Public Interest Registry Waives Renewal Fees for .org Registrants in Nepal

-- All Nepal-Based .org Web Addresses Slated to Expire in 2015 Will Be Renewed for Free to Support Online Disaster Relief Communications

RESTON, Virginia, May 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As a response to the devastation in Nepal brought on by two back-to-back earthquakes, Public Interest Registry, the not-for-profit operator of the .org domain, today announced that it is extending the registration period one year for all .org domain name holders based in Nepal. Users typically must renew their domain registration. However, limited funds and unstable access to the Internet in Nepal could lead to the expiration of some .org websites at a time when they are needed most.

To aid those affected by the earthquakes in Nepal, Public Interest Registry and five participating registrars have committed to extend the registration period for one year at no cost on .org domain names that expire in 2015. Any Nepali .org domain name slated to expire by December 31, 2015 will qualify for free auto-renewal.

"We want to help those affected by the recent earthquakes in Nepal in any way that we can," said Brian Cute, CEO of Public Interest Registry. "It is our hope that by protecting .org registrants in Nepal from losing their domain names, they will be better able to continue their online communications, which may very well include using their websites to share information about disaster relief efforts."

Participating registrars waiving .org renewal fees include GoDaddy, Host Europe, Name.com, BigRock and ResellerClub. To view the full, up-to-date list of participating registrars please visit http://pir.org/public-interest-registry-waives-renewal-fees-for-org-registrants-in-nepal/.

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 (internetsociety.org) in 2002 and is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.

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