Bylaws of the CCADB

1. Mission and Scope

1.1 Purpose and Mission Statement

The Common CA Database (CCADB) is a repository of information about Certification Authorities (CAs) whose root and intermediate certificates are included within the products and services of Root Store Operators (CCADB “Members”) who participate in the CCADB to improve security, transparency, and interoperability.

1.2 Scope of Activities

The CCADB Steering Committee (“Steering Committee”) determines collectively the direction and priorities for the CCADB and shares the workload associated with running the CCADB, including CA program management and the design and testing of updates to the CCADB.

The historic goal of all CCADB activities has been to communicate openly and to seek substantial consensus among Members before proceeding or adopting a final work product, and this goal will remain for the future.

1.3 CCADB Charter

In the event of inconsistency between these Bylaws and the CCADB Charter, the CCADB Charter takes precedence.

2. Membership

2.1 Members

This class of membership shall consist of organizations meeting the following criteria:

(1) they produce a software product that validates the chain of trust from an end-entity certificate to a CA certificate or public key recognized as trusted by the software;

(2) they provide updates for their membership-qualifying software product at least every 6 months to ensure that their users are getting regular security patches;

(3) they have public documentation stating that they require CA owners to comply with one or more of the CA/Browser Forum’s Requirements or Guidelines documents (“Guidelines”) and that CA owners obtain audit statements demonstrating ongoing compliance with the applicable Guidelines;

(4) they provide public documentation explaining which list(s) of CA certificates or public keys, root store(s), or similar mechanisms are used for determining whether a certificate chain is valid and trusted;

(5) they provide public documentation explaining the steps that CAs need to take in order to have their CA certificates trusted or distrusted by the membership-qualifying software product;

(6) they provide public documentation explaining how to contact them regarding violations of applicable Guidelines, security incidents, or other issues or concerns related to certificate validation by the membership-qualifying software product; and

(7) they comply with the CRM Service Provider Terms governing the usage of the CRM underlying the CCADB.

Membership may be denied if the CCADB Steering Committee is made aware that including the applicant’s organization or issuing CCADB access to the organization’s representatives would breach these Bylaws, the CCADB Charter, the CCADB Code of Conduct, or the CRM Service Provider Terms.

2.2 Community Guests

An informal relationship may be maintained with Community Guests, by invitation only, if the Steering Committee has determined that maintaining such a relationship will be of benefit to the CCADB. Entities qualifying as Community Guests may include the CRM Consultant, the Accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies’ Council (ACAB’c), and the CPA Canada WebTrust Task Force.

2.3 Eligibility Criteria and Admission

All Members must comply with these Bylaws, and all applicable antitrust laws and regulations during its CCADB activities.

Prospective Members shall submit an application via email to the CCADB Steering Committee as described in https://www.ccadb.org/rootstores/how. An application shall contain information indicating compliance with the criteria set forth in Section 2.1.

Admission of Members shall be made by a three-fifths majority vote of the CCADB Steering Committee and based upon whether the applicant meets the qualifications established for membership as set forth in these Bylaws and the Code of Conduct.

2.4 Rights and Privileges

All Members enjoy the privileges and undertake the obligations described in these Bylaws. During the term of their membership, all Members shall comply with the policies described or referenced in these Bylaws, which may be updated by the CCADB Steering Committee with notice to Members.

Members will be entitled to participate in meetings, initiatives, events, and any other activities organized by the CCADB Steering Committee.

Members shall have the right to vote only on matters and actions that expressly require their vote under these Bylaws; they shall not have any other voting rights, except as required by law. Community Guests do not have the right to vote on any matter or action requiring the vote of Members under these Bylaws or otherwise.

2.5 Obligations and Responsibilities

Each Member of the CCADB shall appoint one individual to act as a “Steering Committee Representative” and one “Alternate”, to represent its interests in prioritizing updates to the CCADB, ensure that updates do not impede its use of the CCADB, and vote. The Steering Committee Representative designated by each Member must be a person who actively uses the CCADB for CA program management. At a minimum, the Steering Committee Representative shall be someone who has first-hand knowledge about using the CCADB and can provide reliable input into designing and updating CCADB features.

Each Member shall provide the names and email addresses of its Steering Committee Representative and an Alternate who will have access to the CCADB (“Log-in Information”) and acknowledges that such Log-in Information may be disclosed to the CRM Service Provider and the Backup Service Provider for purposes of providing the Member with access to the CCADB and Backup Service.

3. Participation Requirements

Members must comply with these Bylaws and

(a) the CRM Service Provider Terms;

(b) the Backup Service Provider Terms;

(c) any usage limits communicated to Member by the Steering Committee in writing; and

(d) applicable law.

Members will not engage in any act or omission that would cause the CCADB Steering Committee to be in breach of the CRM Service Provider Terms, the Backup Service Terms, or applicable law.

The CCADB Steering Committee may immediately suspend a Member’s access to the CCADB (e.g., convert their access to read-only), remove Member content or data, or take other corrective action as described in the Suspension or Termination section below.

The Steering Committee Representatives shall promote the rules and regulations described in these Bylaws, the Code of Conduct, and the applicable antitrust laws, and take action to notify the Steering Committee whenever violations are observed, so they may be corrected.

4. Termination of Membership

4.1 Grounds for Termination

4.1.1 Resignation

Any Member may resign from the CCADB in a writing delivered to the Chairperson. The resignation of a Member shall not relieve the Member from any obligations the Member may have as a result of obligations incurred or commitments made prior to the resignation, including, without limitation, any membership dues, fees, or assessments that are due and owing prior to the resignation. A resigning Member shall not be entitled to receive any refund, pro rata or otherwise, of any membership dues, fees, or assessments for the balance of the calendar year in which the resignation is effective.

4.1.2 Suspension or Termination

Membership may be suspended (CCADB access changed to read-only) or terminated (CCADB access removed) upon three-fifths majority vote of the CCADB Steering Committee for the following reasons:

(i) any amount owed by the Member is sixty (60) or more days overdue;

(ii) the Member violates these Bylaws, the Code of Conduct, or the applicable antitrust laws;

(iii) the Member violates the CRM Service Provider Terms, the Backup Service Terms, or applicable law, or uses the CCADB in any manner that threatens the security, integrity, or availability of the CCADB;

(iv) the CRM Service Provider suspends access to the CCADB or requests that CCADB Steering Committee suspend or terminate the Member’s access; or

(v) any Member content or data within the CCADB is subject to a third party claim, including without limitation for infringement, defamation, violation of publicity or privacy rights, or other violation of law.

The Steering Committee shall give the Member at least 15 days notice of the suspension or termination and the reasons for the suspension or termination, and an opportunity for the Member to be heard by the Steering Committee, orally or in writing, no less than five days before the effective date of the suspension or termination. The decision of the Steering Committee to suspend or terminate a Member shall be final and shall not be reviewed by any court, but reinstatement is possible as described below.

4.2 Effects of Termination

Suspension or termination does not prevent a Member from potentially having continuing obligations, under these Bylaws or any other document.

4.3 Reinstatement

Members suspended or terminated may be reinstated (CCADB write access enabled) only after providing evidence of meeting these Bylaws and upon the affirmative vote of a three-fifths majority of the CCADB Steering Committee or as provided in any policy adopted by the Steering Committee.

5. Means of Communication

5.1 Official Communication Channels

The CCADB Steering Committee shall maintain mailing lists and a public website.

The CCADB Public Mailing List is located here: https://groups.google.com/a/ccadb.org/g/public.

As stated here: https://www.ccadb.org/cas/public-group.

The Code of Conduct for the CCADB Public Mailing List is located here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19ALqEvHtTE6OUTz2FaOXrU9gruIdvia5EDh3hXeGpZA/

5.2 Steering Committee Communications

There is a Steering Committee mailing list established to facilitate communication among Steering Committee Representatives concerning CCADB-related matters. Steering Committee Representatives are discouraged from forwarding, sharing, or re-posting such communications outside the group without the permission of the author or commenter.

6. Voting and Other Forms of Decision-making

6.1 Decision-making Processes

The Steering Committee may use electronic mail, meetings, or any other means to discuss any issue or action that comes before the Steering Committee.

Decisions will be made by consensus (three-fifths majority) of the Steering Committee Representatives, except when the Procedure for Formal Ballots is requested by a Member or required by these Bylaws. Consensus may be established tacitly. By way of example, so long as (1) proposed actions are clear and visible, (2) participants have opportunities to voice concerns, and (3) there is no sustained, substantive opposition, then consensus may be established simply by moving forward on the proposal or a course of action; this is anticipated to be the norm for most matters.

The Steering Committee may, without a meeting, use email or other electronic means to take action (e.g. vote, change the public website, update the CCADB) that is allowed by law. Before taking the action, a Steering Committee Representative shall send an announcement to the Steering Committee Email List stating (i) that the Steering Committee will take the action, (ii) a description of the matter on which the Steering Committee will take action, and (iii) a deadline of not less than 48 hours after the time the Steering Committee sends the announcement in which any Steering Committee Representative may voice concern or opposition to the proposed action. After the deadline, the Steering Committee may take the action only when the concerns and opposition have been resolved.

Upon request by a Steering Committee Representative (or upon request by a Member) a decision, issue, or proposed action may be decided using the Procedure for Formal Ballots.

6.2 Procedure for Formal Ballots

The following rules apply to Formal Ballots:

6.2.1. One Vote

Only one vote per Member organization made by a designated Steering Committee Representative or their Alternate shall be accepted.

6.2.2. Discussion Period

Any Steering Committee Representative or their Alternate can call for a proposed ballot to be published for discussion and comment by Members. The discussion period then shall take place for at least seven (7) calendar days before votes are cast. At any time, a new version of the ballot (marked with a distinguishing version number) may be posted (by sending email to the Steering Committee Email List) by the proposer in the same manner as the original. Once no new version of the ballot has been posted for seven (7) calendar days, the proposer may end the discussion period and start the voting period by reposting the final version of the ballot and clearly indicating that voting is to begin, along with the start and end dates and times (including time zone) for the voting period. The ballot automatically fails if ninety (90) calendar days elapse after the proposer last posted a version of the ballot and the voting period has not been started.

6.2.3 Redline Version

A ballot may include a redline or comparison showing the set of changes from those sections intended to be amended, and need not include a copy of the document. Such redline or comparison shall be made against those section(s) as they exist at the time a ballot is proposed, and need not take into consideration other ballots that may be proposed subsequently. In the event of a conflict between the text presented in the ballot (the “Ballot Version”) and the text in the redline/comparison copy (the “Redline Version”), the Ballot Version shall in all cases take precedence over the Redline Version. If present, the Ballot Version shall be the official text used for implementation should the ballot pass. If a discrepancy between the Redline Version and the Ballot Version is discovered during the discussion or voting periods, a corrected copy of the Redline Version shall be submitted to the Steering Committee Email List for reference; this corrected Redline Version shall not affect the Ballot Version, the discussion period, or the voting period.

6.2.4. Voting Period

Upon commencement of the voting period, Members shall have exactly seven (7) calendar days for voting on the proposed ballot, with the deadline clearly communicated in the ballot and sent to the Steering Committee Email List. A proposer may withdraw a ballot at any point during the voting period. All voting will take place via the Steering Committee Email List. Votes must be submitted by a Steering Committee Representative to such list by the end of the voting period (as specified in the ballot) to be considered valid and counted. Each Member, and not the Steering Committee, will be responsible for taking precautions to make sure such Member’s vote is submitted properly and counted. In the event that a Member’s vote on a ballot is not submitted properly, such vote shall not be valid and shall not be counted for any purpose, and there shall be no appeal, re-vote (except in the case of a new ballot submitted to all Members) or other recourse.

6.2.5. Voting Criteria for Adoption

In order for a ballot to be adopted, the quorum requirements must be met, and three-fifths (3/5) or more of the votes cast by the Members must be in favor of the ballot. Members may vote “yes”, “no”, or “abstain” on a ballot. Only votes that indicate a clear “yes” or “no” response to the ballot question shall be considered (i.e. votes to “abstain” and votes that do not indicate a clear “yes” or “no” response will not figure into calculations).

6.2.6. Tabulation and Announcement of Results

The Chairperson will tabulate and announce the results (by sending email to the Steering Committee Email List) within eight (8) business days of the close of the voting period. The Chairperson may delegate these duties as necessary.

6.3 Quorum Requirements

Quorum for Steering Committee and Committee meetings will require at least fifty percent of the Representatives or their Alternates. If advance notice of the meeting has been given per normal means and timing, the Steering Committee may continue to meet even if quorum is not met, but will be prevented from making any decisions at the meeting.

Presence for quorum may be achieved electronically – through email (for voting) or during virtual teleconferencing, in which representatives can participate in real-time discussions. Physical in-person presence is not required. In the event that the number of Members present falls below quorum during a meeting, the Steering Committee shall not take any further official action until quorum is reestablished.

7. Steering Committee

7.1 Formation and Composition

The minimum authorized number of Steering Committee Representatives is three (3).

7.2 General Powers and Responsibilities

7.2.1 Decision-Making Authority

The Steering Committee has the power to make decisions regarding CCADB operation and governance and to make any other decisions or take other action within its designated scope as outlined in these Bylaws.

7.2.2 Resource Allocation

The Steering Committee has the authority to allocate resources, such as budgetary funds, to specific projects, initiatives, or areas of focus as outlined in these Bylaws.

7.2.3 Policy Development

The Steering Committee has the power to develop and adopt policies, procedures, or guidelines as outlined in these Bylaws.

7.2.4 General Oversight

The Steering Committee has the power to appoint and oversee subcommittees or working groups to address specific tasks or issues, and may conduct investigations and audits concerning governance or compliance as needed.

7.3 Individual Roles and Responsibilities

7.3.1 Meeting Participation

Steering Committee Representatives should actively participate in regular Steering Committee meetings. Alternates are also encouraged to actively participate in regular Steering Committee meetings.

7.3.2 Improvements to the CCADB

Steering Committee Representatives (and Alternates) shall identify, document, and prioritize improvements and actively contribute to designing changes to the CCADB.

Steering Committee Representatives (and Alternates) shall also test updates to the CCADB, to ensure that the updates:

• Perform as expected
• Do not break the Member’s use of the CCADB
• Do not break the CCADB functionality for CAs in the Member’s program
• Do not break reports that the Member uses, publishes, or depends on
• Do not break integration between the Member’s systems and the CCADB

7.3.3 Maintain CCADB documentation and policies

Steering Committee Representatives (and Alternates) shall assist in maintaining the following documentation:

• CCADB website
• CCADB Policy
• API documentation
• User guides
• Any other CCADB documentation

7.4 Collaboration, Reporting, and Communication

Steering Committee Representatives are obligated to engage in proactive collaboration, ensuring effective communication with fellow Members, stakeholders, and the wider organization, to convey pertinent information, and to provide timely updates on matters within their purview.

8. Conflict of Interest Policy

8.1 Definition of Conflict of Interest

As used in this section, a “conflict of interest transaction” is a transaction involving the CCADB in which a Steering Committee Representative or an Alternate has a direct or indirect interest. A Representative/Alternate has an indirect interest in a transaction if (i) another entity in which the Representative/Alternate has a material interest is a party to the transaction; (ii) another entity of which the Representative/Alternate is a director, officer or trustee is a party to the transaction; or (iii) a person who is related to the Representative/Alternate or a business associate of the Representative/Alternate is a party to the transaction.

8.2 Approval

A conflict of interest transaction is not voidable or the basis for imposing liability on the Steering Committee Representative/Alternate if the transaction is fair to the organization at the time it was entered into or is approved either (i) in advance by the vote of the Steering Committee if the material facts of the transaction and the Representative’s/Alternate’s interest were disclosed or known to the Steering Committee, or (ii) if the material facts of the transactions and the Representative’s/Alternate’s interest were disclosed or known to the Steering Committee and the Steering Committee authorized, approved or ratified the transaction. A conflict of interest transaction is so authorized, approved or ratified by the Steering Committee if it receives the affirmative vote of a three-fifths majority of the Steering Committee Representatives on the Steering Committee who have no direct or indirect interest in the transaction; provided that a transaction may not be so authorized, approved or ratified by a single person. If a majority of the Steering Committee Representatives who have no direct or indirect interest in the transaction votes to authorize, approve or ratify the transaction, a quorum is present for the purpose of taking such action.

8.3 Disclosure Procedures

Steering Committee Representatives and Alternates are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest promptly and completely. Any disclosure of any ongoing conflict of interest must be updated if there is a change in circumstances.

8.4 Recusal and Management

A Steering Committee Representative or Alternate shall notify the Chairperson of any potential conflict of interest and recuse themselves from decision-making processes and abstain from discussions and voting in situations where conflicts of interest exist. If necessary, an alternate decision-maker shall be appointed by the Member in the event of recusal.

8.5 Additional Conflict of Interest Rules

The Steering Committee may establish a policy that contains additional rules, requirements, and procedures for resolving or avoiding conflicts of interest.

9. Officers

The Steering Committee currently has two officers, Chairperson and Treasurer. Both the Chairperson and Treasurer must be Steering Committee Representatives.

9.1 Term of Office

There is no limit to how long the Chairperson or Treasurer may remain in such role, as long as they are continuously a Steering Committee Representative and upholding these Bylaws. An officer may step down from their role at any time, but preferably with 2 weeks’ notice to the Steering Committee. If it is found that an officer is not complying with these Bylaws, then the Steering Committee may select a new officer via a three-fifths majority vote.

9.2 Chairperson

The Chairperson shall exercise their functions in a fair and neutral manner, allowing all Members equal treatment for their comments and proposals, and shall not favor one side over another in any matter (except that the Chairperson may indicate their own position during discussion and voting on the matter). The Chairperson shall have no personal liability for any activities of the CCADB or its Members, Representatives, or Alternates.

The Chairperson may sign correspondence, applications, forms, letters of intent, memoranda of understanding relating to projects with standards bodies, industry groups, and other third parties, but shall have no personal liability therefor.

9.2.1 Leadership Duties

In addition to the responsibilities of Steering Committee Representatives, the Chairperson will also have the following responsibilities, which they may delegate to other Steering Committee Representatives or Alternates.

The Chairperson will ensure that:

• New Member applications are reviewed and approved as prescribed by these Bylaws;
• The CCADB Policy, currently available at https://www.ccadb.org/policy, is maintained and updated by the Steering Committee as prescribed by these Bylaws;
• Voting and conflict resolution are handled and prescribed by these Bylaws;
• Meetings and Decisions are handled as prescribed by these Bylaws;
• There is sufficient documentation about decisions made by the CCADB Steering Committee;
• Enhancement requests and bugs are recorded and accurately labeled;
• Work for the CRM Consultant is prioritized and documented;
• Feedback and testing results are provided to the CRM Consultant in a timely manner;
• CCADB instructions and release notes are kept up to date; and
• CCADB updates are provided to CAs and Community Guests (e.g. enhancement updates communicated from the Steering Committee itself, on the CCADB Public Mailing List, or presented at the CA/Browser Forum Face-to-Face meetings).

9.3 Treasurer

In addition to the responsibilities of Steering Committee Representatives, the Treasurer shall have overall responsibility for all funds, and shall perform, or cause to be performed, the following:

• approve a budget (by three-fifths majority vote of the Steering Committee) directing the use of funds raised from all sources of revenue;
• keeping of full and accurate accounts of all financial records;
• deposit of all monies and other valuable effects in the name and to the credit of the CCADB in such depositories as may be designated by the Steering Committee;
• disbursement of all funds when proper to do so;
• making financial reports as to the financial condition of the CCADB to the Steering Committee; and
• such other powers and duties as may be designated from time to time by the Steering Committee.

9.4 Selection Process

The Chairperson and Treasurer shall be selected by consensus (three-fifths majority) of the Steering Committee Representatives. Consensus may be established tacitly. By way of example, so long as (1) participants have opportunities to voice concerns, and (2) there is no sustained, substantive opposition, then consensus may be established simply by moving forward with naming the new Chairperson or Treasurer. Otherwise, upon request by a Steering Committee Representative (or upon appeal by a Member) a new Chairperson or Treasurer may be decided using the Procedure for Formal Ballots.

10. Meetings

10.1 Meeting Frequency

Steering Committee meetings shall be scheduled to happen regularly, but may be canceled whenever there are no agenda topics or to avoid conflicts with holidays or other industry events. In addition to discussing priorities, design, and testing, these meetings may also be used for discussing questions and answers about CCADB operations, showing how things can be done in the CCADB, and sharing ideas for improvements both in the CCADB and in regard to CA program management processes.

From time to time, the Steering Committee may hold teleconferences or in-person meetings among Members and Community Guests.

10.2 Notice of Meetings

Notice of meetings is usually provided to Steering Committee Representatives and their Alternates by way of calendar invitations, but other forms of communication may be used.

10.3 Meeting Agendas

Steering Committee Representatives may submit proposed items to add to the agenda up to the start of the scheduled meeting. The Chairperson may organize, re-arrange, and prioritize agenda items based on urgency and importance.

10.4 Meeting Procedures

Steering Committee Representatives and their Alternates are encouraged to attend each Steering Committee meeting. Each Member may have additional participants (“Observers”) in each Steering Committee meeting, but has only one vote when making decisions.

10.5 Observers

Each Member shall have the right to designate observers to attend meetings of the Steering Committee, provided that such Member provides prior notice to the Chairperson of the Steering Committee and the Chairperson approves the request. Such a request shall not be unreasonably denied. An observer permitted to attend shall have the right to participate in the meeting, but may not put forth or vote on any motion.

11. Finances

11.1 Budgeting

The Steering Committee shall adhere to an annual budget cycle beginning no later than May of each year, culminating in approval of a budget on or before September 30 of each year. The Steering Committee shall exercise fiscal responsibility, ensuring that the budget aligns with the organization’s strategic goals and financial capacity. The Steering Committee shall approve the budget by a three-fifths majority vote. Recurring budget line items currently include:

• CRM Service Provider - The CCADB is a cloud instance of a CRM, and this line item is to pay for enterprise licenses, CCADB CA Community licenses, and support;
• CRM Consultant - The consultant who performs systems administration, configuration, customizations, and updates on the CRM; and
• Backup Service Provider - The service that creates and stores backups of the CCADB data and metadata.

11.2 Expenses

All checks, drafts or other orders for payment of money, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued in the name of or payable by this organization shall be signed or endorsed by the Treasurer. Purchases must be in compliance with the approved budget, and any deviation shall require appropriate approvals. The Treasurer or their designee shall verify budget availability before approving the purchase. Procedures for handling exceptions to the budget and making emergency purchases may be outlined and approved by the Steering Committee.

11.3 Corporate Loans, Guarantees and Advances

No funds shall be used to make any advances or make any loan of money or property to or guarantee the obligation of any officer, Steering Committee Representative, Member, or Alternate.

12. Non-Liability

No Member or Steering Committee Representative or Alternate shall be liable for the debts, liabilities, or obligations of the CCADB merely by reason of being a Member, Steering Committee Representative, or Alternate.

13. Distribution of Assets Upon Dissolution

13.1 Dissolution Process

This organization may be dissolved upon the approval of the Steering Committee using the Procedure for Formal Ballots, without the consent of any third parties. Any distribution of the assets of this organization shall be made in a manner consistent with the non-profit tax status of this organization at the time of such dissolution.

13.2 Asset Distribution

Upon dissolution of this organization, and after all known debts and liabilities of this organization have been paid or adequately provided for, any remaining net assets of this organization shall be distributed by the CCADB Steering Committee to one or more organizations selected by the CCADB Steering Committee which will help to further the purposes of this organization, provided, however, that if the organization is exempt from federal taxation pursuant to Section 501(a) of the Code at the time of any such dissolution, then the CCADB Steering Committee shall make such distribution in a manner which the CCADB Steering Committee believes is consistent with such tax-exempt status and the applicable requirements of Section 501(c) of the Code and any related regulations.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the CCADB Steering Committee will provide a Member with reasonable assistance, where practicable, to allow the Member to migrate its data from the CCADB.

14. Prohibition on Political Activities

No political or lobbying expenditure shall be made which might result in the loss of, or otherwise adversely affect, this organization’s status as a tax-exempt organization under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

15. Antitrust Policy

The goal of CCADB Steering Committee activities has been to seek substantial consensus among Members before proceeding or adopting final work product, and this goal will remain for the future. Members shall not use their participation in the CCADB either to promote their own products and offerings or to restrict or impede the products and offerings of other Members.

CCADB meetings and communications include companies that compete against one another. These meetings and communications are intended to discuss, improve, and use the CCADB without restricting competition. CCADB meetings and communications are not intended to share competitively-sensitive information among competitors, and therefore all participants agree not to discuss or exchange information related to:

1. Pricing policies, pricing formulas, prices or other terms of sale;
2. Costs, cost structures, profit margins;
3. Pending or planned service offerings;
4. Customers, business, or marketing plans; or
5. The allocation of customers, territories, or products in any way.

All CCADB Steering Committee Representatives must comply with these Bylaws, this antitrust statement, and the Code of Conduct.

Members should contact the Chairperson with any concerns relating to these Bylaws, this antitrust statement, and the Code of Conduct.

16. Property Rights

Members may develop customizations of the CCADB for their own use and submit them for inclusion into the CCADB. These customizations should not impede any other Member’s ability to utilize the CCADB.

Any data or other content uploaded to the CCADB and any suggestion, enhancement request, recommendation, correction or other feedback provided to the CCADB Steering Committee relating to the CCADB shall not include any confidential or proprietary information, and it (excepting personally identifiable information) may be used, copied, stored, disclosed or otherwise exploited by the CRM Service Provider, the Backup Service Provider, and any other participant in the CCADB and the public, without restriction or any form of compensation to such disclosing party.

Except as provided in these Bylaws, no Member shall have any right or interest in any of the property or assets of the CCADB, except for rights retained in any contributed works, but only to the extent permitted by any policy relating to intellectual property rights approved by the CCADB Steering Committee as then in force.

17. Effective Date and Amendments

17.1 Effective Date

These Bylaws shall become effective immediately upon their adoption. Amendments to these Bylaws shall become effective immediately upon their adoption, unless the Steering Committee in adopting them provides that they are to become effective at a later date.

17.2 Amendment Process

The Procedure for Formal Ballots shall be used to amend the normative parts of these Bylaws.

The Chairperson or their delegee is allowed to make minor editorial changes to informative (non-normative) parts of these Bylaws, such as grammar, formatting, and versioning, without requiring the Procedure for Formal Ballots.

18. Definitions

Alternate: An individual appointed by a Member to act as a substitute in the absence or inability of that Member’s Steering Committee Representative. An Alternate may exercise the same rights and responsibilities, including the right to vote, as the Steering Committee Representative during meetings or proceedings where such Representative is not present or is unable to participate.

CCADB Public Mailing List: public@ccadb.org, https://groups.google.com/a/ccadb.org/g/public.

Chairperson: A Steering Committee Representative who leads the CCADB Steering Committee as described in these Bylaws.

Common CA Database (CCADB): A repository of information about Certification Authorities (CAs) whose root and intermediate certificates are included within the products and services of CCADB Members.

Community Guest: An individual or organization who has been invited by the Steering Committee to participate in one or more CCADB meetings. Community Guests do not have the right to vote on any matter or action requiring the vote of Members under these Bylaws or otherwise.

CRM: Customer relationship management (CRM) is a set of integrated, data-driven software solutions that help manage, track, and store information. For the CCADB, the CRM is the tool that is highly customized to help manage, track, and store information related to CA operators, the certificates that they issue, the processes that they follow, the related audit statements, etc.

CRM Consultant: A CRM consultant; otherwise known as a CRM expert or CRM Administrator; is a specialist in CRM software. This consultant performs systems administration, configuration, customizations, and updates on the CRM underlying the CCADB.

CRM Service Provider: The company providing the CRM service that is customized and used for the CCADB.

Member: An organization that meets all requirements for members of the CCADB as outlined in these Bylaws, has been approved by the Steering Committee as outlined in these Bylaws, has entered into the required agreements, and has provided payment of all applicable amounts.

Observer: An individual appointed by a Member to participate in Steering Committee meetings, in addition to the Member’s Steering Committee Representative and Alternate. Observers do not have the right to vote on any matter or action requiring the vote of Members under these Bylaws or otherwise.

Steering Committee: The Steering Committee is composed of a Steering Committee Representative from each Member. The Steering Committee determines collectively the direction and priorities for the CCADB and shares the workload associated with running the CCADB, including CA program management and the design and testing of updates to the CCADB.

Steering Committee Email List: sc@ccadb.org

Steering Committee Representative (or “Representative”): An individual appointed by a Member to represent its interests in helping manage the CCADB, prioritizing updates to the CCADB, and ensuring that updates do not impede their use of the CCADB. Each Steering Committee Representative has the right to vote on any matter or action requiring the vote of Members under these Bylaws or otherwise.