There are new developments in the sale of the .ORG domain.

As CMF reported, at the end of 2019 the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) reached an agreement with Ethos Capital, a private equity firm, under which Ethos Capital would acquire Public Interest Registry (PIR), the company that owns the .ORG domain.

The sale raised concerns, especially among the nonprofit sector due to the possibility of domain price increases and the threat of censorship. The sale poses a potential financial burden to small nonprofits and our sector risks losing control of its .ORG brand value.

A growing online petition at SaveDotOrg opposing the sale and an organized protest outside of ICANN’s Los Angeles office last month has put a spotlight on the issue, leading to continued conversation.

Now, Ethos Capital has announced new accountability initiatives in an effort to address the concerns raised by the public.

Highlights include:

• Affordability of .ORG domain names: Ethos Capital says fees charged for initial or renewal registration of a .ORG domain name will not increase by more than 10% per year on average for eight years from the start of the current registry agreement.

• .ORG Stewardship Council: According to Ethos Capital, the .ORG Stewardship Council will have authority to provide independent advice and have the right to veto changes proposed by PIR to policies regarding censorship and freedom of expression and the use of .ORG registrant and user data. The council will provide the PIR Board with independent strategic advice and recommendations in order to help the PIR Board assess how it can promote values that serve the mission-driven goals of the .ORG community.

“We have been listening closely to stakeholder feedback – both positive and negative – and have been working diligently to address these specific issues head on,” Erik Brooks, founder and CEO of Ethos Capital said in a press release. “A primary request we heard from the .ORG community was for strong enforceability measures to ensure that Ethos would be held accountable to its promises. We are taking these actions to show that we stand firmly behind the commitments we’ve made – and most importantly – behind the registrants and users who have made .ORG the incredible domain it is today.” 

Last week in an op-ed in The Nonprofit Times, the leaders of NTEN and the Electronic Frontier Foundation in California said the initiatives fail to adequately meet the needs of the nonprofit sector. The authors of the op-ed questioned the effectiveness of the Stewardship Council and validity of the affordability guarantee.

As for the purchase of the .ORG domain, ICANN has extended the deadline to receive additional information from PIR about the transaction to March 20.

Want more?

Read the full announcement from Ethos Capital.

Read the op-ed “.ORG Still Wouldn’t Be Safe.”