1 Naming

The name of this consortium shall be "SoundUD Consortium" (hereinafter referred to as "this Consortium").

2 Purpose

The purpose of this Consortium is to promote the new universal design "SoundUD" developed in Japan in order to solve the language and sound-related inconveniences faced by foreigner persons, the elderly and people with disabilities.

3 Activities

This Consortium will carry out the following activities in order to achieve the purpose of the preceding article.
1.Support for the activities of corporations, organizations, local governments, etc. which endorse the Purpose
2.Sharing of information related to the development status and usage status of SoundUD in various industries
3.Aggregation of related social needs and seeds of technology, and reflection in SoundUD
4.Expansion of usage areas and user base by promoting the introduction of SoundUD compatible products and services
5.Promotion of SoundUD related technology, system standardization, commercialization and services
6.Other activities necessary to achieve the Purpose of this Consortium

4 Membership

(1)Members

Members of this Consortium are corporations, organizations, and local governments that support the Purpose outlined in Article 2.

(2)Registration

Those wishing to join the Consortium must obtain approval from the Secretariat in accordance with membership procedures.

(3)Withdrawal

Those wishing to withdraw from this Consortium shall submit a withdrawal notice and will be withdrawn from membership upon receival by the Secretariat. In addition, the Secretariat may remove the Member if they do not act as appropriate of a Member.

(4)Membership Types

The membership types are as outlined below. Supporting tools will be provided separately by Yamaha Corporation.

· Regular Member
Regular Members are companies, organizations, etc. who are willing to use, provide, or consider using or providing any SoundUD compatible services.
Regular Members have the following rights:
— Usage of SoundUD support tools
— Participation in General Meetings
— Participation in the Sectional Meetings

· Associate Member
Associate Members are companies, organizations, etc. that have the intention to contribute to the development of SoundUD through their proposals, sharing of information and trial demonstration experiments. With the approval of the Secretariat, an Associate Member can become a Regular Member during this period.
Associate Members have the following rights:
— Participation in General Meetings
— Participation in the Sectional Meetings

5 Observers

Public institutions such as government offices, other councils or associations, etc. (excluding Article 4 (1) members) can be Observers at the request of the Secretariat. Observers can participate in General Meetings and Sectional Meetings.

6 Board Members

This Consortium will have the below Board Members. Board Members are appointed by the Secretariat and all are unpaid. In principle, the term of office of a Board Member is one year. However, they may be reappointed.

(1) Chairperson, one person
– The Chairperson shall represent this Consortium and outline its duties.
(2) Vice-Chairperson, up to two persons
–The Vice-Chairperson assists the Chairperson and takes over the duties of the Chairperson when the Chairperson is not present.
(3) Executive Secretary, several persons
– The Executive Secretary shares opinions and make proposals regarding this Consortium.

7 General Meetings

A General Meeting will be held once per year, and, when the Chairperson deems it necessary, the Chairperson can hold additional meetings to announce activity plans or report on results. The proceedings of a General Meeting can be replaced by e-mail communication if necessary.

8 Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is composed of the Board Members and the Secretariat, and is chaired by the Chairperson. The Executive Committee will contact this Consortium and discuss activity plans. The proceedings of the Executive Committee can be replaced by e-mail communication if necessary.

9 Sectional Meetings

The Secretariat may establish several sub-committees to carry out the purposes of this Consortium. Each sub-committee has one sub-chairman, who supervises and executes the activities of the sub-committee. Each sub-committee may meet as needed to ensure the smooth and efficient operation of this Consortium.The agenda of the sub-committee can be replaced by e-mail communication if necessary.

10 Responsibilities

(1)The Board Members and the Secretariat shall not be liable for the acts performed in relation to the activities of this Consortium, unless there is a willful or gross negligence.

(2)When a Member causes damage to this consortium, another Member or a third party due to an act performed in relation to the activities of this Consortium, the Member shall pay compensation and other reparations for damages at their own expense and responsibility.

11 Secretariat

The Secretariat of this Consortium is located at Yamaha Corporation. Management operations can be outsourced to a third party as needed.

12 Contact Network

The Secretariat shall prepare and operate a contact network (mailing list, etc.) based on the information provided in membership registration notices.

13 Session Period

This Consortium is open from April 1st to March 31st of each year.

14 Dissolution

This Consortium shall be dissolved when the Secretariat deems that the purpose of this Consortium has been achieved.

15 Miscellaneous

The Chairperson shall determine provisions of other matters necessary for the operation of this Consortium in addition to what is outlined in this agreement.

*Supplement: The terms of this agreement will come into effect from the date of establishment (October 25, 2017).
*Supplement: The terms of this agreement were revised on July 6, 2018 and will come into effect on the same day.