The net suffix needs a new owner because the existing overseer will give up control over the domain by the end of this year.

In all, 11 organisations and groups have put in bids to run ".org".

".org" is the electronic home of many non-profit groups, and many of the bidding groups are planning to support this non-commercial ethic by changing the way the suffix is managed.

Community centre

This week, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann), the organisation that oversees the running of the net, revealed the list of bidders for the ".org" domain.

The domain is being released as part of a deal that its former owner, Verisign, struck with Icann.

By giving up control of the ".org" registry, Verisign got permission to keep control over the lucrative ".com" domain past the previously negotiated 2007 expiry date.

The deal was drawn up following US Government concern that Verisign was gathering too much control over net domains.

Community ethic

The bidders keen to run ".org" have each paid Icann $35,000 to consider their application.

Bids have come from a variety of groups, many of whom are already involved in the running of generic domains, such as dot.name or dot.coop as well as suffixes for individual nations.

Andrew Tsai, chief executive of the Global Name Registry, said change was needed because currently ".org" owners had no way of influencing what happened to their chosen domain and no central place to discuss community issues.

He said GNR would use 5% of the money made from ".org" domain fees to create a "community capital" that would dispense advice to new ".org" owners and act as a debating chamber for all owners.

"The vision is about inclusion, education and how this diverse community can shape the ".org" space together," he said.

The International Federation of the Red Cross is backing GNR's bid.

'Tried and tested'

Similar self-governance ideas were voiced by Malcolm Corbett, a spokesman for Poptel which is part of the Unity Registry bid for ".org".

He said if it was successful Unity would create a co-operative with ".org" domain owners as members to drive development of the suffix.

"It's a tried and tested structure for giving people influence over top level policies," he said.

Unity is planning to return 10% of the cash from domain fees to setting up the co-operative and creating resources for members.

British-based Organic Names is also preparing a bid for ".org" and said it planned to make the domain a focus for non-profit and ethical concerns.

Icann is due to appoint a new ".org" owner by the end of August 2002.