Private equity firm, Ethos Capital, wants to purchase the nonprofit domain, .org for $1 billion, but the attempt to wage a battle on the internet real estate market faced intense backlash from stakeholders.
Internet pioneers against the purchase provided an alternative by creating their own group, Cooperative Corporation of .ORG Registrants, which plans to persuade the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to stop the sale and let them manage dot-org sites.
Esther Dyson, previous first chair of ICANN & a director of the cooperative explains, "This is a better alternative. If you’re owned by private equity, your incentive is to make a profit. Our incentive is to serve and protect nonprofits and the public.”