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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Now, turning to Seun’s/Maarten’s question:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Can an expert on Californian corporate law let us know if a bylaw can be used as the ultimate source by which an organisation like ICANN operate? and also whether a section of bylaw
can be protected conditionally using another section of same bylaw </span> <o:p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">The intent of these questions is good, but the first question is not going to work as phrased. Of course corporate bylaws govern the way corporations like ICANN
operate. But “ultimate source” is too vague a term; one could claim the bylaws are superseded by the Articles of Incorporation or by California State law or by the US Constitution.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">I think what we want to ask is this:
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Is it legally possible for a bylaw to empower a committee of a California NPPB Corporation that is NOT the board, or a subset of the board, to require the
board to divest itself of a significant part of the corporation, even against the will of the board?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">[I suspect very strongly that the answer will be No - ICANN has consistently argued that we cannot even have a binding independent review process under California
NPPB law - but am more than happy to leave that to the experts.]<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">After that is made clear, you have to also ask:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Can the bylaws themselves can limit the ability of the board to modify the bylaws?
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Mr Wilkinson might want to take special notice of the answer to that one, since he professes to be concerned about ‘capture.’ A captured ICANN board could make
or unmake any bylaw they wanted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Milton L Mueller<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Syracuse University School of Information Studies<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://faculty.ischool.syr.edu/mueller/"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">http://faculty.ischool.syr.edu/mueller/</span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Internet Governance Project<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://internetgovernance.org/"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#0563C1">http://internetgovernance.org</span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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