Lucrative registry services contract remains with Identity Digital.
Top level domain name company Identity Digital has retained the contract to run Public Interest Registry’s (PIR) top level domain names.
PIR, best known for managing .org, announced the results of a Request for Proposal process today.
Identity Digital operates the back-end registry for .org and PIR’s other domain names, and the new contract extends that relationship.
It’s a lucrative contract; PIR paid $15.6 million for the services in 2021. But that’s about half what PIR paid annually until 2017 when it put the contract out to bid.
We won’t know if Identity Digital made further pricing concessions until future tax returns are filed.
PIR and Identity Digital have a close relationship beyond the registry agreement. In 2021, Identity Digital transferred the top level domains .foundation, .charity, and .gives to PIR, and the organizations partnered to reintroduce them to the market.
Private equity company Ethos Capital owns Identity Digital. Ethos was the entity that tried to acquire the .org registry starting in 2019 but ultimately was rebuffed by ICANN.
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