Updated The Mozilla Foundation has denied that the departure of three members of its board is a vote of protest regarding the controversial appointment of Brendan Eich as CEO.

The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that folks familiar with the matter say three directors - John Lilly, Ellen Siminoff and Gary Kovacs - bailed because they disagreed with the choice of CEO.

The Journal says the three were said to have felt Eich did not have the skills they felt necessary, but the Mozilla Foundation disagrees and sent the following statement to The Reg:

"The three board members ended their terms last week for a variety of reasons. Two had been planning to leave for some time, one since January and one explicitly at the end of the CEO search, regardless of the person selected."

Eich, meanwhile, is appealing to interested parties to consider his commitment to Mozilla rather that his controversial remarks on same-sex marriage.

The new CEO has blogged to affirm his support for Mozilla's inclusiveness policies and to say he will “... demonstrate with meaningful action my commitment to a Mozilla that lives up to its ideals, including that of being an open and inclusive community.” ®