The Free Speech Coalition is continuing its campaign against the new .XXX top level domain with it urging adult online business owners to send ICM Registry a letter demanding that their trademarks be protected. Non-adult brand owners are also upset, with lawyers for some of the biggest brands in the US, saying they feel they are being blackmailed into defensive registrations. Companies ranging from MTV Networks and Budget Travel to the Red Cross are preregistering to avoid future legal battles with cybersquatters, reports Reuters. “Many feel they’re being blackmailed to protect their brands,” Kristina Rosette, a trademark lawyer at the law firm Covington & Burling, told Reuters. She added that requiring preregistration fees to protect trademarks is not uncommon among domain registries, which then include the expected revenue in their business plans and projections. However Stuart Lawley, founder of ICM Registry dismisses charges that he is shaking down registrants. “We’re doing it on a cost-recovery basis. We don’t make a dime out of it,” Lawley told Reuters, adding that the fees would serve to cover the cost of verifying the applicant’s identity and trademark ownership. For the adult industry, the “letter of notice” drafted by the Free Speech Coalition informs ICM Registry that the sender will consider any infringement on their trademark as potentially actionable. The letter also clearly states concerns about potential anti-trust issues and unfair businesses practices on the part of ICM, as well as the certainty of cyber-squatting and other exploitation of established trademarks in the .XXX domain. “This template provides adult businesses which do not want the risk of participating in the precarious .XXX experiment with a path to protect their intellectual property and valuable brands,” FSC Board Chair attorney Jeffrey Douglas said. “This template should be discussed with their lawyers and adapted to their needs, but it can be a valuable tool to prevent the damage to their long developed good will and valuable web names.” “FSC is inviting adult businesses to put ICM Registry on notice that they do not have permission to sell the .XXX version of their trademarked names and brands,” said FSC Executive Director Diane Duke. “It is critical that ICM Registry understand that the adult community will not tolerate ICM’s business model, which is built on frightening existing adult companies into paying ICM in order to protect their brand and trademark.” Adult companies that have already issued demands to ICM Registry to protect their trademarks from infringement include Hustler/LFP, Manwin, Pink Visual and AEBN. FSC encourages all adult online businesses to be pro-active and to put ICM on notice concerning any infringement of trademarks. Meanwhile the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR), the non-profit organisation tasked with policy making for .XXX announced the Sponsored Community founding members of its Policy Council. These highly respected members represent global leaders in the adult entertainment industry. European members are: (1) Jerry Barnett, Managing Director of Strictly Broadband Ltd., the UK’s leading adult VoD provider, and also the chairman of the UK’s Adult Industry Trade Association. He is an entrepreneur from a computing technology background. (2) Florian Sitta is Head of the legal department of Beate Uhse AG, Germany. He is responsible for intellectual property, licensing, internet and communications, corporate governance and compliance as well as being in charge as Commissioner for the Protection of Youth. Representing Australia and Asia is Trieu Hoang, in-house legal counsel and business development for AbbyWinters.com. He brings the experience of working with the political climate toward the industry in Australia. Trieu is originally from Vietnam, so he also brings the much needed Asian perspective. United States members are (1) Chad Belville, a lawyer who is well known to the internet adult industry. He has been on panels at many of the industry conferences and is a member of the First Amendment Lawyers Association (FALA) and (2) Andy Kayton, also a FALA member and general counsel for WebPower, Inc. WebPower, whose holdings include the iFriends adult webcam network and the ClickCash affiliate program, is one of the oldest and largest U.S. adult internet service providers. These industry leaders will join those previously announced who represent Privacy and Security (Professor Fred Cate), Child Protection (Sharon Girling OBE), Free Expression (Professor Nadine Strossen), and the ICM Registry representative (Bob Corn-Revere). To register your .XXX domain, check out America Registry here .

[news release] RIGHT OF THE DOT, a domain name strategy consulting group for new generic top-level domain (gTLD) applicants and existing TLDs, announced today that it has entered into a cooperative arrangement with Architelos, a consulting and managed services company serving the same market. Under the arrangement, Architelos will refer gTLD applicants seeking premium domain name consulting services to RIGHT OF THE DOT, and RIGHT OF THE DOT will refer to Architelos clients looking for new TLD feasibility, financial modeling and TLD application services, as well as a managed solution for running the front office functions of a TLD registry. The internet name space is expected to expand into potentially hundreds of new TLDs, as companies are permitted to apply for generic names and even their own brand name in the form of a TLD, to generate greater brand awareness and control. However, achieving the benefits requires a comprehensive set of strategic services leveraging the best of several providers. The cooperative agreement between the two companies provides a complementary set of services targeted at generics and brand applicants. RIGHT OF THE DOT specializes in new and existing gTLD strategy, board advisement, premium domain strategy, market positioning and sales. The company is offering its expertise to assist new gTLD applicants in developing and executing premium domain name strategies including financial planning. Architelos’ executives have run registries and launched new TLDs. They provide the rigorous analysis and creative ideas for helping brands and businesses intelligently identify opportunities within the TLD industry. The company has also pioneered tools such as the Business Case Builder, which enables an applicant to easily create the cost and revenue projections for its TLD, as well as the customized report required by ICANN as part of the TLD application. “The Right of the Dot team is a great complement to the Architelos team in terms of industry experience and track record,” said Alexa Raad, CEO of Architelos. “Architelos is unique in what it offers our clients—a hands-on team of executives with a successful track record of building registries and launching TLDs and its Business Case Builder that helps brands and generic TLDs create a strong and defensible application for their desired TLD,” said Michael H. Berkens, Managing Director for RIGHT OF THE DOT. “Interest in new gTLDs continues to increase among entrepreneurs, investors and corporations. And rightly so,” said Monte Cahn, President of RIGHT OF THE DOT. “We are on the verge of a true paradigm shift in the domain industry, and forward-thinking businesses are aggressively planning around new gTLDs. With Architelos and RIGHT OF THE DOT in your court, you’ll have the business intelligence, valuation and sales support you need to ensure your next move is a success.” About Right Of the Dot LLC RIGHT OF THE DOT is an Internet consulting and advisement firm specializing in new and existing TLD strategy, board advisement, premium domain and market positioning, sales and services. The venture is the brainchild of two successful domain and Internet industry veterans, Monte Cahn and Michael H. Berkens, Esq., who possess a unique combination of vision, leadership and domain expertise. Cahn was the original founder of Moniker.com, a top 7 ICANN Accredited Registrar, who went on to head the Aftermarket and Sales Division of Oversee.net. Among other pioneering services, Cahn introduced the concept of Live Domain Auctions to the industry. Berkens, a domain investor with more than 75,000 domains, owns WorldwideMedia Inc., including the retail site MostWantedDomains.com. He founded and contributes to the widely read blog, TheDomains.com. Both principals of RIGHT OF THE DOT are members of the prestigious Domain Hall Of Fame, and are two of only 10 members. This highly qualified consulting group gives you access to the most experienced domain sales and marketing strategists in the industry. They are the only domain industry firm specializing in the many of the critical service offerings required to be successful in the ever-expanding domain industry. About Architelos Architelos, Inc. provides consulting and managed services for clients in the internet and domain name industry. The TMS service provides outsourced professional services and SaaS-based registry “front-office” solutions for both new TLD contract winners and existing small registries. TMS services range from new TLD application support to launch and turnkey management of a new TLD. The consulting practice focuses on innovative growth strategies and boasts both industry leaders as well as new entrants as clients. Architelos operates as an independent and trusted third party with no financial interest in or plans to apply for any new TLDs. Architelos has an “open source” ethos, thus ensuring integration with all back-end processors. With an executive team comprised of leading industry veterans who have successfully launched, built and managed new and existing TLDs, Architelos is uniquely positioned to offer a turnkey solution for registry launch and management. Founded by Alexa Raad, former CEO of PIR, the .ORG registry, and John Matson, a veteran management consultant to Fortune 500 companies, Architelos brings wisdom and experience to turn rapid market change into innovation and success for its clients.

Web.com, a provider of internet services and online marketing for small and medium‐sized businesses (SMBs), has agreed to acquire the privately‐held Network Solutions, one of the largest domain name registrars focused on SMBs. The takeover means Web.com has the opportunity to create the largest online marketing solutions company focused on the $19 billion web services market for SMBs. Currently the two companies have approximately three million paying subscribers more than nine million domains under management and more than 1,900 employees worldwide. The acquisition follows last month’s private equity buyout of Go Daddy, the world’s largest registrar. “Shares of Web.com rose nearly 30 per cent after hours following the announcement of its largest acquisition to date,” reported Reuters. “The company had a market capitalisation of $251.72 million at Wednesday’s close.” Under the terms of the agreement, upon the closing Web.com will pay Network Solutions $405 million in cash and issue 18 million shares of Web.com common stock, in addition to refinancing existing net debt of Network Solutions and paying certain fees. Network Solutions is currently majority owned by General Atlantic LLC, a leading global growth equity firm. “This transaction represents a unique opportunity to dramatically expand our scale, add further momentum to Web.com’s already improving top line growth, and further expand our market share as the nationally recognised go‐to provider of online marketing solutions specifically tailored to small and medium‐sized businesses,” said David Brown, Chairman and CEO of Web.com. “Our integration strategy will be similar to our successful acquisition of Register.com, and we will be in a strong position to crosssell and up‐sell our services to Network Solutions’ approximately two million retail customers and hundreds of thousands of wholesale customers. We believe this combination will provide significant long‐term shareholder value as we grow our business, capitalise on synergies, improve our margins and generate substantial cash flow to invest greater resources in growth and branding initiatives.” “The acquisition of Network Solutions immediately delivers enormous scale to Web.com and better enables us to capitalise on the significant shift from traditional marketing channels to online marketing as mass adoption by SMB’s continues. Small and mid‐sized businesses are increasingly looking to leverage the growing adoption of online local search, social media and mobile devices to grow, and they need cost‐and time‐efficient help. No other company has the combination of products, services and experience to help small and medium businesses as effectively as Web.com. Our combined organisation will have far greater resources to market our end‐to‐end suite of solutions, in addition to using the power of a national brand for the first time in our history,” Mr. Brown continued. Anton Levy, a Managing Director of global growth equity firm General Atlantic, the principal stakeholder in Network Solutions, said, “As growth investors, we are very excited to participate alongside other Web.com stockholders in its exciting strategy to be the web services and online marketing resource for SMBs. With this transaction, Web.com wins the race to scale, which is critically important at this moment in the shift to online marketing by small and medium‐sized businesses.” Tim Kelly, CEO of Network Solutions, stated, “Network Solutions has been a pioneer in this industry for nearly 30 years. We are very excited to combine our expertise, resources, customers and award winning customer service with Web.com. Our combined company will have tremendous know‐how and a broad portfolio of online marketing, web services, social media and mobile solutions to help small businesses grow in the increasingly connected online world. For Network Solutions and Web.com, we will be positioned to capitalise on the more than $19 billion online services market for small and medium businesses in ways that neither company could do efficiently on a standalone basis.” The transaction, which is subject to Web.com shareholder approval as well as customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions, is expected to be completed in the fall of 2011. At the close, General Atlantic and other current Network Solutions shareholders are expected to own approximately 37% of Web.com. In addition, as part of the acquisition agreement, Mr. Levy will join the Web.com board of directors. The transaction will create a leading end‐to‐end online solutions company with a clear path to $500 million in non‐GAAP revenues as it focuses on providing web services to SMBs, a market estimated to be larger than $19 billion. Web.com believes its combined company will be positioned to deliver non‐GAAP revenue growth in the low teens, with non‐GAAP earnings per share and unlevered free cash flow growth in the mid‐teens to 20 percent range over the next three to four years as revenue and cost synergies are realised. In particular, under current debt pricing terms, the transaction is expected to be at least 20 percent accretive to the $1.22 per share current First Call consensus estimate for 2012, with significantly greater accretion in 2013.

Jeff Kupietzky, CEO and President of Oversee is leaving the organisation at the end of August the company announced. Kupietzky who has been with the company for five years, the last two and a half as CEO and President, has elected for personal reasons to relocate his family to Israel. The day-to-day operations and strategic vision for Oversee will be led by the company’s Co-Presidents, Debra Domeyer and Scott Morrow. They are supported by an operating committee which includes CFO Liz Murray, and General Counsel Todd Greene. “On behalf of the Board and all Oversee employees, I thank Jeff for his service to the company,” said Board Chairman and Oversee co-founder Lawrence Ng. “He successfully navigated the company through some difficult challenges and positioned it as an industry leader.  We all wish him the best of luck in his new home and as he continues his successful career.” Mr. Ng also expressed his confidence in the company’s leadership: “We feel extremely fortunate to have such a talented team of executives who are well respected throughout the industry.  We are extremely confident in their knowledge and capabilities, as well as their passion to lead us to our next chapter of growth.”

Twelve Leading Industry Stakeholders Sign Letter of Intent to Use Technical Measures to Protect Copyright Online Twelve leading associations from the content industry and online services industry today signed a Letter of Intent committing them to work together to combat online content theft using through the use of technical measures. The Letter of Intent was signed at the Fourth ISP Symposium in Macao by the following stakeholders: Organization         Representative DotAsia Organisation (DotAsia) Mr. Edmon Chung, CEO Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA) – Mr. York Mok, Chairman Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association Limited (MPIA) – Mr. Brian Chung, Chief Executive Hong Kong Theatres Association Limited (HKTA) – Ms. Fanny Lam, Executive Officer Hong Kong Video Development Foundation Limited (HKVDF) – Ms. Clera Chu, Vice Chairman International Federation Against Copyright Theft (Greater China) (IFACT-GC) – Mr. Sam Ho, Executive Director and General Manager International Federation of Creativity and Technology (IFOCAT) – Mr. Paul Fung, President International Intellectual Property Protection Centre (IIPPC) – Mr. Johnny Ho, Director Movie Producers and Distributors Association of Hong Kong Limited (MPDA) – Mr. Tony Shu, Executive Secretary Internet Society Hong Kong (ISOC-HK) – Mr. Charles Mok, Chairman Online Service Providers Alliance (OSPA) – Mr. Joe Lam, Chairman Sun Network (Hong Kong) Limited (Sun Network) – Mr. David Wong, General Manager The Letter of Intent was signed: In order to provide a healthy platform for legitimate online business and strengthen copyright protection in the digital environment, we jointly agree to apply appropriate and enforceable technical measures to drive out infringing content from the Internet, with a balance towards protecting freedom of expression and fostering creativity on the Internet. The Symposium is the fourth annual gathering of stakeholders involved in providing online services and content and focused this year on “Community, Content Protection and Co-operation”, discussing online user behaviour, technology developments, and cooperative technological measures for online content protection. A 2010 report on The Economic Contribution of the Hong Kong Film and Television Industry commissioned by the IFACT-GC confirmed that in 2008 the industries employed more than 32,000 people helping contribute HK$33 billion in gross output and an additional HK$6 billion value-add to Hong Kong’s economy. The report is the first of its kind to comprehensively measuring the direct, indirect and induced economic impacts made by one of Hong Kong‘s major creative industries – the film and television industry – and underscores the importance of protecting the creative industry’s IPR content generated from online theft. “IPR content like movies entertains us and is a major economic driver, creating wealth and jobs,” said Sam Ho, Executive Director and General Manager of the IFACT-GC. “IPR content is worth protecting and this alliance provides the framework for three of the main stakeholders – Hong Kong’s content industry, the ISPs /OSPs, and Internet users – to engage and cooperate, to the benefit of all, to curb online content theft.” “This alliance provides a new, innovative approach to curbing the online theft of copyrighted works,” said York Mok, Chairman of the HKISPA. “It provides a framework where the interests of consumers, the legitimate online service providers and content creators can all win through the development of successful, competitive business models to deliver legitimate creative content online.” “DotAsia is committed to the continued positive development of the Internet in Asia. The alliance represents a new strategy for an industry-led effort to curb online copyright and intellectual property rights infringement,” said Edmon Chung, CEO of the DotAsia. “This also builds on DotAsia’s continued joint efforts in international and local initiatives to increase public awareness of Internet issues such as piracy, and to work with Computer Emergency Response Teams, enforcement agencies and other authorities to enhance the security and stability of the Internet in Asia.” “By encouraging consumers and users to use and engage with legitimate digital content platforms this alliance will help ensure that the content creators rather than criminals enjoy the benefits of the hard work, creativity and financial risk that goes into all successful content,” said Clera Chu, Vice Chairman of the HKVDF. Charles Mok, Chairman of the ISOC-HK said “We are confident that the initiatives arising from this alliance will reduce the availability of pirated content and encourage consumers to access copyrighted content from legitimate sources online, while at the same time provide the necessary balance to encourage creative activities by all users.” Joe Lam, Chairman of the OSPA said “I believe that this alliance can protect our intellectual property rights in the digital environment, balancing and ensuring freedom of expression and creativity on the Internet and will not hinder the development of Internet services in Hong Kong.” “While this alliance will reduce the availability of stolen content online it will also level the playing field for many other legitimate content providers who just can’t compete with business models that get content free through theft,” said Vicky Wong, Chairman of the HKTA. “And that is good for the digital economy and for all legitimate stakeholders.” # # # About the DotAsia: The DotAsia Organisation (DotAsia) is the Sponsoring Organisation and Registry Operator for the .Asia Sponsored Generic Top Level Domain. DotAsia is a not-for-profit, community-based organisation incorporated in Hong Kong. Asia has developed into a global force in the international commercial, political and cultural network and the .Asia domain aspires to embrace this dynamism in the Asia Century to become a nucleus, intersection and breeding ground for Internet activity and development in the region. To learn more about DotAsia, please visit: http://www.registry.asia. About the HKISPA: The Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA) was formed in 1989 and has as its membership the majority of ISPs in Hong Kong. The mission of the HKISPA includes: acting as a discussion forum on Internet related matters, the promotion of Internet development in Hong Kong, the promotion of fair competition and codes of practice, and working with government agencies and the public on Internet related issues. More information can be obtained at www.hkispa.org.hk. About the MPIA: The Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association (MPIA) was established in July 1986, to promote and protect the rights and interests of the Hong Kong motion picture industry by aggressively combating intellectual property right infringements, representing members’ view on matters of interest to the industry, and representing members in their dealings with the Hong Kong SAR Government and government authorities in other countries. About the HKTA: The Hong Kong Theatres Association Limited (HKTA) was established in 1950 to represent Hong Kong movie theatre owners. The Association’s primary objectives are to lobby the Government on matters such as film classification, copyright, fire safety and venue licensing, to formulate industry rules and to otherwise advance its members interests. In 2006, the Association launched the “International Box Office Essentials”, an on-line system providing real-time Hong Kong box office data, film analysis reports and information on international reported grosses from over 35 countries worldwide. About the HKVDF: The Hong Kong Video Development Foundation Limited (HKVDF) is a non-profit organization aimed at promoting the Hong Kong video industry. It was formed in March 2003 with 10 video distribution companies as members. With the video industry maturing, products and formats becoming more diversified and new business opportunities opening up, the Foundation plays a role as a network and contact point for industry members. Through positive action and input, the Foundation seeks to nurture a sustainable and profitable business environment and strengthen the interest and dedication of its members and other players in the industry, developing video entertainment to new heights. About the IFACT-GC: The International Federation Against Copyright Theft – Greater China (IFACT-GC) was established in 2006 by the Motion Picture Association to protect the film industry in the Greater China region from the adverse impact of copyright theft. In 2008, the film and TV industry in Hong Kong contributed HK$33 billion and generated a total of HK$6 billion value-add to the local economy creating more than 32,000 jobs in 1,170 businesses. IFACT-GC works closely with its supporters, government and enforcement authorities to protect the Greater China film and television industry, retailers and movie fans. For more information about the IFACT-GC, please visit www.ifact-gc.org. About the IFOCAT: The International Federation of Creativity and Technology (IFOCAT) was established in May 2010 is a non-profit organization composed of the elites from IT, education, legal, music, movie, animation, comic, design, manufacturer and enterprise industries. IFOCAT provides a legally protected exchange platform for innovation through participation, interaction, observation and education, to unite the elites and related enterprises from the creative and technological industries around the world to develop creative opportunities for the next generation. For more information about the IFOCAT, please visit www.ifocat.org. About the IIPPC: The International Intellectual Property Protection Centre (IIPPC) was established in October 2001 to provide a comprehensive range of services to protect the interests of audio-visual media rights owners by acting as the rights owners’ authorized representative and working closely with interested stakeholders including chambers of commerce, rights owners associations and law enforcement agencies. The IIPPC is committed to maximizing synergy, effectiveness and value for money in detecting and fighting piracy and counterfeiting activities by ensuring effective enforcement action against infringers. IIPIA’s focus is on fast, effective investigations by proactively encouraging the exchange of tactical and strategic intelligence amongst all stakeholders, reducing costs and maximizing synergy by encouraging cooperative investigations, and minimizing the time required for the investigation and prosecution process. About the MPDA: The Movie Producers and Distributors Association of Hong Kong Limited (MPDA) was founded in 1979 as a non-profit making association and has members in over 95% of Hong Kong SAR and mainland China motion picture and audio visual companies. The major professional services provided include representing members’ interests and concerns, assisting members protect their intellectual property rights particularly against the copyright infringement, and issuing certificates of copyright ownership and distribution rights to members. About the ISOC-HK: The Internet Society Hong Kong (ISOC-HK) is the local chapter organization of the Internet Society (ISOC), a professional membership society with over 20,000 individual members in over 180 countries, providing leadership in all issues confronting the current and future Internet. ISOC-HK was formed in 2005 by local veteran Internet professionals with the mission of improving the practice of Internet governance and online civil society in Hong Kong. About the OSPA: The Online Service Providers Alliance (OSPA) is a platform to bring together policy makers, professionals from related fields, and stakeholders from the community, to advise on and promote methods for achieving the goal of providing better online services to society. OSPA is also active in setting up mechanism for OSPs to combat Internet problems including defamation, copyright infringement, and inappropriate and illegal content provided by third parties while balancing the need to ensure freedom of expression and the development of Internet services in Hong Kong. OSPA was formed in 2010 by the Internet Professional Association (iProA) and ten founding member web sites, major trading websites: Baby-Kingdom.com, FoodEasy.com, HKGolden.com, Qooza.hk, sina.com.hk, TradeDuck.com, Travellife.org, 28hse.com, 28phone.com and the Hong Kong operation of the international trading web site eBay.com.hk. About the Sun Network: The Sun Network (Hong Kong) Limited (Sun Network), an Information Technology services company, was established in 2006. It focuses on providing a premium network to help its customers grow their businesses. By servicing global clients’ data, the Sun Network delivers product choices, expert services and superior support. The Sun Network has applied innovative solutions to improve efficiency, and maximize performance to increase enterprise agility and proactively addresses its customers’ needs. In order to provide a healthy platform for legitimate online businesses and strengthen copyright protection in the digital environment, Sun network is committed to work closely with content providers and to fight against online content theft. For more information about the Sun Network, please visit www.sun.net.hk. This DotASIA news release was sourced from: dot.asia/pressreleases/IFACT-GC_Release_Jul14_2011_3C Symposium.pdf

It is now three years since the relaunch of the ccTLD for Montenegro, .ME, and they are celebrating with over 530,000 registrations in 200 countries. “In that time, the dot-ME domain has transitioned from one country’s Web identity to the most effective personal domain name extension in the world,” says Predrag Lesic, Executive Director of the .ME Registry. “Dot-ME has truly ‘gone global,’ having registered more than 530,000 domains in 200 countries.” The popularity of the ccTLD in English-speaking countries was not unexpected given the popular use of the word “me”. American registrations account for more than half (52.92%) of .ME registrations while another 7.68 per cent of registrants are located in the United Kingdom. Then comes German (3.82%), Canada (3.81%) and Japan (3.63%). But, it is the percentage of .ME growth quarter-to-quarter and year-to-year that proves the domain is a consistent top choice among persons and companies looking to be sure their web address stands out from the crowd. During the Registry’s last fiscal year (July 2010-June 2011), the registration of .ME domains grew by 27 per cent; which, according to VeriSign’s May 2011 Domain Name Industry Brief, is more than three times the average industry increase during the report’s measured 12-month period (7.9%). .ME has also become extraordinarily popular recently for its value in the world of mobile apps and as a URL shortener for some of the world’s biggest companies, such as Wordpress (WP.Me), Facebook (FB.Me), Yahoo (ME.Me), VKontakte (VK.Me) and Time Magazine (TI.Me). “Some might argue that dot-ME has put the young country of Montenegro in a worldwide spotlight,” notes Lesic. “We certainly are proud of dot-ME’s international presence and of the Registry’s accomplishments in successfully marketing the domain for its value, simplicity and brand presence online.” To register your .ME domain name, check out Europe Registry here .

On 20 June 2011, ICANN’s Board approved a program that will add to familiar top-level domains such as .com, .org, and .net, the possibility of having almost any word in any language as a top-level domain. This massive expansion of the number of possible domain names calls for an equally significant communications campaign to raise global awareness about the program. The rest of 2011 is a communications period dedicated to raising awareness around the world about the opportunity and risks associated with applying for a new gTLD. The Application period opens 12 January 2012 and will run for 90 days. To help us achieve our goal of educating the world about this program we have issued a request for proposals (RFP). The objective of the RFP is to retain an advertising agency to help us develop, implement and measure the success of a global advertising and awareness campaign for new generic top-level domains (new gTLDs). Please review the attached RFP for an overview of the program, our vision and proposal requirements. Send any questions about the RFP to michele.jourdan@icann.org by 11 July 2011. Responses to inquiries will be posted to a community wiki by 13 July 2011. All responses are due by 8:00a Pacific time, Monday, 18 July. RFP – New gTLD Global Awareness Campaign www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/rfp-new-gtld-global-awareness-campaign-05jul11-en.pdf [PDF, 633 KB] Ad and PR Industry wiki https://community.icann.org/display/newgtladvertising/Home Additional informational material Get Ready for the Next Big .Thing: An Overview of New gTLDs Frequently Asked Questions [PDF, 634 KB] Applicant Guidebook [PDF, 4.81 MB] We look forward to receiving and reviewing your proposals. This ICANN announcement was sourced from: www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-05jul11-en.htm