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ICANN Should Reject PIR Sale, Calif. Attorney General Says

ICANN should "reject the transfer of control over the .ORG registry to Ethos Capital," California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) said Thursday in a letter to the ICANN board and CEO. The AG's office, which is charged with supervising charitable…

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trusts in the state, investigated ICANN and its role in approving the sale by the Internet Society of the Public Interest Registry to Ethos (see 2003090027). If Ethos is permitted to buy PIR, "it will no longer have the unique characteristics that ICANN valued" when it chose PIR as the nonprofit to run the registry, Becerra wrote. He accused the parties of failing to respond to some questions from ICANN, the public and the internet community, including queries about PIR's financial picture after the sale and the sale process itself. The absence of critical information is "troubling given the unique nature of the .ORG community," he said: ICANN must exercise its authority to withhold approval."