Concerns Re: ISOC/PIR/Ethos Sale

[Sam Lanfranco]

Colleagues,
I would like to expand on Ayden's question about whether there are serious
non-financial concerns around the potential ownership of PIR by what
amounts to a particular type of venture capital company. 
Think of three types of venture capital company. Some invest in a portfolio
of start up companies, hoping that some succeed and the portfolio is
profitable. Some invest in successful "boutique" operations to sell to
major corporations (or major corporations buy directly) to improve their
product line without doing in-house research and development. The third
type looks for undervalued companies, buys them, does things to make them
look more attractive (cost cutting, "lipstick on the pig") and usually
flips them for a relatively quick profit. 
My experience as an economist is that firms such as Ethos are of the third
type. If the sale goes through that is a hypothesis to be tested. There is
nothing about the history of the investors to suggest that they have a long
term interest in PIR, .org, or the Internet ecosystem, other than as a
source of profits. That means that any declarations that are not carved in
legal stone are just "statements of policy for the moment", and all subject
to change "as circumstances (including ownership) change". 
The move to private ownership for PIR and .org exposes .org domain names,
and domain name holders, to many more risks, more than just rate increases.
Ayden's concern here would exist if the .org registry goes to private
ownership, no matter who the owners are, and who they retain for advice. 
Ayden asks: 

I think this is an area of divergence where a PIR under ISOC's management
may behave differently to a PIR owned by a company whose advisor has strong
business interests in China.

Do others share this same concern as me?
Sam Lanfranco 
Postscript: I should declare that at the moment I have a nominal position
as a Visiting Professor at  Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool Univ, Suzhou, China. I
do not teach courses. My only role is to advise on curriculum around the
global Internet ecosystem. I only have travel expenses covered, with
accommodations at the university when there (once two years ago). I am not
paid for my advice. If you have questions, please ask. 


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