Rules of Procedure

Antitrust Policy for Board of Directors (Draft WIP)

This is a DRAFT or SUBSTANTIALLY MODIFIED existing policy currently in an open review period.

Members are invited to provide feedback on this draft policy until October 31, 2025. The Policy Review Team will respond to comments mailed from your owasp.org email address to this address.

Antitrust Policy for Board of Directors (Draft WIP)

As members of the Board of Directors of the OWASP Foundation, Inc., we are committed to upholding all applicable antitrust laws and ensuring that our activities promote fair competition and ethical collaboration.

Policy:

  • No Collusion: Board members must not engage in discussions or agreements - formal or informal - with competitors regarding pricing, service terms, market allocation, or membership restrictions.
  • Independent Decision-Making: All decisions regarding programs, partnerships, and member services must be made independently and in the best interest of OWASP’s mission.
  • Meeting Conduct: Board meetings must avoid any topics that could be construed as anti-competitive, including sensitive commercial strategies or exclusionary practices.
  • Information Sharing: Confidential or proprietary information from OWASP or other organizations must not be shared or used in a way that could violate competition laws.
  • Reporting Concerns: Any suspected antitrust violations must be promptly reported to the Chair, Executive Director, or via the whistleblower policy for review and appropriate follow up action.

Acknowledgment:

At the start of each Board meeting, the following statement shall be read aloud:

As the Board consists of individuals from many competing organizations, OWASP and its Board shall abide by all applicable anti-trust and competition laws. To avoid any perceived or actual conflict of interest, or anti-trust concerns under US federal, state, or regulations, only the published agenda shall be discussed or voted upon, or amended as below. If there are any conflicts of interest, Board members are expected to disclose the conflict of interest and must recuse themselves from discussion and voting.

Each board member must review and adhere to this policy, and agrees through signing the Director’s Commitment Agreement that they agree and consent to this policy.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action, including removal from the board.

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