Here is a report from the town hall at IGF re: the PIR sale. It contains important info from Becky Burr and Chris Disspain about what ICANN can and cannot do in this case:

https://www.internetgovernance.org/2019/11/28/town-hall-meeting-on-org-at-igf-2019/

Excerpt:

... Though reluctant to step forward and talk initially (“We are just here to listen”), ICANN board members Becky Burr and Chris Disspain quickly came to their senses and explained the process they go through when ownership of a registry changes.  They acknowledged that section 7.5 of the ORG Registry Agreement gives them a role in the transfer of control and that the process associated with that is already happening. They can ask questions of ISOC trustees and PIR about the sale and exchange information. There is no fixed 30-day limit on these exchanges, rather a rolling 30 day limit on each round of questions and responses. Board members acknowledged ICANN’s ability to attach conditions to the recognition of Ethos Capital as the new operator of .ORG. Board member Leon Sanchez was also in attendance.

The ICANN board members sat through the entire meeting and paid attention, so it should be clear to them that they can enhance ICANN’s legitimacy and reputation by taking the right steps in this controversy. They also indicated that concerned members of the community are welcome to send their opinions to the CEO and Board. We would caution anyone who does this to keep in mind the precise nature of ICANN’s role in this process, otherwise the advice will not be useful.

Marita