Ethos Capital, the company trying to acquire .org registry announced that the company will further strengthen the Public Interest Commitment (PIC). The provisions include an applicable maximum service fee in any year for the next 7 years. According to the announcement, the applicable maximum fee for the next 7 years is $9.93 until June 2020 and $10.92, $12.02, $13.22, $14.54, $15.99, $17.59 and $19.35 for the following years.
PIC includes provisions:
- Ethos will include a pricing table to provide further clarity around the applicable Maximum Service Fee in any year;
- Ethos will clarify that the Stewardship Council must be up and running within six months of the PIC being appended to the Registry Agreement. This clarification will be made to allow the nomination and selection process (being run by an independent search firm) to run its course;
- Ethos will clarify that no equity owner or immediate family member of any PIR employee, officer, director or equity owner shall serve on the Council;
- Ethos will clarify in the Stewardship Council PIC that the reservation of rights to comply with “policy” means “ICANN policy”;
- Ethos will agree to transparency reporting required in PIR’s Annual Report, showing the number of domains acted upon via PIR’s Anti-Abuse Policy or through court order; and
- Ethos will clarify that for amendment, the PIC must go through the then applicable public comment period for revisions to PICs.
ICANN is expected to approve or deny the acquisition by April 20. Ethos announced two PICs before on the 16th of March and the 21st of January.