Comments to the DNSO proposals

Mikki Barry (ooblick@netpolicy.com)
Tue, 5 Jan 1999 16:34:41 -0500


<smaller>After examining the two proposals that have been presented on
the DNSO.org website, we felt that rather than submit disjointed
commentary, that we would instead submit a full proposal as our vision
of a better set of by-laws. This set of by-laws is the result of open
commentary on several mailing lists, and is the work of many
individuals who took the time to read and make suggestions for change.

This document is far from perfect, and is still subject to change by
open process. It is hoped that the DNSO.org group reviews it
carefully, and incorporates it into the discussions.

January 5, 1999


PROPOSAL FOR

DOMAIN NAME SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION

Under Article VI, Section 3(b) of the By-Laws of the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Name sand Numbers ("ICANN"), an application
for recognition as a Supporting Organization shall include, but not be
limited to, a description of the following:

i. membership or participation criteria,

ii. methods for developing substantive Internet policies to be
recommended to the Board and selecting Board nominees,

iii. open, transparent, fair and non-discriminatory cooperation and
consensus-building processes (including procedures for public
attendance at appropriate meetings of the Supporting Organization and
for the participation of interested persons who may not be members of
the Supporting Organization in advisory committees of the Supporting
Organization),

iv. policies to ensure international and diverse participation,

v. policies for disclosure to the Corporation by members of or
participants in a Supporting Organization council of conflicts of
interest or other financial interests in matters within the scope of
the Supporting Organization (such conflicts or interests, however, not
necessarily requiring abstention from action), and

vi. methods for funding the Supporting Organization and providing
funding for the Corporation (consistent with Article IV, Section 2 of
these By-Laws).

ARTICLE I NAME

The name of this organization shall be "The Domain Name Supporting
Organization."

ARTICLE II OBJECTIVES

The DNSO Objectives shall be:

To coordinate the root zone by

Generation of a coherent DNS root zone

Encouraging TLD disputants to resolve their differences

Overseeing operation of the root servers

The goal of the DNSO is to fulfill these purposes using the following
governing principles:

Fairness: The DNSO will strive to treat all parties fairly.

Diversity: The DNSO will foster and respect diversity of opinions.

Consensus: The DNSO will work towards rough consensus on all issues.

Stability: The DNSO will maintain stability in the DNS root zone.

Coherence: The DNSO will strive to create and maintain coherence
across the entire DNS root zone

Openness: The DNSO will conduct all of its business in an open
manner.

Security: The DNSO will foster security in the DNS root zone.


ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP

1. Classes

The Domain Name Supporting Organization ("DNSO") shall be composed of
any individual, firm, association, corporation or other entity who is
the holder of a second level domain (SLD) in any top level domain (TLD)
(Hereinafter "Domain Name Holder.")


2. Method of Election

Any Domain Name Holder shall become a member of the DNSO upon
submission of an informational membership form and payment of the
membership dues.

3. Methods for funding the DNSO

The DNSO shall obtain funding from membership dues levied on its
members. The total annual dues of all members shall be determined by
the Names Council but shall in no case be greater than $50.00 US per
year. New members' dues liability shall commence on the first of the
month next following receipt of its application for membership, and its
dues shall be pro-rated from that date to the end of the calendar year.
No member shall have the right to vote until it has paid its dues in
full. The annual dues of all members for each calendar year shall be
due and payable before the second of February of that year. Notice to
this effect shall be sent via electronic mail to the electronic mail
address on record, to each member whose dues remain unpaid at the end
of thirty days thereafter.

Any member whose annual dues remain unpaid 30 days after February 2
shall be deemed to be delinquent and the rights of such members as
members shall cease forthwith. Written notice to that effect shall be
sent promptly to such member, and any member whose dues remain unpaid
on March 1 shall be dropped automatically from membership and promptly
notified thereof. Members who have been so dropped may re-apply for
membership on payment of any delinquency, and such application will be
handled in accordance with Section 2 of this Article.

4. Resignations

Any member may resign its membership at any time by giving written
notice thereof to the Names Council, accompanied by payment of any
outstanding indebtedness to the DNSO. Said resignation shall take
effect as of its date unless some other date is specified therein. The
acceptance of such resignation will not be necessary to make it
effective. No dues previously paid by such resigning member shall be
refunded by the DNSO unless such dues were not due and payable until
after the resignation was received by the DNSO.

ARTICLE IV NAMES COUNCIL

The Names Council is delegated the task of effecting cooperation and
consensus on policies regarding TLDs, including operation, assignment
and management of the domain name system and other related subjects,
and, in accordance with Article VI, Section 3(a)(ii) of the
Corporation's Bylaws, the Names Council shall make recommendations on
such subjects to the Board of ICANN.

The Names Council shall seek input and review of its recommendations
and Board nominations from all Members.

.

The DNSO, the Names Council and the Membership will establish on-line
methods of meeting, cooperating, and guaging and effecting consensus
and conducting ballots. However, until some confidence is gained in
these on-line methods, the Names Council may choose to utilize more
traditional methods of voting.

The processes of the Names Council shall be governed by open and
transparent non-discriminatory processes. A general mechanism for
review of conflicts and grievances will be developed, and the Names
Council shall appoint a Fair Hearing Panel which will, among other
responsibilities delegated to it by the Names Council, hear appeals
pursuant to Article 6. of this application.

1. Initial Names Council

The initial Names Council shall consist of five members, elected by the
Membership. The members of the initial Names Council shall elect a
Chairperson from among their ranks. Members of the initial Names
Council shall serve a one year term or until the first Annual Meeting
of the DNSO, whichever occurs first, unless such term is extended for
an additional period. Members of the initial Names Council shall not be
eligible for additional service on the Names Council at the end of the
member's term on the initial Names Council. In no case shall any
extension go beyond the second annual meeting of the DNSO.

a. Powers and Responsibilities

The powers and responsibilities of the initial Names Council shall be
limited to establishing the DNSO and ratifying its By-laws, making it
financially solvent, effecting arrangements for a secretariat,
appointing three members to the initial Board of ICANN, and responding
to requests for advice and comment from the Board of ICANN.

(i) Members of the Initial Names Council of the DNSO shall not be
qualified to serve as a DNSO representative for the initial ICANN Board
for a period including their time on the Initial Names Council and for
one year thereafter.

(ii) Members of the Names Council shall serve without compensation,
provided, however, that members of the Names Council may be reimbursed
by the DNSO for out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with
their function if the expense is objectively necessary, and if the
member seeking reimbursement can document the expense. Such
reimbursements shall be brought up as an agenda item at the appropriate
names council meeting, and documented along with the minutes of that
meeting for review by the membership.

1. Eligibility and Powers of Council Members After the Initial Council

The control and management of the DNSO shall be vested in the Names
Council consisting of a Chairperson and eleven (11) council members,
each of whom shall have one vote. The Names Council shall be elected
by the Membership.

(b) Election

Names Council members shall be elected only at an Annual meeting of the
DNSO. At least 120 days prior to said Annual meeting, the Names
Council shall set a 30 day period in which DNSO members may be
nominated for membership to the Names Council, and shall give all DNSO
members 30 days notice of such nomination period. No DNSO member may
nominate more than one Names Council member nominee. All nominations
must be submitted to the Names Council with a statement clearly and
concisely documenting the DNSO member's (a) involvement with respect to
the objectives of the DNSO, and (b) legitimate interests in these
objectives. Nominations which are not timely submitted shall not be
considered by the Names Council. Upon the close of the nomination
period, the Names Council shall notify all DNSO members of the
nominees. Those receiving the majority of the votes therefor shall be
elected.

(c) Term

The term of membership on the Names Council shall be two years.

(d) Meetings

The members of the Names Council shall be required to meet at least
four (4) times per year. The time and place of this meeting shall be
selected by the Chairperson of the Names Council. The place of each
meeting shall change to accommodate the international composition of
the Names Council. Special or emergency meetings may be held at such
times and places (1) as the Names Council may decide, (2) at the call
of the Chairperson, or (3) on the written requests of the majority of
the member of the Names Council.

At least one yearly meeting must be physical, while the other three may
be held by teleconference, providing that a quorum must be met.
Teleconference Meetings must be announced at least 30 days in advance,
while physical meetings must be announced at least 90 days in advance.

All meetings are "on the record" and minutes will be published within
15 days.

(e) Vacancies

In the event of a Names Council member's death, resignation,
ineligibility or inability to perform the duties of a member of the
Names Council, a majority of the Names Council then in office shall
have the power to designate a successor to serve for the remainder of
the term of such Names Council member.

(f) Quorum

A majority of the entire Names Council shall constitute a quorum for
the purpose of any meetings of the Names Council.

(g) Selection of DNSO Representatives for the ICANN Board

Pursuant to Article V, Section 4 of the ICANN By-laws, the DNSO is
accorded three (3) seats on the ICANN Board. Selection of the DNSO
representatives for the ICANN Board shall rest with the Membership.
The Names Council shall ensure the fairness of any general election by
the Membership of the three seats allocated to the DNSO. [NOTE: There
is no consensus that the SOs should nominate board members at all...]

(h) Removal of DNSO Representatives for the ICANN Board

If, in the opinion of the Names Council, a member of the ICANN Board
elected by the DNSO is no longer capable of fulfilling his or her
responsibilities, or is no longer operating in the best interest of the
DNSO, the Names Council may, by 2/3 vote, call a Special Referendum of
the Membership asking for removal of that Board member. If 2/3 of the
Membership then votes for removal, the Board Member will then be
removed.

In the event of removal of one or more DNSO elected members of the
ICANN Board, the Names Council will appoint one or more Members (who
is/are not also currently serving on the Names Council) as a temporary
measure. A 2/3 vote of the Names Council shall be necessary for such
appointment. The Names Council will then immediately seek nominations
from the Membership for a replacement to serve out the remainder of the
removed Board member's term. No Board member who has been removed will
be eligible for nomination. A Special Election of the Membership shall
be held as soon as practicable from the nominees submitted to the Names
Council.

ARTICLE V OFFICERS, COUNSEL AND EMPLOYEES

1. Election and Duties

The officers of the DNSO shall be a President, who shall also be
Chairperson of the Names Council, an Executive Vice President, not more
than 3 other Vice Presidents, a Secretary and a Treasurer, each of whom
shall be elected from DNSO members at the Annual meeting by a majority
vote to serve until the next Annual meeting or until a successor shall
have assumed the duties of the office. No one shall be eligible to
serve successive terms as President. The Names Council may likewise
elect such other officers as it may from time to time deem advisable,
and they shall perform such duties as the Names Council may prescribe.

2. President

The President shall preside at all meetings of the DNSO, and shall be
the executive head of the DNSO, directly responsible to the Board of
ICANN for the conduct of all DNSO operations and activities. The
President shall have the authority to delegate to Name Council members
or Committee Chairpersons such duties as seem appropriate for the
administration thereof under the President's general supervision. The
President shall submit at each Annual Meeting of the DNSO a report of
the activities of the DNSO during the proceeding year.

3. Vice President

In the event of the absence or inability of the President to perform
the duties of the office, the Executive Vice President shall, except in
the event of absence or inability to serve, become Acting President and
exercise the authority and perform the duties of the office. In the
event of the absence or inability of both the President and the
Executive Vice President to perform the duties of the office of
President, the Vice President who has seniority shall become Acting
President and exercise the authority and perform the duties of the
office.

If no Vice President has seniority, the Names Council shall designate a
Vice President as Acting President who shall exercise the authority and
perform the duties of the office.

If the President is absent or is unable to preside at a meeting of the
DNSO, such meeting shall be presided over by the Executive Vice
President, if present and able to act, otherwise by the Vice President
having seniority who is present and able to act.

As used in this Section the term "seniority" means the greatest number
of years of service as a member of the DNSO and the term "unable" and
"inability" comprise death, physical disability, mental disability,
resignation and removal from office.

4. Secretary

The Secretary shall be responsible for the minutes of all meetings of
the DNSO, and shall be the custodian of the seal and records of the
DNSO. The Secretary shall perform such other duties as may be delegated
by the Names Council.

5. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall have the custody of all monies and securities of
the DNSO and shall place same in appropriate financial vehicles and
repositories in accordance with guidelines established, at least on an
annual basis, by the Names Council. The Treasurer shall keep proper
books of account and sign checks and give such surety bonds as the
Names Council may require. The Treasurer shall make reports on the
financial condition of the DNSO at each Annual Meeting of the DNSO and,
whenever called upon to do so, at other meetings of the DNSO and the
ICANN Board. The Treasurer shall also perform such other duties as may
delegated by the Names Council. All duties performed by the Treasurer
shall be subject to the supervision and direction of the Names Council.
All financial and other records in the custody of the Treasurer shall
be open to the Names Council and the ICANN Board at all times for
inspection or audit. On ceasing to hold office, the Treasurer shall
surrender all records, files, books of account, monies, securities and
other property of the DNSO to a successor or to such other person as
shall be designated by the Names Council..

6. Counsel

Unless otherwise directed by the ICANN Board, the Names Council shall
retain a Counsel to serve as legal adviser to the Names Council. This
legal counsel may be replaced at any time by a majority vote of the
Names Council. Counsel shall give such legal opinions as may be
requested by the President or the Names Council.

7. Succession

In the event of the death, resignation, removal from office or
inability of any Officer, other than the President, to perform the
duties of the office, the Names Council shall elect a successor to
serve until the next Annual Meeting of the DNSO or until a successor
shall have been elected and shall have assumed the duties of the
office.

8. Compensation

The Names Council shall call for a vote of the Membership to determine
whether Officers of the DNSO shall receive salary beyond reasonable
reimbursement of expenses.

9. Executive Director

The DNSO may employ a full-time [or part-time] executive with the title
Executive Director who may be the chief staff executive and who may be
responsible to the President and to the Names Council. The employment
or discharge of an Executive Director may be by the Names Council.

The Executive Director may participate in the recommendation,
formulation and implementation of policies and programs for the DNSO;
may be responsible for the development and implementation of
administrative plans and procedures, for the administrative operation
of the office and the supervision of all staff personnel; and may, in
conjunction with the Names Council, develop and implement a budget for
the DNSO.

The Executive Director shall not have a vote on the Names Council.

10. Employees

The Executive Director may, with the advice and consent of the Names
Council, hire additional employees on an as needed basis.

ARTICLE VI COMMITTEES

Given the importance of having a global consensus on the policies and
procedures developed by DNSO, as well as expertise relating to the
objectives of the DNSO, the Names Council may create committees for
such terms and with such powers and duties, as it shall deem
appropriate. The nomination of members to each committee and their
election by the Names Council shall be conducted in the same manner as
members of the Names Council are nominated under Article IV. Each
committee shall consist of the best possible experts in the given area,
and thus shall not be class specific. Once formed, each committee shall
nominate and vote for a Chairperson from within the committee. The
nominee with the most votes shall be elected Chairperson for a term of
one year. A Chairperson shall be eligible for re-election for another
one-year term, but shall not again be eligible for election as
Chairperson for a period of one year thereafter unless nominated for an
additional term by a unanimous vote of the committee. The members of
each committee shall be appointed for a term of one year, and shall be
eligible for re-appointment for two successive subsequent terms of one
year each. All committees shall be responsible to the Names Council for
the performance of their duties, unless the Names Council shall
otherwise direct. The duties of the committees shall be those indicated
by their titles or as may be otherwise assigned to them by the Names
Council.

Regular meetings of each committee may be held without the giving of
notice if a day of the week, a time, and a place will have been
established by the committee for such meetings. A majority of the
members of each committee must be present, either in person or by
telephone, radio, television or similar means of communication, at each
meeting of such committee in order to constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business. The act of a majority of the members so
present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be the act of
such committee. Each committee will maintain a record, which need not
be in the form of complete minutes, of the action taken by it at each
meeting, which record shall include the date, time, and place of the
meeting, the names of the committee members present and absent, the
action considered, and the number of votes cast for and against the
adoption of the action considered. All such records will be available
to the membership within 10 days of their creation, and shall be
available via the World Wide Web, or by the request of any member.

All action by each committee shall be reported to the Names Council at
its meeting next succeeding such action for a vote.

ARTICLE VII MEETINGS

1. Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the DNSO for the election of officers and Names
Council and for the transaction of such other business as may come
before the meeting shall be held at a time and place determined by the
Names Council.

2. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the DNSO shall be held at such times and places as
the Names Council shall determine. Special Meetings shall also be
called by the President upon the request in writing of not less than 15
percent of the DNSO Members, who shall specify in their request the
business which they desire to be considered at the proposed meeting.

3. Access to Information

The DNSO shall publish, at least annually, a report describing its
activities and including an audited financial statement and describing
any payments made by the DNSO to Directors (other than reimbursements
of expenses). Draft minutes of all DNSO meetings shall be published no
later than 48 hours. Minutes will be formally approved by the Names
Council at its next regular meeting. All minutes, meetings, materials,
and communications of the DNSO (and any committees thereof) shall be
made publicly available immediately following approval by the Names
Council, provided, however, that any minutes, materials, or
communications relating to personnel or employment matters, legal
matters (to the extent the Names Council determines is necessary or
appropriate to protect the interests of the DNSO), and matters that the
DNSO is prohibited by law or contract from disclosing publicly shall
not be included in the minutes made publicly available. For any matters
that the Names Council determines not to disclose, the Names Council
shall describe in generic terms in the relevant minutes the reason for
such nondisclosure.

4. Notice

The Names Council shall post on the a public World Wide Web Site:

(a) periodically a calendar of scheduled meetings for the upcoming
year, and

(b) in advance of each DNSO meeting, a notice of the fact and time that
such meeting will be held and, to the extent known, an agenda for the
meeting. If reasonably practicable the Names Council shall post notices
of special meetings of the DNSO and of the Names Council at least
fourteen (14) days prior to the meetings.

Prior to adoption of any policies that substantially affect the
operation of the Internet or third parties, including all substantive
information of any kind that is before any person or body within DNSO
(except as required by law or legal privilege) the Names Council will:

(a) provide public notice on the Web Site explaining what policies are
being considered for adoption and why;

(b) provide a reasonable opportunity for parties to comment on the
adoption of the proposed policies, to see the comments of others, and
to reply to those comments; and

(c) after a reasonable comment period, take action on the proposed
policies, establishing an effective date, and publishing the reasons
for the action taken.

As appropriate, the Names Council will facilitate the translation of
final published documents into various appropriate languages.

5. On-Line Participation

To ensure international and diverse participation, the proceedings of
the DNSO and the Names Council, as well as all Committees of the DNSO,
shall to the fullest extent possible, be conducted on-line.

6. Names Council Reconsideration.

The Names Council shall adopt policies and procedures through which a
party affected by an action of the DNSO (either directly or indirectly)
can seek reconsideration of that action. A court of competent
jurisdiction shall have the power to review claims of injury by the
DNSO's policies, and to order relief therefrom.

These policies and procedures may include threshold standards or other
requirements to protect against frivolous or non-substantive use of
the reconsideration process. The Board may, in its sole discretion,
provide for an independent review process by a neutral third party.

The Names Council shall promulgate Fair Hearing Panels to ensure
openness, accountability, and transparency in its dealings with
membership, potential membership and other members of the Internet
community. The fair hearing panel shall be comprised of members
appointed by the relevant classes subject to oversight by the Names
Council.

The Fair Hearing Panel shall be charged with collecting information
from all interested parties, investigating where warranted, and
presenting a report to the Names Council and to within a reasonable
period of time.

The Names Council shall accept the recommendations of a Fair Hearing
Panel if the Names Council finds that the recommended action, policy or
procedure:

a Complies with these By-laws,

b. Was arrived at through fair and open processes

c. Furthers the purposes of the DNSO.

If the Names Council declines to accept such recommendation of a Fair
Hearing Panel, it shall return the recommendation to the Fair Hearing
Panel for further consideration, along with an explanation of the
reasons it declines to accept the recommendation. If, after reasonable
efforts, the Names Council does not receive a recommendation from a
Fair Hearing Panel that meets the foregoing standards or, after
attempting to mediate any disputes or disagreements
betweenparticipants, receives conflicting recommendations from Fair
Hearing Panels, and the Names Council finds that there is a
justification for prompt action, the Names Council may initiate, amend
or modify and then approve a specific action, policy or procedure.
Nothing in this Clause is intended to limit the general powers of the
Names Council or the DNSO to act on matters not within the scope of a
Fair Hearing Panel or that the Names Council finds are necessary or
appropriate to further the purposes of the DNSO.

Members (and others) must have open access to the DNSO through open
Fair Hearing Panels process via email, WWW contributions, formal (face
to face) hearings and will at all times operate under ex parte
procedures.

7. Names Council - Voting on Record

Every matter before the DNSO shall be decided by a process in which the
position and views of every participant shall be recorded in the
minutes.


8. Quorum

A majority of the members represented in person or by proxy shall
constitute a quorum at all meetings, and the act of a majority of the
members present at any such meetings at which there is a quorum will be
the act thereof, unless the vote of a greater number is required by
law, the Certificate of Incorporation or the By-Laws, in which case the
vote of such greater number shall be requisite to constitute the act
thereof.

9. Voting by the Membership

Members may vote in person or by written proxy dated not more than xx
days before the meeting named therein. Proxies shall be filed with the
Secretary before being voted. Except as otherwise limited therein,
proxies shall entitle the member named therein to vote at any meeting
or adjournment of such meeting but shall not be valid after the final
adjournment of such meeting. A proxy purporting to be executed by a
member shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its
exercise, and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the
challenger.

10. Action by Written Consent

Any action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting may be taken
without a meeting if consent in writing, setting forth the action so
taken, is signed by all necessary members.

11. Adjournment of Meetings

At any meeting, if less than a quorum is present, a majority of the
members present, either personally or by proxy, shall have the power to
adjourn the meeting without notice other than announcement at the
meeting until a quorum shall be present.


12. Rules of Order

All meetings of the DNSO, Names Council and Committees shall be
conducted in accordance with the most recently revised edition of
Robert's Rules of Order, unless such conduct would be in conflict with
these By-laws or any applicable provision of law in which case these
By-laws or such applicable provision of law shall govern.

ARTICE VII REMOVAL, SUSPENSION AND EXPULSION

1. Removal of Officers and Committee Chairpersons

Any Officer or Committee Chairperson may be removed from office by a
vote of two-thirds of the membership for failure or refusal to perform
the duties of the office properly, or for conduct bringing the DNSO
into disrepute. Absence of an Officer of Committee Chairperson from
three consecutive meetings may be deemed by the Names Council to be
failure to perform the duties of the office properly.

2. Term of Paid Employees

Notwithstanding any provisions of these By-laws to the contrary, paid
employees of the DNSO shall hold office and employment at the pleasure
of the Names Council, and paid employees shall not be eligible to
membership on the Names Council.

3. Suspension or Expulsion of a Member or Disqualification

* A member may be suspended for a period or expelled for cause such as
violation of any of the By-laws of the DNSO or for conduct prejudicial
to the best interests of the DNSO.

* A member may be temporarily or permanently disqualified from serving
as a member for cause, such as violation of any of the By-laws of the
DNSO or for conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the DNSO.

* Suspension, expulsion or disqualification of a member shall be by a
two-thirds vote of the entire membership provided that a statement of
the charges shall have been mailed to the member under charges at the
last recorded address at least fifteen (15) days before final action is
to be taken thereon, accompanied by a notice of the time when and place
where a Special Meeting shall be held. The Names Council shall receive
input from any member who wishes at that time, and shall then vote as
to whether a referendum shall be called for from the membership. The
member shall be given an opportunity to be present at the time and
place mentioned in such notice and to present a defense, including the
right of representation by counsel and the right of cross-examination.

ARTICLE IX CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Any contract or other transaction between the DNSO and any firm,
corporation or association of which one or more of the DNSO members'
are members, shareholders, directors, officers or employees, or in
which they are interested, shall be valid, provided (i) the fact of
such interest is previously disclosed or known to the DNSO, and (ii)
the DNSO shall nevertheless authorize, approve and ratify such contract
or transaction at a meeting of the DNSO by a vote of a majority of the
members present, such interested member or members to be counted in
determining whether a quorum is present, but not to

be counted in calculating the majority of such quorum necessary to
carry such vote. The awarding of contracts shall take place in a fair
and non-discriminatory process.

ARTICLE X INDEMNIFICATION

The DNSO shall indemnify all Officers and Committee Chairpersons for
acts within their respective authorities to the full extent permitted
by the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law of the State of California, and
the DNSO shall indemnify, to the same extent as Officers and Committee
Chairpersons, all Counsel, members of committees, other volunteers
authorized to act on behalf of the DNSO and employees of the DNSO. Any
question as to whether a person is eligible for indemnification in a
specific matter shall be determined either by a special Committee of at
least three Officers who are not parties to the matter and who are
appointed by the Names Council, or in a written opinion by an
independent legal counsel who shall be designated by the Names
Council.

ARTICLE XI AMENDMENTS

These By-laws may be amended at any meeting of the DNSO by a majority
vote of the members, provided, that the Secretary shall have mailed
notice in writing to all members, stating the proposed amendments in
full, not less than twenty days prior to the meeting at which such
amendments to these By-laws are to be voted upon.

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