back to article ICANN delays .org sell off after California's attorney general intervenes at last minute, tears non-profit a new one over sale

ICANN has again delayed a decision on whether to green-light the sale of the .org registry for another month, multiple sources with knowledge of a crucial meeting have told The Register. The organization's board of directors was due to meet and decide today on whether to approve the $1.13bn sale of the .org domain from the …

  1. elDog

    Wouldn't surprise me to find some entities involved in this sale that are somehow connected to

    the mobsters that are trying to turn the US into a private enterprise. Casinos and real-estate for money-laundering. Might as well try to get into the innertubes business.

    1. IGotOut Silver badge

      Re: Wouldn't surprise me to find some entities involved in this sale that are somehow connected to

      " that are trying to turn the US into a private enterprise. "

      Sorry, but that ship sailed long ago.

      When you have an election system that comes down to those with the most money to spend, it has no other option but to be corrupted by businesses with deep pockets.

      1. Klimt's Beast Would

        Re: Wouldn't surprise me to find some entities involved in this sale that are somehow connected to

        Is that Southpark's Cartman singing 'Come sail away' in the background?

        Being in Lick Down*, I highly recommend listening to Chef Aid: The Southpark Album.

        * as all owners of dogs and cats are.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Wouldn't surprise me to find some entities involved in this sale that are somehow connected to

      It would surprise me when it comes down to it mobsters are not in the same league as the business elite when it comes down to morals, ethics and downright criminal acts.

    3. martinusher Silver badge

      Re: Wouldn't surprise me to find some entities involved in this sale that are somehow connected to

      ....I'd put my money on the people advocating the sale having an interest in the organzation trying to buy it. The lack of transparency about both the process of the sale and the nature of the buyer should be raising red flags all over the place.

      >the mobsters that are trying to turn the US into a private enterprise.

      The only difference between a 'mobster' and a 'legitimate businessman' is the nature of the business. The line between the two isn't that clear, either.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Hope for the best, expect the worst

    I applaud the AG but I fear it's just a delay, not a defeat for ICANN and Ethos Capital. I would also not be surprised if the Trump administration came out in support of ICANN.

    A bit off topic - for as long as this has been going on I've yet to see a good pun for Ethos Capital but it does anagram to Also Pathetic.

    1. allyourhandlesarebelongtous

      Re: Hope for the best, expect the worst

      Actually, there's no love lost between Trump and Romney, so I'd be surprised if Trump supported the acquisition. But that's really neither here nor there, since this is no longer a US federal matter.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Alien

    Ethos Capitall....refusing to answer specific questions about its ownership.

    I'm not saying that .org is about to be taken over by space aliens, but we all know that .org is about to be taken over by space aliens.

    (More seriously, how much do you want to bet that ICANN is delaying their vote so they can move out of California and the Cali AG's jurisdiction.)

    1. TimMaher Silver badge
      Coat

      Sorry!

      My thumb did a downvote without my permission.

      I blame a small tablet keyboard.

      1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

        Re: Sorry!

        You can always change it to an upvote.

        1. Yes Me Silver badge
          WTF?

          Re: Sorry!

          My downvote was intentional.

          Why on earth do people appear to believe that a name registry being operated for profit has a serious impact on the organizations that have picked a name because it happens to end in a particular suffix? It's a strange form of magical belief but it doesn't have much to do with reality. Precisely because the name registry business is aggressively competitive, mysilly.org will never become signficantly expensive compared to mysilly. anything else. Get over it.

          Attorneys General are supposed to be rational, legal thinkers. Here is a public service announcement: A down vote on this post indicates that you believe in magic.

          1. Richard 12 Silver badge
            WTF?

            Re: Sorry!

            So you think domain names have a value of zero, and are completely interchangeable, and that for-profit and non-profit organisations have the same goals and drivers. That is utter madness.

            If theregister.co.uk suddenly vanished and moved to theregister.xxx, how would you know and trust that it was the same organisation?

            1. Yes Me Silver badge

              Re: Sorry!

              No, I don't think any of that. However, since .org has been operated as a commercial enterprise since 1998, I am at a loss to understand why a change of beneficial ownership of the registry has led to the current fuss. Yes, the beneficial ownership will move from a non-profit back to a profit-making corporation like it was before Jan 1st, 2003. No, that will not change the perceived value of a .org domain name, and the competition between registries will set the price just as it has done every day since 1998.

              "If theregister.co.uk suddenly vanished and moved to theregister.xxx, how would you know and trust that it was the same organisation?" Nice strawman. It would take about 2 minutes with Google or Duck Duck Go to verify or falsify.

              1. DoctorNine

                Re: Sorry!

                I will agree with your declaration that you are at a loss. Don't feel bad. The whole point of the thing was to obfuscate what they were about. Don't mind while we laugh though. It's entertaining.

          2. teknopaul

            Re: Sorry!

            You are wrong. Prices will rise. Each .org does not have profits to pay for that rise. Every penny that Ethos Capital makes will be stolen from a charity box.

  4. nematoad
    WTF?

    What I'd like to know is does the Attorney General have any power to stop this smash and grab raid? It is one thing to send a letter saying that he disapproves of the way this has been handled but does his office have any teeth to enforce this disapproval? If it has what is the betting that he will actually do anything about it?

    I know, a lot of questions, but this matters not just those in California but everyone who uses the internet.

    Oh, as a side note, looking at the letter-head is that "Britannia" I see before me on the "Great Seal"?

    1. SImon Hobson Bronze badge

      From its founding to the present, ICANN has been formally organized as a nonprofit corporation "for charitable and public purposes" under the California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation Law Source (Wikipedia). I imagine that gives the authorities in California significant powers to monitor the conduct of ICANN and take action if they think it is breaking the rules. Whether this sale would break any rules is a different question - but just an investigation would (I imagine) put a brake on things.

      But the obvious thing to ask (as has been mentioned above) is whether the sale is "proper" given the purchaser is clearly a shady business - no "above board" business would go to such lengths to hide the details.

      Meanwhile, the response form ICAAN't will probably be "la, la, la, la, la ..." with it's collective fingers in it's collective ears.

    2. Schultz
      Go

      As any TV-watching fool knows...

      the AG has resources to investigate and has a short line to the judge if the investigation turns up something interesting. So you don't want to draw his attention.

    3. vtcodger Silver badge

      Britannia?

      "Oh, as a side note, looking at the letter-head is that "Britannia" I see before me on the "Great Seal"?"

      I believe it's Minerva/Athena. The nametag depending upon which side of the Adriatic you are standing on.

    4. Claptrap314 Silver badge

      This was one of the points raised during the debate to turn ICANN into the Internet's FIFA. As a California corporation, it is subject to the jurisdiction of California.

      Until it moves.

      I bet there is some really arcane law about what happens when a company wants to change its domicile of incorporation against the will of the place it is currently incorporated in.

  5. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Mushroom

    "to permit additional time to complete our review"

    Bullshit. Your review is complete and your mind is made up. It's just all those pesky Other People that are keeping you from completing the sale.

    1. Rol

      Re: "to permit additional time to complete our review"

      They now have doubts as to whether they can get away with it, and are busy consulting with their legal team.

  6. Mark 85

    Follow the money.

    Seems that no one is following the money both where it's coming from and where it's going to. So far, no one has said who is buying and no one has said who get's the cash from the sale. I have a feeling that the board of ICANN will make some serious pocket change from this deal.

    1. Yes Me Silver badge
      Thumb Up

      Re: Follow the money.

      "no one has said who get's the cash from the sale"

      Rubbish. That's been clear since the day of the announcement. The current owner of PIR gets the cash and will use it to set up an endowment fund "to ensure that the Internet is there for everyone." That's about as "public interest" as you can get.

      https://www.keypointsabout.org/blog/advancing-the-internet-societys-mission-into-the-future

      1. sinsi

        Re: Follow the money.

        Unbiased website? From a Wired article:

        "A spokesperson for Ethos Capital referred a reporter to a website published by Ethos and the Internet Society called keypointsabout.org."

        1. Yes Me Silver badge

          Re: Follow the money.

          Of course ISOC is not unbiased, but once they get the cash, Ethos Capital has no say whatever in how ISOC sets up the foundation, who governs it, and what causes it supports.

      2. teknopaul

        Re: Follow the money.

        Just because you steal one dollar from a million charity boxes, does not mean you are not stealing a millions dollars from charity boxes.

        No matter what you do with the money.

        And it is theft. They were not asked. When they found out they said no.

  7. Rol

    It's always the butler who did it. The one charged with looking after it.

    I just can't get my head around it. How can those entrusted to look after something, maintain that they are doing so, after they have given ownership of it away?

    It's like how my local council tried to give away vast swathes of public parks to their back scratching mates. The public rightly reminded the councillors that they where only the trustees, and had no right to sell off the parks without asking the owners permission first. And without the consent of some 460,000 Bristolians, they backed down.

  8. Rol

    At least as a charity they can act impartially, with little or no consequences.

    Dear Sirs

    As a business in a thriving marketplace, we are always mindful of our public image, and the implications of being associated with concerns that might bring our brand into question.

    As a result of our investigation, it is with a sad heart that we have to end our contract to supply your .org address, as we feel our association with you is negatively impacting on our image.

    I do hope your ...........(insert name of organisation that gets up the noses of Republicans and their ilk) can find a new home, with a company that isn't scared shitless of being blacklisted by Presidents and other amoeba, that have by some sheer fluke got a hold of some money and power.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "ignoring the very people it is supposed to represent"

    Isn't that SOP for regulatory capture? Now if only an AG or two would take Ajit Pai to task

    As long as Citizens United stands, any crook with enough cash can run the world this way.

    Say, isn't Valdimir swimming in oil cash?

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