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'''Public Interest Registry''' (PIR) is a generic top-level Domain registry (gTLD registry) that manages the .org top level domain ([[TLD]]). A not-for-profit organization, PIR came into existence on 1 January 2003, through the efforts of Reston, Virginia, US-headquartered "The Internet Society." PIR was formed to take over the operation and maintenance of the .org domain and its database from Verisign Global Registry Services, a division of [[VeriSign]]. The organization has its office at Reston, Virginia.

'''Public Interest Registry''' (PIR) is a [[gTLD|generic top-level Domain]] [[registry]] that manages the [[.org]] [[TLD|top level domain]]. The non-profit was established in January, 2003 by the Virginia-based [[ISOC|Internet Society]]. PIR was formed to take over the operation and maintenance of the .org domain and its database from VeriSign Global Registry Services, a division of [[VeriSign]]. The organization has its office in Reston, Virginia.

== History ==

== History ==

The .org top-level domain was first created in October 1984 by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority ([[IANA]])<ref>http://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/org.html</ref>, as part of its implementation of the [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc920 RFC 920]. Though the RFC limited the scope of the .org domain to non-profit organizations or to organizations of a non-commercial nature, over time the scope of the domain has expanded to include any entity, whether organizational or individual, commercial or non-commercial.

The first .org domain was registered by MITRE Corporation, a non-profit organization providing systems engineering and information technology support to the US government, on July 10, 1985.

The first .org domain was registered by MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit organization providing systems engineering and information technology support to the US government, on July 10, 1985.

On May 25, 2001, [[ICANN]] entered into an unsponsored registry agreement with [[VeriSign]] Inc. for operating the .org domain.<ref>http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/verisign/registry-agmt-org-25may01.htm</ref>  This agreement expired on December 31, 2002. A request for proposal was circulated by ICANN on May 20, 2002.<ref>http://www.icann.org/tlds/org/rfp-20may02.htm</ref> [[ISOC|The Internet Society]] was one of the eleven applicants who put in their proposals to become the successor operator.<ref>http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/org/applications/</ref> ISOC proposed to set up a separate entity, the "Public Interest Registry", to operate the .org [[gTLD]], with the sole power to appoint its board of directors. As part of the arrangement, PIR would appoint [[Afilias]] to handle the full range of back-end registry services on behalf of PIR. The [[ICANN Board]] selected PIR as the successor operator to VeriSign for managing the .org gTLD on October 14, 2002.<ref>http://www.icann.org/minutes/prelim-report-14oct02.htm#SuccessorOperatorfororgRegistry</ref> Finally, the reins of .org domain came into PIR's control in January, 2003; the agreement was signed for a period of 3 years, expiring December, 2006.

On May 25, 2001, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ([[ICANN]]) entered into an unsponsored registry agreement with Verisign Inc for operating the .org domain.<ref>http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/verisign/registry-agmt-org-25may01.htm</ref>  This agreement expired on December 31, 2002. A request for proposal was circulated by ICANN on May 20, 2002.<ref>http://www.icann.org/tlds/org/rfp-20may02.htm</ref> ISOC (The Internet Society) was one of the eleven applicants who put in their proposals to become the successor operator.<ref>http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/org/applications/</ref> ISOC proposed to set up a separate entity christened "Public Interest Registry" (PIR) to operate the .org [[gTLD]], with the sole power to appoint its board of directors. As part of the arrangement, PIR would appoint [[Afilias]] to handle the full range of back-end registry services on behalf of PIR. The [[ICANN Board]] selected PIR as the successor operator to Verisign for managing the .org gTLD on October 14, 2002.<ref>http://www.icann.org/minutes/prelim-report-14oct02.htm#SuccessorOperatorfororgRegistry</ref> Finally, the reins of .org domain came into PIR's control in January 2003 for a period of 3 years, expiring December 2006.

On December 8, 2006, the agreement between ICANN and PIR was renewed for another 6.5 years, and is set to expire on June 30, 2013.<ref>http://www.icann.org/en/tlds/agreements/org/registry-agmt-16jul08.htm</ref>

.org has emerged as the third-largest generic top-level domain in the world, as per the bi-annual domain name report published by PIR for January to June 2010.<ref>http://www.pir.org/pdf/dashboard_1H_2010.pdf</ref>

 

The .org has emerged as the third-largest generic top-level domain in the world, as per the bi-annual domain name report published by PIR for January to June 2010.<ref>http://www.pir.org/pdf/dashboard_1H_2010.pdf</ref>

== Governance ==

== Governance ==

PIR is governed by a Board of Directors who are appointed by the parent company, [[ISOC]]. The board comprises seven members, headed presently by Chairman [[Maarten Botterman]]. The CEO of PIR is an ex-officio board member too.  

PIR is governed by a Board of Directors who are appointed by the parent company, [[ISOC]]. The board comprises seven members, headed presently by Chairman [[Maarten Botterman]]. The CEO of PIR is an ex-officio board member too.