Public Interest Registry Releases Bi-Annual Domain Name Report

- "The Dashboard" Report Provides Insight into Public Interest Registry's International Research on .ORG and .NGO

RESTON, Virginia, Sept. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Public Interest Registry – the not-for-profit operator of the .ORG domain – today released the results of its bi-annual domain name report, "The Dashboard," detailing the international and domestic growth of .ORG from January to July 2013. Specifically, the report revealed that new .ORG registrations increased by 13.6 percent in the first half of 2013.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100628/ORGLOGO)

Other findings from "The Dashboard" include:

• .ORG has reached 10.3 million domains under management (DUM) representing a net gain of 206,170 new DUM for the first half of 2013, which is an average of 34,361 new DUM per month for a 2% increase.
• Strong growth in key international markets— specifically in India, who jumped into the top 10 market for .ORG for the first time.
• .ORG DUM has increased by 86.8 percent since 2007.
• Public Interest Registry has passed ICANN's initial evaluation for management of six new domains including .NGO, .ONG and four internationalized domain names (IDNs)

Additionally, over the past year, Public Interest Registry conducted a comprehensive international research study on the overall awareness of the .ORG and .NGO/.ONG top-level domains. This study was conducted in key markets including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Brazil and India. The research found that in India, .ORG has surged as a top-level domain in the past four years with domains under management jumping from just 91,000 to nearly 150,000, a 60 percent increase. While other markets also showed steady growth for .ORG, there were a few notable misconceptions about the top-level domain as well as a lack of familiarity in select markets. For example, in Brazil, 66 percent of respondents are incorrectly under the assumption that there is certain criterion that must be met in order to purchase a .ORG domain.

"While we find the steady growth of .ORG in international markets promising, it's clear that more education needs to be done for both the .ORG and .NGO/.ONG domains," said Brian Cute, CEO of Public Interest Registry. "This research has been highly beneficial in guiding Public Interest Registry in certain markets. It has enabled us to better see where we need to focus our time and efforts over the next few years to grow .ORG and launch the new .NGO/.ONG domains."

For more information on "The Dashboard" or to download a copy, please visit http://pir.org/news.

About Public Interest Registry
Public Interest Registry is a nonprofit corporation that operates the .ORG top-level domain -- the world's third largest "generic" top-level domain with more than 10 million domain names registered worldwide. As an advocate for collaboration, safety and security on the Internet, Public Interest Registry's mission is to empower the global noncommercial community to use the Internet more effectively, and to take a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and other issues relating to the domain naming system. Public Interest Registry was founded by the Internet Society ( http://www.internetsociety.org ) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.