Private equity firm buys .org domain months after ICANN lifted price caps

Enlarge / The word DOT ORG written in vintage wooden letterpress type in a wooden type drawer. (credit: elinedesignservices / Getty)

The Public Internet Registry, a subsidiary of a nonprofit called the Internet Society, has managed the .org domain since 2002. Earlier this year, ICANN asked for public comment on a new contract for the organization. The most significant change was the elimination of provisions limiting price increases for .org domain owners.

According to one tally, more than 3,000 parties wrote in opposing the removal of price caps. Only six comments supported the change. Yet ICANN ignored this lopsided response and approved the contract in June. At the time, the PIR said that it had "no specific plans for any price changes."

But earlier this month, PIR announced that its parent organization, the Internet Society, was selling PIR to the private equity firm Ethos Capital.

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