquent Member to pay all amounts set forth in the notice
of default, the Board shall be entitled to suspend the membership of the
delinquent Member until such default has been
cured. A membership which has been suspended pursuant to this
paragraph may be reinstated upon payment by the delinquent Member of the
unpaid dues or assessment plus an administrative
fee of $250.00.
3.10 Charges for Participation in Special Events or
Activities
(a) The
Board of Directors may establish charges payable by Members for participation
in any special events or activities conducted by the Corporation,
including, but not limited to, trade shows and
interoperability tests. The amount of such charge shall be equal for
all participants of a given membership class, but may be
different for different classes of membership. The
charge may be less or more than the costs associated with the event or
activity.
(b) The
Board may require advance payment of any portion or all of the charges
for participation in a special event or activity
and may deny participation to any Member failing to make
such payment as and when it become due. In the event a Member
participates in a special event or activity and
fails or refuses to pay the amount charged to that Member for such
participation, the Board of Directors may exercise the
same rights and remedies as would be available in
the case of delinquency in payment of annual dues.
3.11 Good Standing
Those
Members who have paid the required dues, fees, and assessments and who
are not suspended shall be Members in good
standing. Failure to pay required dues, fees or assessments may
result in loss of membership and all Member privileges and benefits in
accordance with the procedures set forth in these
Bylaws.
3.12 Change of Control
In the event
a Member's assets are totally or substantially transferred to another
entity through merger, acquisition or other cause,
that Member's membership may be transferred to the new
entity, provided all appropriate membership documents and the membership
application are properly executed in the name of
the new entity. Any such transfer of membership shall be subject
to approval by the Board of Directors. When both entities hold
membership, the lowest class of membership is
automatically terminated, and the highest class of membership is
retained in the name of the surviving entity. The
Corporation has no obligation to refund any dues, fees or assessments
in the event of merger or acquisition. In no case shall a merger or
acquisition eliminate the obligations of a Member.
3.13 Change in Membership
A Member of
the Corporation may request a change in its status by written
application to the Board of Directors. Said Member
shall be required to pay prorated dues and assessments for a
membership upgrade, receiving prorated credit for the membership dues
and assessments which have already been paid for
the lower class of membership.
3.14 Resignation or Expiration of Membership
(a) Any
Member of the Corporation may withdraw from membership by tendering a
written resignation to the Board of Directors at any
time; provided, however, that no resignation shall
relieve a Member from full payment of any and all initiation fees, dues,
and special assessments and each and every
installment thereof remaining unpaid on the date of tender of resignation.
(b) A
membership which has been issued for a fixed period of time shall
automatically expire at the end of such period, unless
renewed or extended by the Board. 3.15 Termination
or Suspension of Membership
(a) Causes
of Termination or Suspension. The occurrence of any of the following
events shall constitute grounds for termination or
suspension of membership in the Corporation:
(1) Failure of a Member to cure a default in
payment of dues, fees, or assessments in
accordance with Section 3.9(d);
(2) Occurrence of any event that renders a Member ineligible for
membership, or failure to satisfy membership
qualifications;
(3) Bankruptcy or withdrawal from or cessation of business by any
Member which is a legal entity (incorporated
or unincorporated).
(4) Conduct by a Member or by the employees or representatives of a
Member which is seriously detrimental to the purposes
and goals of the Corporation or in violation
of the rules and documented procedures of the Corporation,
including but not limited to a violation of these Bylaws.
(b) Procedure
for Suspension or Revocation of Membership. Upon the occurrence
of any of the events described in paragraph (a) of this Section 3.14,
the Board may initiate proceedings for suspension
or termination of membership by adopting a resolution of intention
to take such action against the affected Member. The resolution must be
adopted by at least a two-thirds vote of the
entire Board. A written notice shall thereupon be given to the affected
Member stating the action proposed to be taken by the Board (i.e.
suspension or revocation of membership) and the
facts and circumstances relied upon by the Board as the justification
for such intended action. The notice shall also specify the date on
which the Board proposes to take such action,
which shall be not less than thirty (30) days from the date of the
notice. The notice shall further advise the affected
Member that the Member is entitled to an opportunity
to be heard, either orally or in writing, prior to the date of the
intended action. Upon request by the Member, the
Board shall schedule a meeting for the purpose of hearing any evidence
the Member desires to present to the Board in person or through a
representative selected by the Member. The
decision by the Board concerning suspension or revocation of membership
shall be final and binding.
(c) Loss
of Membership Rights. A Member whose membership is revoked or
suspended for any reason shall forfeit any dues or
special assessments paid during membership. A
suspended Member shall not be considered a Member in good standing
during the period of suspension, and shall take no
part in any of the activities, funds, property, rights, and interests
belonging to the Corporation until such time as such
Member complies with the requirements for the
removal of the suspension and the return to good standing.
(d) Reinstatement
of Membership After Revocation. A Member whose membership
has been revoked shall be eligible to rejoin the Corporation by
submitting a petition to the Board of Directors.
Such petition must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the entire
Board. A former Member shall not be considered for
readmission until all arrears in dues and/or other
monetary obligations to the Corporation, including assessment of
reasonable costs related to the loss and
restoration of membership, shall have been paid.
ARTICLE 4
MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
4.1 General Provisions Concerning Meetings
All meetings
of Directors and Members of the Corporation and working committees
thereof, shall be pursuant to a written agenda. Minutes
shall be taken of all meetings of Directors and
Members and are encouraged but not essential for working committees. The
conduct of any meeting shall be limited to
subjects within the proper purposes and objectives of the Corporation.
4.2. Annual Meeting
The annual
meeting of the Members of the Corporation, at the direction of the Board
of Directors, may be held inside or outside the
State of California, shall be on such date and time within
sixty (60) days after the close of the Corporation's fiscal year, and at
such place as shall be designated by the Board of
Directors, as stated in the notice of the meeting. In the absence of
such determination of place, Members meetings shall be
held at the Corporation's principal office. At the
annual meeting, the Principal Members shall elect the Directors to
replace all Directors whose terms are expiring,
and shall transact such other business as may properly come before
the meeting. If the Corporation fails to hold an annual meeting (or
circulate a written ballot to the Principal
Members for election of Board members) as set forth in this Section 4.1,
any Principal Member may petition the superior court of
the proper county to order such meeting or ballot,
as permitted by Section 7510 of the California Nonprofit Corporations
Law.
4.3. General Meetings
General
meetings of the Members of the Corporation may be held at any place
designated by the President or the Board of
Directors, upon call by the President or the Board of Directors. General
meetings are intended to be a vehicle to discuss the work plan of the
Corporation and the progress thereof, and to
solicit member contributions.
4.4. Special Meetings
(a) Special
meetings of the Members of the Corporation may be called by the Chairman
of the Board, the President, the Board of Directors a committee chair,
or by Principal Members representing five percent
(5%) of the voting power of the Corporation. A special meeting
called by any person (other than an officer or the Board of Directors)
entitled to call such a meeting shall be called by
written request, specifying the general nature of the business proposed
to be transacted, and submitted to the Chairman of the Board, the
President, or the Secretary of the Corporation.
The officer receiving the request shall cause notice to be given promptly
to the Members, in accordance with Section 4.5 of these Bylaws, stating
that a meeting will be held at a special time and
date fixed by the Board of Directors; provided, however, that
the meeting date shall be not less than ten (10) or more
than ninety (90) days after receipt of the request.
If the notice is not given within ten (10) days after receipt of the
request, the person or persons requesting the
meeting may give the notice. Nothing in this Section shall be construed
as limiting, fixing, or affecting the time at
which a meeting may be held when the meeting is called by
the Board of Directors. No business, other than the business of the
general nature of which was set forth in the
notice of the meeting, may be transacted at a special meeting. Minutes
of the meeting will be kept and archived by the
Secretary.
(b) The
Board has the option to approve a sequence of meetings beyond the ninety
(90) day limit in support of a committee wishing to
establish a regular schedule. The Board has the
option to approve meetings beyond the ninety (90) day limit for the
purpose of negotiating lower costs with hotels or
other facility providers.
4.5. Notice
(a) Written
and/or electronic notice of the time and place and purpose of holding
any annual meeting or general meeting of the
Members of the Corporation shall be given to each Member
who on the record date of notice is permitted to attend such meeting,
not less than ten (10) or more than ninety (90)
days prior to the scheduled date for the meeting. The notice of such
a meeting will include the proposed agenda for that
meeting. All notices shall be given to the Member's
address on file with the Corporation either personally or by facsimile,
electronic mail, first class, registered, or
certified mail. Notice of a meeting need not be given to any Member
who signs a waiver of notice, whether before or after the
meeting. The attendance of any Member at a meeting
in person shall constitute a waiver of notice by that Member unless such
Member is attending solely for the stated purpose of
protesting the sufficiency of the notice given for
that meeting.
(b) Advance
notice of meetings scheduled beyond the ninety (90) day limit may be
given for the advance planning and convenience of
Members. Such advance notice shall not constitute
fulfillment of the requirements for notification prescribed above and a
separate notice of the meeting shall be given in
accordance with such requirements.
4.6. Quorum
Principal
Members representing not less than one-third of the voting power shall
constitute a quorum for any annual, general or special
meeting of Members; provided, however,
that a meeting attended by Principal Members representing
less than one-third of the voting power shall
constitute a quorum for the purpose of voting only upon matters that
were generally described in the notice of that
meeting given to the Members. Upon approval by the Board and subject
to such restrictions or conditions as the Board may prescribe, Members
may attend any meeting by means of
teleconferencing, video conferencing, or other electronic means, so long
as each Member attending the meeting in such
fashion is able to hear and participate in the meeting to
the same extent as any Member who is physically present at the meeting.
4.7. Voting
(a) If
a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the Principal
Members represented at the meeting and entitled to vote
thereon shall be the act of the Members. Cumulative
voting shall not be authorized for the election of Directors or for any
other purpose. The Secretary will provide to any
Principal Member in good standing, upon request, complete voting
tallies of any balloted vote, except that ballots for Directors shall
remain secret.
(b) No
proxy is allowed in voting at any meeting of the Members.
4.8. Written Consents
(a) Any
action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Members of
the Corporation, including the election of
directors, may be taken without a meeting and without prior
notice upon compliance with this Section 4.8.
(b) Approval
by written or electronic ballot pursuant to this Section shall be valid
if the number of ballots cast equal or exceed the
specified total number of ballots that must be received
by a designated time at a meeting authorizing the action.
(c) If
action by Members is proposed to be taken without a meeting, the
Secretary of the Corporation shall distribute one
written ballot to each Principal Member entitled to vote on the
matter. Such ballots shall be mailed or delivered in the manner required
by Section 4.5 of these Bylaws. All solicitations
of votes by written ballot shall:
(1) Describe in reasonable detail the matter to be
voted upon by the Members;
(2) Indicate the number of responses needed to meet majority
requirements;
(3) State the percentage of approvals necessary (51%) to pass the
measure or measures, and
(4) Specify the time by which the ballot must be received in order
to be counted, which time must afford the
Member a reasonable opportunity to return the
ballot to the Secretary of the Corporation.
Whenever
action is taken pursuant to this Section, the written consents of the
Principal Members consenting thereto shall be
filed with the minutes of proceedings of Members.
4.9. Record Date for Member Notice
For the
purposes of determining which Principal Members are entitled to receive
notice of any meeting, to vote, to give consent to
corporate action without a meeting, or to take other action,
the Board of Directors may fix, in advance, a "record date,"
which shall not be more than ninety (90) nor fewer
than ten (10) days before the date of any such meeting, nor more than
sixty (60) days before the date on which ballots
are to be submitted for any proposed action to be taken
without a meeting. Only Principal Members of record on the date so fixed
are entitled to notice, to vote, to give consents,
or take other action, as the case may be.
ARTICLE 5
DIRECTORS
5.1 Powers
The Board of
Directors is responsible for the overall management and well-being
of the Corporation.
5.2 General Management of the Corporation
Subject to
the provisions and limitations of the California Nonprofit Mutual
Benefit Corporation Law and any other applicable
laws, and subject to any limitations in the Articles of Incorporation
and these Bylaws regarding actions that require the approval of the
Members, the Corporation's activities and affairs
shall be managed, and all corporate power shall be exercised, by
or under the Board's direction.
5.3 Specific Powers
(a) Without
prejudice to the general powers set forth in Section 5.2 of these
Bylaws, but subject to the same limitations, the
Directors shall have the power to:
(1) Appoint and remove at the pleasure of the
Board all the Corporation's officers, agents,
and employees; prescribe powers and duties for them that are
consistent with the law, with the Articles of Incorporation, and
with these Bylaws; and fix their compensation
and require from them security for faithful
performance of their duties.
(2) Change the principal office or the principal business office in
California from one location to another;
conduct its activities within or outside California;
and designate any place within or outside California for holding
any meeting of Members.
(3) Adopt and use a corporation seal; adopt forms of Membership
certificates consistent with the provision of
Section 7313 of the California Nonprofit Mutual
Benefit Corporation Law; and alter the forms of the seal and certificates.
(4) Without prejudice to the general powers set forth in these
Bylaws, but subject to the same limitations,
the Directors shall not have the power unless
authorized by a majority of the Members to borrow money on behalf
of the Corporation and cause to be executed and delivered for the
Corporation's purposes, in the corporate name,
promissory notes, bonds, debentures, deeds of
trust, mortgages, pledges, hypothecation, and other evidences
of debt and securities.
(5) Appoint such standing or special committees as may be found
necessary or desirable to carry out the
objectives and purposes of the Corporation, and
to fix their powers and prescribe their duties.
(6) Select an Administrator for administering the day-to-day
activities necessary for the conduct of the
Corporation's business of , and fix and prescribe
its duties. Such Administrator may be an independent contractor
and need not be a Member of the Corporation or a
Member's representative.
(7) Bond such officers, agents, and employees of the Corporation as
may be necessary in such amounts and with such
sureties as may be reasonable.
(8) Designate depositories for the Corporation, to rent safety
deposit vaults, and to provide the manner of
signing checks, notes, bills, and other evidences
of indebtedness of the Corporation.
(9) Invest and reinvest the funds of the Corporation and to change
such investments from time to time, keeping
the safety and security of the funds as a
priority.
(10) Pay as they become due the ordinary and necessary operating
expenses of the Corporation.
(11) In general do all lawful things and exercise all such lawful
powers as are not vested in the Members of the
Corporation and which will promote the objectives
and purposes of the Corporation.
5.4 Authorized Number of Directors
The
authorized number of Directors shall be seven (7).
5.5 Election, Designation and Term of Office
(a) The
Directors shall be elected annually at the annual meeting of the
Corporation's Members. Any representative of a
Principal Member in good standing may run for election to the Board.
A candidate for election to the Board who is the representative of a
Member company shall provide evidence that such
Member has no objection to the assumption by the candidate of the
additional duties, responsibilities and time commitment required for
service on the Board of Directors.
(b) Each
Director shall be elected by the Principal Membership, or as otherwise
specified herein. A Director may serve a maximum of three
(3) consecutive terms. A Director who is a
representative of a Member company shall be required to resign if his or
her employer ceases to be a Principal Member in
good standing or if the Director leaves the employment of the Principal
Member. In the event that person subsequently joins another company who
is or becomes a Principal Member of the
Corporation, her or she may be designated as the representative
of his or her new employer and may run for a position on the Board.
(c) The
Chairman of the Board, if any, and the President shall be elected by the
Board from the members of the Board of Directors. The
Vice President(s), if any, the Secretary and the
Treasurer may also serve as a member of the Board of Directors. Officers
who are not members of the Board of Directors
shall be ex-officio members but shall not be voting members of
the Board.
(d) No
Principal Member may have more than one representative on the Board of
Directors. The Board of Directors can conduct itself by
majority vote on decisions required of it and can
do so by voice or email. Proxy votes of any kind are not permitted in
any vote taken by the Board. The Board shall
prepare a report on the annual activities to be presented to the Members
at the annual meeting.
(e) All
Directors shall take office at each annual meeting of Principal Members
and will hold office until the next annual
meeting; however, if any Directors are not elected at an annual
meeting, they may be elected at any special Members' meeting held for
that purpose or by written ballot. Each Director,
including a Director elected to fill a vacancy or elected at a special
Members' meeting or by written ballot, shall hold office
until a successor has been elected and qualified
in the annual elections.
5.6 Vacancies of Board
(a) A
vacancy or vacancies on the Board shall exist on the occurrence of any
of the following events:
(1) The death or resignation of any Director;
(2) The declaration by resolution of the Board of a vacancy in the
office of a Director who has been declared of
unsound mind by an order of court or convicted
of a felony;
(3) The vote of a 2/3 majority of Principal Members, to remove any
Director(s);
(4) The failure of the Principal Members, at any meeting of Members
at which any Director or Directors are to be
elected, to elect the number of Directors
required to be elected at that meeting.
5.7 Resignations
Except as
provided below, any Director may resign by giving written notice to the
Chair of the Board, if any, or to the President or
the Secretary of the Corporation. The resignation shall be
effective when the notice is given unless it specifies a later time for
the resignation to become effective.
5.8 Filling Vacancies
In the event
of the death, resignation, removal, or disqualification of any Director,
the Board shall fill the vacancy with a Principal
Member in good standing who is not currently represented
on the Board. If the Board does not act, a special meeting of the
Principal Members may be called in the manner
prescribed in these Bylaws to nominate and vote for a Director to
fill any vacancy or vacancies not filled by the Board (to
serve for the rest of the term).
5.9 No Removal on Reduction of Number of Directors
No reduction
of the authorized number of directors shall have the effect of removing
any Director before that Director's term of office
expires.
5.10 Director's Meetings
(a) Place
of Meetings. Meetings of the Board shall be held at any place within
or outside California that has been designated by
resolution of the Board or in the notice of the meeting.
(b) Meetings
by Telephone. Any meeting can be held by conference telephone or
similar communication equipment, as long as all Directors
participating in the meeting can hear one another.
All such Directors shall be deemed to be present in person at such a
meeting.
(c) Annual
Meetings. Immediately after each annual meeting of Members, the
Board shall hold a regular meeting for purposes of
organization, election of officers, and the transaction
of other business.
(d) Other
Regular Meetings. Other regular meetings of the Board may be held at
such time and place as the Board may fix from time to
time. Regularly scheduled general meetings of the
Board shall occur no less than four times per year.
(e) Special
Meetings. Special meetings of the Board of Directors may be called
by the Chair of the Board, if any, the President,
a Vice President, if any, the Secretary, the Treasurer,
or any two Directors, by giving at least seven (7) days prior notice
prior of the date, time, and place of the meeting.
Such notice may be given either personally, by mail, or by electronic
transmission.
(f) Quorum.
A majority of the authorized number of Directors shall constitute a
quorum for the transaction of business, except to
adjourn. Every action taken or decision made by a
majority of the Directors present a duly held meeting at which a quorum
is present shall be the act of the Board, subject
to any more stringent requirements as may be contained in the California
Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law or these Bylaws. A meeting at
which a quorum is initially present may continue
to transact business, despite the withdrawal of Directors,
if any action taken or decision made is approved by at least a majority
of the required quorum for that meeting.
(g) Proxy
Votes Prohibited. Proxy votes are not permitted on any votes taken
by the Board of Directors.
(h) Waiver
of Notice. Notice of a meeting need not be given to any Director,
who, either before or after the meeting, signs a
waiver of notice, a written consent to the holding of the meeting,
or an approval of the minutes of the meeting. The waiver of notice or
consent need not specify the purpose of the
meeting. All such waivers, consents and approvals shall be filed in the
corporate records or made a part of the minutes of the
meetings. Notice of a meeting need not be given to
any Director who attends the meeting and does not protest, before or at
the commencement of the meeting, lack of notice to
him or her.
(i) Adjournment.
A majority of the Directors present, whether or not a quorum is
present, may adjourn any meeting to another time and
place. Notice of the time and place of holding an
adjourned meeting need not be given unless the original meeting is
adjourned for more than 24 hours. If the original
meeting is adjourned for more than 24 hours, notice of any adjournment
to another time and place shall be given, before the time of the
adjourned meeting, to the Directors who were not
present at the time of the adjournment.
5.11 Action Without a Meeting
Any action
that the Board is required to take may be taken without a meeting if all
members of the Board consent in writing or electronic
mail to that action. Such action by written consent
shall have the same force and effect as any other validly approved
action of the Board. All such consents shall be
filed with the minutes of the proceedings of the Board.
5.12 Reimbursement
Directors
may receive such reimbursement of expenses as determined by resolution
of the Board to be just and reasonable to the
Corporation at the time the resolution is adopted.
5.13 Committees
(a) Committees
of the Board. The Board, by resolution, may create one or more committees,
each consisting of two or more Directors, to serve at the pleasure of
the Board. Persons who are not Directors of the
Corporation may not be appointed to a committee of the Board.,
The Board may appoint one or more Directors as alternate members of any
such committee, who may replace any absent member
at any meeting. Any such committee, to the extent
provided in the Board resolution, shall have all the authority of the
Board except that no committee, regardless of
Board resolution, may:
(1) Take any final action on any matter that,
under the California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit
Corporation Law, also requires approval of the Members or
approval of a majority of all Members;
(2) Fill vacancies on the Board or on any committee that has the
authority of the Board;
(3) Fix compensation of the Directors for serving on the Board or on
any committee;
(4) Amend or repeal Bylaws or adopt new Bylaws;
(5) Amend or repeal any Board resolution that by its express terms
is not so amendable or repealable;
(6) Create any other committees of the Board or appoint the Members
of committees of the Board.
(b) Meetings
and Actions of Committees. Meetings and actions of committees of the
Board shall be governed by, held, and taken in accordance with, the
provisions of these Bylaws concerning meetings and
other Board actions except that the time for regular meetings of such
committees and calling of special meetings of such committees may be
determined either by Board resolution, or if there
is none, by resolution of the committee. Minutes of each meeting of
any committee of the Board shall be kept and shall be filed as corporate
records. The Board may adopt rules for the
government of any committee that are consistent with these Bylaws or, in
the absence of rules adopted by the Board, the committee
may adopt such rules.
(c) Particular
Board Committees. The Board may establish particular committees, e.g.,
an executive committee, audit committee, nominating committee,
compensation committee and finance committee. The
Board cannot, however, delegate the powers listed in Corporations
Code Section 7212(a)(1)-(8) to any committee. If any
committee is to have any non-director committee
members, it is not a committee of the Board. The Board may delegate
management of the Corporation's activities to the
same extent that those powers could be delegated to anyone under
Corporations Code Section 7210. If the committee does not exercise the
authority of the Board, paragraphs (a) and (b) of
this Section 5.13 need not apply to it.
ARTICLE 6
OFFICERS
6.1 Officers of the Corporation
The officers
of the Corporation shall be a Chair of the Board, if any, a President, a
Secretary, and a Treasurer. The Corporation may also
have, upon approval of the members, one or more
Vice Presidents, one or more assistant secretaries, one or more
assistant treasurers, and such other officers as
may be appointed in accordance with Section 6.3 of these Bylaws. Officer
positions may be combined by the Board (e.g..
Secretary/Treasurer).
6.2 Election of Officers
The officers
of the Corporation, except those appointed under these Bylaws, shall be
elected by the Board at the annual meeting and shall
serve a one (1) year term at the pleasure of the
Board, subject to the rights, if any, of any officer under any contract
of employment. An officer need not be a designated
representative of a Member company.
6.3 Other Officers
The Board
may appoint and may authorize the Chair of the Board, the President, or
other officer to appoint any other officers that
the Corporation may require. Each officer so appointed shall
have the title, hold office for the period, have the authority, and
perform the duties specified in the Bylaws or
determined by the Board.
6.4 Removal of Officers
Without
prejudice to any rights of an officer under any contract of employment,
an officer may be removed with or without cause by
the Board, and also, if the officer was not chosen
by the Board, by any officer on whom the Board may confer that power of
removal.
6.5 Resignation of Officers
Any officer
may resign at any time by giving written or electronic notice to the
Corporation. The resignation shall take effect as of the
date the notice is received or at any later time
specified in the notice and, unless otherwise specified in the notice,
the resignation need not be accepted to be
effective. Any resignation shall be without prejudice to the rights, if
any, of the Corporation under any contract to
which the officer is a party.
6.6 Vacancies in Office
A vacancy in
any office because of death, resignation, removal, disqualification, or
any other cause shall be filled in the manner
prescribed in these Bylaws for regular appointments to that
office, provided, however, that vacancies need not be filled on an
annual basis.
6.7 Chair of the Board
The Chair of
the Board (if any) shall set the agenda and preside at all meetings of
the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Board
shall also act as liaison from and spokesperson for the
Board of Directors and shall participate in long term planning for the
Corporation. The Chair of the Board shall perform
all such other duties as pertain to the Office of the Chair of the Board
and shall perform such other duties as the Board of
Directors shall prescribe by resolution. In the event
that the Chair is unable to attend a meeting, the Chair is responsible
to designate another board member to act in his or
her stead.
6.8 President
Subject to
such supervisory powers as the Board may give to the Chair of the Board
and subject to the control of the Board, the
President shall be the general manager of the Corporation and
shall supervise, direct, and control the Corporation's activities,
affairs, and officers. The President shall be a
member ex-officio of all committees of the Corporation. The President
shall perform all such other duties as pertain to
the office of the President and shall see that all resolutions
of the Board of Directors are carried into effect. In the absence of the
Chair of the Board from any meeting of the
Corporation's Members or the Board of Directors, the President shall
preside.
6.9 Vice Presidents
In the
absence or disability of the President, the Vice Presidents or a Vice
President (if any) designated by the Board shall
perform all duties of the President. When so acting, a Vice President
shall have all powers of and be subject to all restrictions on the
President. The Vice Presidents shall have such
other powers and perform such other duties as the Board or the Bylaws
may prescribe.
6.10 Secretary
(a) The
Secretary shall be the custodian of the corporate records, except those
pertaining to the office of the Treasurer.
(b) The
Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the Corporation's principal
office or at a place determined by Board
resolution, a record of the Corporation's Members, showing each
member's name, address, and class of Membership.
(c) The
Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the Corporation's principal
office or such other place as the Board may elect,
a book of minutes of all meetings, proceedings, and actions
of the Board, of committees of the Board, and of Members' meetings. The
minutes of meetings shall include the time and
place of holding, whether the meeting was annual, regular, or special
and, if special, how authorized, the notice given, the names of those
present at Board and committee meetings, and the
number of Members present or represented at Members' meetings.
(d) The
Secretary shall be responsible for attendance lists, drafting the
minutes of meetings, providing timely notice of
meetings, establishing electronic mail communication with Members,
publication of minutes, agendas, proposals, reports and other documents
transmitted by the Corporation to its Members and
listing the action items generated at meetings. Distribution
via email or posting to the Corporation's website is acceptable in lieu
of hard copy material. The records may be kept in
electronic, disk, or other format so long as a written form may
be printed and accessed.
(e) The
Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept, at the principal office in
California, a copy of the Articles of
Incorporation and Bylaws, as amended to date. (f)
The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings
of Members, of the Board, and of committees of the
Board required by these Bylaws to be given. The Secretary
shall keep the corporate seal (if any) in safe custody.
(g) The
Secretary shall have such other powers and perform such other duties as
the Board or the Bylaws may prescribe.
6.11 Treasurer
(a) The
Treasurer shall keep and maintain, or use a service provider to keep and
maintain, adequate and correct books and accounts of the
Corporation's properties and transactions
consistent with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. The Treasurer
shall send or cause to be given to the Members and
Directors such financial statements and reports as are required
by law, by these Bylaws, or by the Board to be given. The books of
account shall be open to inspection by any
Director at all reasonable times. The Board of Directors may choose
to authorize an audit of the Membership and financial
records at any time by 30 days written notice to
the Treasurer.
(b) The
fees charged by a service provider shall be agreed to by vote of the
Board of Directors on an annual basis. In the
event such charges are on a time and materials basis, the Board
of Directors may require that a "not to exceed" provision be
implemented in any agreement with the service
provider.
(c) The
Treasurer, or designated service provider as approved by the Board,
shall receive, disburse, and collect any money due
and belonging to the Corporation and shall deposit, or
cause to be deposited, all money and other valuables in the name and to
the credit of the Corporation with such depositors
as the Board may designate. The Treasurer shall pay all bills and
disburse the Corporation's funds as the Board may order. The Treasurer
shall render to the President, Chair of the Board,
and the Board, when requested, an account of all transactions and
of the financial condition of the Corporation, and shall
prepare and file all state and federal information
and tax returns as may be required by law., The Treasurer shall have
such other powers and perform such other duties as
the Board or the Bylaws may prescribe.
(d) If
required by the Board, the Treasurer shall furnish to the Corporation a
bond in the amount and with the surety or sureties
specified by the Board, the cost of such bond to be paid
by the Corporation, for faithful performance of the duties of the office
and for restoration to the Corporation of all its
books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of every kind in the
possession or under the control of the Treasurer on his
or her death, resignation, retirement or removal
from office.
ARTICLE 7
INDEMNIFICATION
7.1 Right of Indemnity
To the
fullest extent permitted by law, including, but not limited to the
provisions of Section 7237 of the California
Nonprofit Corporation Law, the Corporation shall indemnify its directors,
officers, employees and other persons described in Section 7237(a),
including persons formerly occupying any such
position, against all expenses, judgments, fines, settlements, and
other amounts actually and reasonably incurred by them in
connection with any "proceeding," as defined
in Section 7237(a), and including an action by or in the right of the
Corporation, by reason of the fact that the person
is or was a person described in that Section. The term "expense"
includes, without limitation, attorneys' fees and any expenses of
establishing a right of indemnification under
these Bylaws.
7.2 Approval of Indemnity
(a) To
the extent that an agent of the Corporation has been successful on the
merits in defense of any proceeding referred to in
Sections 7237(b) or 7237(c) or in defense of any claim, issue
or matter therein, the agent shall be indemnified against expenses
actually and reasonably incurred by the agent in
connection therewith.
(b) Except
as provided in Paragraph (a) of this Section 7.2, on written request to
the Board by any person seeking indemnification
under Section 7237(b) or Section 7237(c), the Board
shall promptly determine under Section 7237(e) whether the applicable
standard of conduct set forth in Section 7237(b)
or Section 7237(c) has been met and, if so, the Board shall authorize
indemnification. If the Board cannot authorize indemnification because
the number of Directors who are parties to the
proceeding with respect to which indemnification is sought prevents
the formation of a quorum of Directors who are not parties to that
proceeding, the Board shall promptly call a
meeting of Members. At that meeting, the Members shall determine under
Section 7237(e) whether the applicable standard of conduct set forth in
Section 7237(b) or Section 7237(c) has been met
and, if so, the Members present at the meeting shall authorize indemnification.
7.3 Advancement of Expenses
To the
fullest extent permitted by law and except as otherwise determined by
the Board in a specific instance, expenses
incurred by a person seeking indemnification under Section 7.1 and
Section 7.2 of these Bylaws in defending any proceeding covered by those
Sections shall be advanced by the Corporation
before the final disposition of the proceeding, on receipt by the
Corporation of an undertaking by or on behalf of that
person that the advance will be repaid unless it
is ultimately determined that the person is entitled to be indemnified
by the Corporationfor those expenses.
7.4. Indemnity Insurance
The
Corporation shall have the power to purchase and maintain insurance on
behalf of any individual who is or was a Director,
officer, employee or agent of the Corporation, against any
liability asserted against or incurred by such individual in such
capacity, or arising out of such individual's
status as such, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to
indemnify such individual against such liability under
the provisions of this Bylaw.
ARTICLE 8
CONTRACTS AND LOANS WITH DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
8.1. Contracts with Directors and Officers
(a) No
Director or officer of this Corporation, nor of any other corporation,
firm, association, or other entity in which one or
more of this Corporation's Directors or officers are directors,
officers, or have a material financial interest, shall be interested,
directly or indirectly, in any contract or other
transaction with the Corporation, unless all of the following conditions
have been satisfied:
(1) The material facts regarding such Director's
or officer's financial interest in such
contract or transaction and/or regarding such Director's or
officer's common office holding or financial
interest in the other party to the contract or
transaction, are fully disclosed in good faith and are noted in
the minutes, or are known to all members of the Board
prior to consideration by the Board of such
contract or transaction;
(2) Such contract or transaction is authorized in good faith by a
majority of the Board by a vote sufficient for
that purpose without counting the vote or
votes of such interested Director(s);
(3) Prior to authorizing or approving the transaction, the Board
considers and in good faith determines after
reasonable investigation under the circumstances
that the Corporation could not obtain a more advantageous arrangement
with reasonable effort under the circumstances; and
(4) The Corporation enters into the transaction for its own benefit,
and the transaction is fair and reasonable to
the Corporation at the time the transaction is
entered into.
(b) Where
the number of Directors who are disqualified by reason of conflict of
interest prevents the establishment of a quorum of the
entire Board, the decision concerning the contract
or transaction shall be submitted to the Principal Members. The Board
may also voluntarily elect to refer such decision
to the Principal Members notwithstanding the fact that a quorum
of the entire Board would be qualified to vote on the matter. If the
conflict of interest involves a Principal Member
or a representative of a Principal Member, that Member shall abstain
from voting on any motion or other action of the Members concerning the
contract or transaction. An approval of the
contract or transaction by the Principal Members shall be valid and
binding upon the Corporation if both of the following conditions have
been satisfied:
(1) The material facts regarding such Director's
or officer's financial interest in such
contract or transaction and/or regarding such Director's or
officer's common office holding or financial
interest in the other party to the contract or
transaction are fully disclosed in good faith and are noted in
the minutes of the membership meeting, or are known
to all Principal Members, prior to
consideration by the Principal Members of such contract
or transaction; and
(2) Such contract or transaction is approved by a majority of the
Principal Members in good faith, excluding the
vote of any Member required to abstain by
reason of the conflict of interest.
8.2. Loans to Directors and Officers
The
Corporation shall not make any loan of money or property to or guarantee
the obligation of any Director or officer.
ARTICLE 9
RECORDS AND REPORTS
9.1 Maintenance of Corporate Records
(a) The
Corporation shall keep:
(1) Adequate and correct books and records of
account;
(2) Written minutes of the proceedings of its Members, Board and
committees of the Board;
(3) A record of each Member's name, address and class of membership.
(b) All
records may be maintained electronically, on disk or other format, so
long as a written form may be printed and
accessed.
9.2 Inspection of Membership Records
(a) Subject
to Division 2, Part 3, Chapter 13, Article 3 (commencing at Section
8330) of the California Corporations Code and
unless the Corporation provides a reasonable alternative as
provided below, any Member may do either or both of the following for a
purpose reasonably related to the Member's
interest as a Member:
(1) Inspect and copy the records of Members'
names, addresses, and voting rights during
usual business hours on five (5) days' prior written demand on
the Corporation, which demand must state the purpose for which the
inspection rights are requested; or
(2) Obtain from the Secretary of the Corporation, on written demand
and tender of a reasonable charge, a list of
names, addresses and voting rights of Members
who are entitled to vote for the election of Directors as of the
most recent record date for which that list has been
compiled, or as of the date, after the date of
demand, specified by the Member. The demand shall state
the purpose for which the list is requested. The Secretary shall
make this list available to the Member on or
before the later of ten (10) days after (i)
the demand is received or (ii) the date specified in the demand as
the date as of which the list is to be compiled.
(b) The
Corporation may, within ten (10) days after receiving a demand under
this Section, make a written offer of an
alternative method of reasonable and timely achievement of the
proposed purpose specified in the demand without providing access to or
a copy of the Membership list. Any rejection of
this offer must be in writing and must state the reason that the proposed
alternative does not meet the proper purpose of the demand. If the
Corporation reasonably believes that the
information will be used for a purpose other than one reasonably related
to a person's interest as a Member, or if it provides a reasonable
alternative under this Section, it may deny the
Member access to the Membership list.
(c) Any
inspection and copying under this Section may be made in person or by
the Member's agent or attorney. The right of
inspection includes the right to copy and make extracts. Any
right of inspection extends to the records of any subsidiary of the
Corporation.
9.3 Inspection of Accounting Records and Minutes
On written
demand to the Corporation, any Member may inspect, copy and make
extracts of the accounting books and records and
the minutes of the proceedings of the Members, the Board,
and committees of the Board at any reasonable time for a purpose
reasonably related to the Member's interest as a
Member. Any such inspection and copying may be made in person or by
the Member's agent or attorney. Any right of inspection extends to the
records of any subsidiary of the Corporation.
9.4 Maintenance and Inspection of Articles and
Bylaws
The
Corporation shall keep at its principal office the original or a copy of
the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, as
amended to date, which shall be open to inspection by the Members
at all reasonable times during office hours. The Secretary shall, on the
written request of any Member, furnish to that
Member a copy of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws as amended
to date.
9.5 Inspection by Directors
Every
Director shall have the absolute right at any reasonable time to inspect
the Corporation's books, records, documents of
every kind, physical properties, and the records of each
of its subsidiaries. The inspection may be made in person or by the
Director's agent or attorney. The right of
inspection includes the right to copy and make extracts of documents.
9.6 Fiscal Year and Annual Report
(a) The
Corporation's fiscal year shall be a calendar year commencing on January
1 st and ending on December 31 st .
(b) An
annual report shall be prepared within 120 days after the end of the
Corporation's fiscal year. That report shall contain the following
information in appropriate detail:
(1) A balance sheet as of the end of the fiscal
year, and an income statement of changes in
financial position for the fiscal year, accompanied by an report
on them by independent accountants, or, if there is no such report,
by the certificate of an authorized officer of the
Corporation that they were prepared without
audit from the books and records of the Corporation.
(2) A statement of the place where the names and addresses of
current Members are located.
(3) Any information that is required by Section 9.7.
(c) The
Corporation shall notify each Member annually of the Member's right to
receive a financial report under this section. On written
request by a Member, the Board shall promptly
cause the most recent annual report to be sent to the requesting Member.
9.7 Annual Statement of Certain Transactions and
Indemnification
(a) As
part of the annual report to all Members, or as a separate document
furnished to all Members within 120 days after the
end of the fiscal year if no annual report is issued for that
year, the Board of Directors of the Corporation shall provide a
disclosure statement of any transaction or
indemnification of the following kind which may have occurred during the
preceding fiscal year:
(1) Any contract or transaction or series of
contracts or transactions between the
Corporation and any Member, Director, or officer of the Corporation
or other entity in which any Member, Director, or
officer of the Corporation holds a financial
interest, having a value or consideration in excess
of $50,000; and
(2) Any resolution adopted by the Board of Directors for
indemnification of any Director or officer of
the Corporation. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, no such disclosure statement shall be required if the
contract or transaction was previously
approved by the Principal Members pursuant to Section 8.1(b) of
these Bylaws, or if the indemnification of the
Director or officer was previously approved by the Principal
Members pursuant to Section 7.2(b) of these Bylaws.
(b) The
statement shall include a brief description of the transaction, the
names of interested persons involved, their
relationship to the Corporation, the nature of their interest in the
transaction, and, when practicable, the amount of that interest,
provided that, in the case of a partnership in
which such person is a partner, only the interest of the partnership
need be stated.
ARTICLE 10
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
(a) All
patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property owned or created by
any Member outside the Corporation or its work
shall remain the property of that Member and ownership
and rights thereunder shall not be affected in any way by the Member's
participation in the Corporation.
(b) All
material presented to the Corporation, including its various committees,
shall be deemed of a non-confidential nature and
hence for public distribution; provided, however, that if
certain special activities of the Corporation (e.g., interoperability
tests) are best determined to be conducted under
obligations of confidentiality, participation in that activity can be
made contingent upon the execution of an agreement
restricting public dissemination of information concerning
the activity until such future time as may be specified in the
agreement.
(c) In
support of the stated purpose of developing proposals for submission to
IEEE for standardization, any Member proposals
shall be deemed to be in accordance with the IEEE patent
policy.
ARTICLE 11
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
The
Corporation and its Members, Directors, officers, employees, agents and
representatives make no express or implied warranty as to
any matter whatsoever, including the conditions of
the research or any invention or product, whether tangible or
intangible, made or developed by the Corporation
or in the course of its activities, or the ownership, merchantability,
or fitness for a particular purpose, or any research,
invention, product, or submission, and all such
matters are presented "as is". This provision shall survive
resignation, expulsion or cessation of business of
any member or dissolution of the Corporation.
ARTICLE 12
DISTRIBUTION OF PROPERTY ON DISSOLUTION
12.1. Return of Certain Property to Members
In the event
of dissolution of the Corporation, any property in the possession of the
Corporation which is being held subject to a valid
condition requiring the return of such property on
dissolution to the Member who is the lawful owner of such property,
shall be returned to such Member not later than
the time when the assets of the Corporation are distributed pursuant to
Section 12.1 of these Bylaws.
12.2. Distribution of Corporate Assets
Except for
distributions required by Section 12.1 above, all of the assets of the
Corporation, if any, remaining after payment of all
Corporate debts, obligations and expenses, shall
be distributed to either an entity which qualifies under Section
501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue code of 1986, as
amended (or any successor provision in any future Federal Income Tax
law) and which has substantially similar purposes as this Corporation,
or to an entity which qualifies under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (or any successor
provision in any future Federal Income Tax Law). The
selection of a recipient of the Corporation's
assets shall be made by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 13
CONSTRUCTION AND DEFINITIONS
13.1 General Definitions
Unless the
context requires otherwise, the general provisions, rules of
construction, and definitions in the California
Nonprofit Corporation Law shall govern the construction of these Bylaws.
Without limiting the generality of the preceding sentence, the masculine
gender includes the feminine and neuter, the
singular includes the plural and the plural includes the singular, and
the term "person" includes both a legal entity
and a natural person. All references in these Bylaws
to a certain number of days shall mean calendar days.
13.2 Definition of "Majority"
All
references to "majority" shall mean an amount which is more
than fifty percent (50%). For example, where the
vote of a majority of members is required for passage of an act, a
"majority" would be that number of members
which is greater than fifty percent (50%).
ARTICLE 14
EFFECTIVE DATE AND AMENDMENTS
14.1 Effective Date
These Bylaws
shall become effective immediately upon their adoption. Amendments to
these Bylaws shall become effective immediately upon
their adoption unless, at the time of adoption,
the amendment is declared to become effective at a later date or only
upon the occurrence of a specified event.
14.2 Amendments
(a) Pursuant
to Section 7150 of the California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation
Law, these Bylaws may be amended or repealed and new
Bylaws adopted by the vote of the majority of the
members of the Board of Directors then in office upon proper notice,
unless the action would result in any of the
following circumstances, in which event the amendment or repeal
must be approved by the Principal Members:
(1) Materially and adversely affect the rights of
Members as to voting, dissolution, redemption,
or transfer;
(2) Establish an authorized number of Members for any class of
membership and, if established, to increase or
decrease the authorized number for any class;
(3) Effect an exchange, reclassification or cancellation of all or a
part of the memberships; or
(4) Authorize a new class of membership.
(b) Bylaws
affecting the following may be adopted, amended or repealed only by the
affirmative vote of a majority of the votes represented
and voting at a duly held meeting of the Principal
Members at which a quorum is present, or by written ballot:
(1) Any amendment that would result in any of the
circumstances described in Paragraphs (1)
through (4) of Section 15.2 above or any of the circumstances
described in Section 7150(b) of the Corporations Code that would
affect the class of Principal Members;
(2) A Bylaw specifying or changing the maximum or minimum number of
Directors;
(3) A Bylaw increasing the term of office of Directors;
(4) A Bylaw increasing the quorum of Members.
ARTICLE 15
LAWS
Notwithstanding
anything contained in these Bylaws to the contrary, these Bylaws shall
apply to Members of the Corporation and shall be
interpreted in a manner consistent with all federal
and state laws and the California Nonprofit Corporation Law.
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