What are these bylaws? Why are they necessary?

The Artos Vendor Guild operates differently than a standard commercial platform. We are a private religious association dedicated to fostering the Eastern Orthodox Christian economy. We use this Guild structure to express and preserve our community's "Safe Harbor" mission and require Guild members who operate shops to share our faith commitments. These Bylaws serve as the governing contract between you (the Member) and the Association, establishing our religious standards, membership requirements, and internal dispute resolution processes.

Bylaws of the Artos Vendor Guild

Adopted: December 15, 2025

Last Updated: July 23, 2026

Table of Contents

  1. Preamble
  2. Article I: Name and Affiliation
  3. Article II: Religious Purpose
  4. Article III: Membership
  5. Article IV: Termination of Membership
  6. Article V: Governance
  7. Article VI: Dispute Resolution
  8. Article VII: Amendments

PREAMBLE

We, the members of the Artos Vendor Guild, associate ourselves together not merely for commercial gain, but to foster a dedicated economy for the Eastern Orthodox Christian community. We establish these Bylaws to govern our association, preserve our spiritual identity, and protect our right to freely associate based on our shared faith.

ARTICLE I: NAME AND AFFILIATION

Section 1. Name

The name of this private unincorporated religious association shall be the Artos Vendor Guild (hereinafter the "Guild").

Section 2. Organization

The Guild is organized and operated under the auspices of Lampstand Digital LLC, a New Hampshire Limited Liability Company doing business as Artos (the "Sponsor"). The Sponsor provides the digital infrastructure, administrative support, and financial processing for the Guild.

ARTICLE II: RELIGIOUS PURPOSE

Section 1. Mission

The primary purpose of the Guild is religious and community-oriented:

  • To support the financial stability of Orthodox Christian families, artisans, and monasteries.
  • To provide a "Safe Harbor" marketplace free from content that mocks, degrades, or contradicts the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
  • To practice mutual aid and commerce within the "household of faith".

Section 2. Private Nature

The Guild is a private member association. While the goods produced by members may be sold to the general public, membership in the Guild itself is a private privilege, not a public right. Admission is discretionary and strictly limited to those who share our sacramental commitments.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Eligibility

Membership is open exclusively to:

  • Natural persons who are baptized or chrismated members in good standing of the Eastern Orthodox Church (canonical jurisdictions), are at least 18 years of age, and have not been excommunicated or placed under penance that restricts their participation in the life of the Church.
  • Entities (including businesses, monasteries, and other organizations) acting through a named representative (the "Representative") who is authorized to bind the entity and who personally satisfies all of the religious and age requirements applicable to natural-person Members.

Section 2. Admission

To become a Member, an applicant must:

  • Submit a Membership Application via the Artos platform.
  • If a natural person, attest to their Orthodox faith; if an entity, designate its Representative and attest to the Representative's Orthodox faith, in each case providing the name of the relevant Parish and Priest for verification.
  • Affirm their agreement to these Bylaws, the Artos Terms of Service, and the Privacy Policy.
  • Be approved by the Stewards (defined in Article V).

Section 3. Rights of Members

Members in good standing may, subject to the Terms of Service, Seller activation requirements, and availability of the relevant platform feature:

  • List and sell products on the Artos marketplace.
  • Display an Artos Guild or verification designation that the Sponsor makes available for active shops.
  • Access Guild resources and member community channels made available by the Sponsor. A channel may be hosted by a third party and subject to that provider's separate terms and privacy practices.

Section 4. Duties of Members

Members agree to:

  • Conduct their business with honesty and integrity, reflecting the values of the Gospel.
  • Promptly fulfill orders and treat customers (both Orthodox and non-Orthodox) with charity.
  • Maintain their standing in the Orthodox Church.
  • Notify the Stewards immediately if they leave the Church or transfer canonical jurisdictions.
  • If the Member is an entity, ensure its Representative remains authorized and in good standing, and notify the Stewards immediately if the entity changes Representatives.
  • Keep Guild eligibility and Representative information accurate and respond reasonably to a verification review. A Member may withdraw consent to processing religious-affiliation data, but Seller privileges may be suspended or membership may end if the Stewards can no longer verify eligibility.
  • Follow these Bylaws and the Terms of Service, including the marketplace's content, safety, fulfillment, data-use, and customer-treatment standards.

ARTICLE IV: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Grounds for Termination

Membership may be terminated by the Stewards for:

  • Loss of Good Standing: Ceasing to be a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church or falling into schism/heresy.
  • Misrepresentation: Materially misrepresenting one's faith, parish affiliation, identity, authority, or eligibility information in an application or later review.
  • Representative Failure: If an entity Member no longer has a qualified Representative or misrepresents the Representative's authority or religious standing.
  • Eligibility Cannot Be Maintained: Failing to keep required eligibility information current or declining a reasonable verification review so that the Stewards can no longer confirm membership eligibility.
  • Mission or Integrity Misconduct: Serious or repeated conduct that undermines the Guild's Orthodox "Safe Harbor" mission or marketplace integrity, including selling prohibited religious, occult, blasphemous, sacrilegious, or schismatic items, or engaging in fraudulent or intentionally unethical business practices.

Section 2. Procedure

Ordinary violations of the Terms of Service may be addressed through listing removal, shop suspension, account restrictions, or other platform enforcement under the Terms of Service without affecting Guild membership.

If the Stewards determine that a Member's eligibility or conduct presents a concern under Section 1, they may suspend Guild privileges while reviewing the matter. When reasonably practical, the Stewards will provide notice of the concern and an opportunity for the Member to submit relevant information before a final decision. The Stewards may act immediately when they reasonably believe urgent action is needed to protect users, evidence, the Guild's mission, or marketplace integrity.

A final suspension or termination notice will state the general basis for the decision unless law, safety, privacy, fraud prevention, or protection of another person limits what can be disclosed. There is no automatic internal appeal, but the Stewards may reconsider a decision or reinstate a former Member in their discretion. Non-waivable rights under applicable law remain unaffected.

ARTICLE V: GOVERNANCE

Section 1. The Stewards

The Guild shall be governed by a body known as the Stewards. The Sponsor appoints and may remove the Stewards. Stewards may include officers or managers of Lampstand Digital LLC and other persons expressly authorized to serve in that role.

Section 2. Authority

The Stewards have the final authority to:

  • Approve or deny membership applications.
  • Audit the religious standing of any member.
  • Interpret these Bylaws and settle disputes regarding membership status.
  • Adopt reasonable membership procedures and administer Guild privileges consistent with these Bylaws.

The Stewards may delegate routine verification, recordkeeping, notice, and platform-administration tasks to authorized personnel, but retain final authority over internal Guild membership decisions. The Sponsor separately sets Platform Fees and commercial terms under the Terms of Service.

ARTICLE VI: DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Section 1. Scope - Internal Guild Matters Only

This Article applies exclusively to disputes concerning:

  • Membership eligibility (whether an applicant or member meets the religious criteria in Article III)
  • Orthodox verification challenges (disputes over the accuracy of parish/priest attestation)
  • Religious standing audits (whether a member has ceased to be Orthodox, entered schism, or fallen under penance)
  • Guild membership consequences (whether mission-related or integrity-related conduct supports suspension or termination of Guild membership under Article IV)

This Article does NOT apply to:

  • Platform fees, commissions, or payment processing disputes
  • Refunds, returns, or transaction-related claims
  • Routine shop suspensions, listing removals, payout restrictions, or other account enforcement for violations of the Terms of Service
  • Intellectual property disputes
  • Any matter involving non-members or commercial transactions

Examples of Internal Guild Matters (Article VI applies):

  • Whether an applicant is actually Orthodox (parish verification challenge)
  • Whether a seller has left the Church (religious standing audit)
  • Challenge to Stewards' decision to terminate membership for heresy/schism
  • Whether a mission-related or integrity-related Terms violation also warrants Guild membership termination
  • Dispute over interpretation of religious criteria in Article III

Examples of Commercial Matters (Terms of Service applies):

  • Platform fees, commission rates, or payment processing disputes
  • Refund requests, return policies, chargebacks
  • Listing removal or shop suspension for selling prohibited items under the Terms of Service
  • Dispute with buyer over order fulfillment
  • Intellectual property claims
  • Data privacy requests
  • Any dispute involving a non-member (buyer, Parish Partner, Ambassador)

Section 2. Resolution of Internal Matters

Disputes within the scope of Section 1 shall be resolved at the sole discretion of the Stewards. The Stewards may, at their option:

  • Conduct mediation between the parties
  • Request written statements or evidence
  • Consult with Orthodox clergy or canon lawyers
  • Issue a binding determination

There is no internal appeal from the Stewards' decision regarding membership status. The Stewards' authority is final for matters within the scope of this Article, subject only to any non-waivable rights available under applicable law.

Section 3. Commercial Disputes - Referral to Terms of Service

All disputes not covered by Section 1 - including but not limited to fees, payments, refunds, marketplace transactions, shop suspensions for policy violations, and disputes with non-members - shall be governed exclusively by Section 10 (Dispute Resolution) of the Artos Terms of Service, which provides for binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA).

Section 4. Limited Court Access for Commercial Matters

Members do not waive their right to bring eligible commercial disputes in small claims court or to seek judicial review only where applicable law independently permits or requires a court proceeding. Otherwise, commercial disputes shall proceed as provided in the Terms of Service.

Section 5. Precedence

These Bylaws control internal Guild membership matters described in Section 1. The Terms of Service control commercial matters, account enforcement under the Terms of Service, and the arbitration procedures applicable to such matters.

Section 6. Determination of Applicable Forum

If either party asserts that a dispute is covered by this Article, the Stewards shall make a preliminary administrative determination within ten (10) business days.

  • If the Stewards determine the dispute is internal, the parties shall proceed under Article VI unless and until a neutral decision-maker with authority under applicable law determines otherwise.
  • If the Stewards determine the dispute is commercial, the parties shall proceed under Section 10 of the Terms of Service.

Any challenge to whether a commercial dispute falls within the scope or applicability of the arbitration agreement in the Terms of Service, including a challenge to the Stewards' preliminary classification, shall be decided by the arbitrator under Section 10 of the Terms of Service, except to the extent applicable law requires a court to decide the issue or the matter may proceed in small claims court.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS

Section 1. Amendment Process

These Bylaws may be amended by the Stewards to preserve the Guild's mission, clarify membership standards, respond to legal or operational changes, or improve governance.

Section 2. Notice

For every amendment, each current Member will be notified by email at the address associated with the Member's Artos account. The email will summarize the amendment and identify its effective date. These legal notices are service communications, not marketing messages. Artos may also display a prominent notice on the dashboard, but a dashboard notice does not replace the required email.

For an amendment that materially affects membership obligations, the email will be sent before the amendment takes effect when reasonably practicable, and we may require renewed electronic affirmation. Otherwise, continued participation in the Guild after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the amended Bylaws, to the extent permitted by law. Members are responsible for keeping their account email address current.

By checking "I have read and agree to the Bylaws of the Artos Vendor Guild" during the application process, you digitally sign and bind yourself to this agreement.