About DVD Forum > Forum Charter
Updated March 31, 2012 Click here to download as PDF file
THE DVD FORUM CHARTER

Effective as of August 7, 1997
Amended as of December 5, 1997,
February 8, 1999, September 27, 1999,
November 19, 1999, November 18, 2003,
February 25, 2004, June 10, 2004,
September 22, 2004, February 22, 2006

and November 15, 2007
Amended and Restated as of February 25, 2009
Amended as of September 10, 2009
Amended as of February 25, 2010
Amended as of March 2, 2011
Amended as of February 22, 2012



Article 1. Name

The purpose of this charter (hereinafter, the "Charter") is to provide the structure and rules for governance and operation of the DVD Forum (hereinafter, the "Forum").

Article 2. Period of Duration6

The Forum commenced as of August 7, 1997 and shall continue in existence for a period of twenty (20) years from such date. The duration of the Forum may be reviewed and terminated earlier or extended at the option of the Steering Committee by a vote pursuant to Article 8(4) of this Charter.

Article 3. Purpose

The Forum is a voluntary association of hardware manufacturers, software firms and other users of digital versatile disc ("DVD") formats (such formats defined as the "DVD Formats"), created to further the best interests of consumers and users, with the following purposes:

(1) to maintain the DVD Formats and related test specifications that have been created by the Forum;

(2) to continue to encourage verification of DVD Products; and

(3) to carry out other activities nec The principal office of the Forum initially shall be located in Tokyo, Japan. The Steering Committee, pursuant to Article 8 of this Charter, may move location of the principal office from time to time and may establish or close branches or subordinate offices.

essary for the DVD Formats as requested by members of the Forum.

Article 4. Place of Business

Article 5. Membership

Article 6. Organization

Article 7. General Meeting3

Article 8. Steering Committee

Article 9. Technical & Verification Group

Article 10. Working Groups

Article 11. Confidentiality

Article 12. Accounting

Article 13. Antitrust Compliance

Article 14. Intellectual Property

Article 15. Amendments

Article 16. Disclaimer of Liability

Article 17. Language

The official language of the Forum shall be English.

Article 18. Reduced Activity Period


1 By amendment approved March 2, 2011, effective January 1, 2012, “Principal Members” and “Associate Members” were merged into one class: “General Members.”
2 By amendment approved March 2, 2011, the annual membership fee shall be Five Hundred Thousand Japanese Yen (¥500,000) for members of the Steering Committee, and One Hundred Fifty Thousand Japanese Yen (¥150,000) for all other Forum Members.
3 By amendment approved March 2, 2011, effective January 1, 2012, the General Meeting operation and function are changed as follows:
(1) To enable alternatives to physical meeting for reporting activities (e.g., by website, email or other electronic means); and
(2) To enable Steering Committee approval of annual membership fees and annual statement of accounts, provided that they are reported to the members for confirmation.
4 By amendment approved March 2, 2011, the term of Steering Committee members shall be six (6) years from the next Steering Committee election.
5 By amendment approved March 2, 2011, effective January 1, 2012, the Steering Committee shall meet at least once a year in an appropriate form (e.g., face-to-face meeting, conference call, etc.) and venue, and any second meeting in a particular year may be held anywhere selected by the Steering Committee.
6 On July 13, 2016, the Steering Committee decided that the term of the DVD Forum and the term of the current Steering Committee shall extend to January 31, 2025.

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