ICANN Board Rejects Ethos Capital Takeover of .ORG Registry
The ICANN Board officially withholds consent for the proposed sale of the Public Interest Registry to Ethos Capital. The decision follows months of extensive due diligence and stakeholder input regarding the change from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.
The ICANN Board rejects the proposed change of control and entity conversion request that the Public Interest Registry (PIR) submits to ICANN. After completing extensive due diligence, the Board finds that withholding consent for the transfer of PIR from the Internet Society (ISOC) to Ethos Capital is the right action to take.
ICANN evaluates a massive amount of information related to the proposed transaction, including details of the financing, the parties involved, and the operational capabilities of Ethos Capital. The organization also considers how the new for-profit PIR responds to the needs of the non-commercial community and weighs all factors from a global public interest perspective.
Since 2003, PIR operates the .ORG generic top-level domain as a not-for-profit organization alongside six other domains. Under the original agreement, Ethos Capital acquires PIR and converts it into a for-profit Pennsylvania limited liability company, but ICANN ultimately determines that this specific transition does not meet its strict bylaws and policy requirements.