<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<p><font face="Liberation Sans"> I understand all that this is being
directed by a murky mafia behind the scene, of which we got some
sightings during the .org saga. This mafia both consists of
ex-CANNers and is in cahoots with existing people in ICANN...
This is why revolving doors is such a bad word in policy and
governance circles.... But wasnt the multistakeholderism version
practised by ICANN always a formalisation and white-washing of
revolving doors...</font> parminder</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 20/11/20 4:01 AM, Ayden Férdeline
via Governance wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:n1Mo45X3zJOLqMyWmvBsvEfgvujm0pzIaTejsQ1810igWOHW6ceVm_rU3hOYDYyReTh-RJANoDxNKkOz_OebskAlL_pGstWQ2nicHd-xpRk=@ferdeline.com">
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<div>Hi all,<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Just flagging this press release that says Afilias has been
acquired by Donuts:<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><a
href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/donuts-inc-to-acquire-afilias-inc-301177508.html"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/donuts-inc-to-acquire-afilias-inc-301177508.html</a><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This means that Donuts now owns over 450 generic top-level
domains (out of a total of 1,200). The (continued) consolidation
in the domain name industry is something that civil society
might want to track. I am not sure if this sale is problematic
from a competition perspective (though that is my gut reaction),
but it is significant nonetheless.<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Donuts is owned by private equity firm Abry Partners,
connected to former ICANN CEO Fadi Chehade.<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Afilias, which Donuts is now acquiring, is paid roughly $20
million a year by the Public Interest Registry to offer backend
services. Late last year another Fadi Chehade-connected entity,
Ethos Capital, attempted to acquire the Public Interest
Registry.<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Best wishes,<br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>Ayden Férdeline</div>
<br>
<fieldset class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset>
</blockquote>
</body>
</html>