[cabfpub] Draft Charter for IPR Subcommittee

[Dimitris Zacharopoulos (HARICA)]

Hi  Ben,

On 16/4/2024 7:48 μ.μ., Ben Wilson via Public wrote:
>
> All,
>
> As mentioned during the Forum teleconference of April 11, 2024, here 
> is a draft charter for a Forum IPR Subcommittee. (This effort is 
> separate, but somewhat in parallel to the work of the Patent Advisory 
> Group, which will be handling GoDaddy's Patent Exclusion Notice, filed 
> Mar. 22, 2024, in relation to Ballot SC-70.)
>
> Please provide your comments or questions.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ben
>
> *
> *
>
> *Forum IPR Subcommittee Charter*
>
> Upon approval of the CAB Forum by ballot in accordance with section 
> 5.6 of the Bylaws, the Forum IPR Subcommittee (“FIS”) is created to 
> perform the activities as specified in this Charter, subject to the 
> terms and conditions of the CA/Browser Forum Bylaws and Intellectual 
> Property Rights (IPR) Policy, as such documents may change from time 
> to time. The definitions found in the Forum’s Bylaws or IPR Policy 
> shall apply to capitalized terms in this Charter.
>

I'm not sure the IPR Policy needs to be invoked here. Please take a look 
at the Forum Infrastructure SC charter 
(https://cabforum.org/2019/10/08/ballot-forum-10-re-charter-forum-infrastructure-working-group/). 
Also, is it ok to use the acronym "FIS" as it is also referred in the 
Forum Subcommittee Charter?

> *Scope*
>
> The primary activity of the FIS shall be to review, and propose 
> revisions to, the Forum’s IPR Policy, IPR Policy Agreement, exclusion 
> notice template, and similar documents.The FIS may perform other 
> activities ancillary to this primary activity.The FIS will not create 
> Final Guidelines or Final Maintenance Guidelines.
>

Based on the last statement, I don't think we need to mention that this 
charter is subject to the IPR Policy.

> *Anticipated End Date*
>
> The FIS is chartered without a specific end date. However, it is 
> expected that the FIS will deliver results of its initial work to the 
> Forum prior to _____ 2024.Thereafter, the FIS will continue to exist, 
> but may be dissolved at any time by Forum ballot.
>

If the Subcommittee completes its deliverables and those deliverables 
are accepted by the Forum by ballot, the subcommittee should probably be 
dissolved automatically. We could renew its charter or duration if we 
find something else useful but based on the current expectations it 
looks like it will be dissolved if the proposed documents are approved.

> *Initial Chairs and Contacts*
>
> The proposer of the ballot adopting this Charter, Ben Wilson, will act 
> as organizer of the FIS until the first teleconference is held for the 
> FIS, at which time the FIS will elect a chair and vice-chair, either 
> by vote or by acclamation of those present. The chair and vice-chair 
> will normally serve two-year terms.However, the first term will start 
> upon their election and run through 31 October 2026.
>
> *Members Eligible to Participate*
>
> The FIS welcomes the participation of any Member organization of the 
> Forum interested in this work. Forum Members that have initially 
> declared their participation in this Subcommittee are:
>
> Amazon, Apple, DigiCert, GoDaddy, Google, HARICA, Let’s Encrypt, 
> Mozilla, Sectigo, SwissSign,
>
> *Voting and Voting Structure*
>
> Voting in the FIS shall be limited to Forum members. Voting shall be 
> egalitarian: all Members shall vote together as a single class, with 
> one vote granted to each Member organization. Any decisions of the FIS 
> needed to be voted upon by the FIS shall be considered adopted if the 
> number of votes in favor exceeds 50% of the votes cast.
>

This is not a WG so no voting or voting structure is necessary.

> *Primary Means of Communication*
>
> The FIS will communicate primarily through listserv-based email and 
> shall conduct periodic calls or face-to-face meetings as needed.
>

I suggest we combine some elements from 
https://cabforum.org/2019/10/08/ballot-forum-10-re-charter-forum-infrastructure-working-group/ 
to improve this charter.

Thanks Ben for putting this together!

Dimitris.

>
>
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