Bylaws

Meritcs Bylaws

The founding bylaws governing Meritcs's organizational structure and operations.

Article 1 (Name and legal status)

This organization shall be called Meritcs. It is an unregistered voluntary association (任意団体, nin'i-dantai) under Japanese law.

Article 2 (Office)

The office of this organization is located within Japan.

Article 3 (Purpose)

This organization exists to carry out ongoing, independent research into the reliability of image-quality metrics, and to publish its results in a form that can be independently verified by third parties.

Article 4 (Activities)

To achieve the purpose set out in the preceding article, this organization carries out the following activities:

1. Research into the reliability of image-quality metrics (SSIM and related)
2. Publication of research results, in verifiable form, via Zenodo and similar repositories
3. Operation of the website (merit-metrics.org)
4. Attendance at and participation in relevant academic conferences

Article 5 (Attribution of research results)

Individual research results may be published under the name (real name or pen name) of the member responsible for that research.

Article 6 (Composition)

This organization is composed of a representative and members. As of September 2026, membership totals 3, including the representative.

Article 7 (Membership eligibility)

Eligibility for membership requires satisfying all of the following:

1. Residency within Japan
2. Agreement with the principles of open science
3. Willingness to participate in the organization's activities on an ongoing basis
4. A genuine curiosity for new knowledge
5. A willingness to acknowledge mistakes and publish their corrections openly

Article 8 (Decision-making)

Decisions of this organization are made by the representative.

Article 9 (Duties and term of the representative)

The representative represents this organization and oversees its affairs. The representative's term is two years, and reappointment is not restricted.

Article 10 (Vice-representative)

This organization may have a vice-representative, designated by the representative from among its members. If the representative is incapacitated or otherwise unable to perform their duties, the vice-representative acts on the representative's behalf.

Article 11 (Admission)

Admission of new members is at the representative's discretion.

Article 12 (Withdrawal)

A member wishing to withdraw shall notify the representative. A withdrawing member waives any claim to a share of the organization's assets or published research results, and may not demand their division or liquidation. This does not apply to research results published under a member's own name as set out in Article 5.

Article 13 (Dues)

This organization does not collect membership dues. Where operating expenses arise, they are covered by voluntary donations from members.

Article 14 (Amendment)

Amendments to these bylaws are decided by the representative.

Article 15 (Other matters)

Matters not otherwise specified in these bylaws are decided by the representative.

Article 16 (Exclusion of Antisocial Forces)

Neither the representative nor any member of this organization is, or shall become, affiliated with organized crime groups, their members, related enterprises or organizations, or any other antisocial forces, and the organization affirms it has no relationship whatsoever with such entities, including financial support.

Article 17 (Immediate Expulsion upon Antisocial-Forces Affiliation)

If a member is found to have violated, or to be in violation of, the preceding article, the organization may expel that member immediately, without prior notice or demand.

Article 18 (Exemption from Liability)

The organization bears no liability for any damages arising from an expulsion carried out under the preceding article.

Supplementary Provisions

These bylaws take effect as of March 2, 2026.
(Date of founding: March 2, 2026)