20 Aug 2013 07:00
For Immediate Release
20 August 2013
Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
("TLDH" or the "Company")
First private auction and .购物 update
The directors of Top Level Domain Holdings (AIM: TLDH) are delighted to announce that the Company has secured the sole application rights for .FISHING and .CASA after winning last week's private auctions for the two strings. The Company was outbid on .GUIDE and .网址("web address" in Chinese). The cash the Company will receive from the winning bidders for .GUIDE and .网址("web address" in Chinese), net of commissions payable to the auctioneer, will exceed the amounts to be paid by the Company for .FISHING and .CASA.
Separately, the Company is delighted to report that the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, chosen by ICANN to adjudicate objections based on similarity to other applications or to existing TLDs, has dismissed the objection lodged against the Company's application for .购物 ("shopping" in Chinese).The application can now proceed with no impediments to contracting and delegation by ICANN.
The priority numbers of .购物, .FISHING and .CASA are 62, 137, and 171 respectively, meaning that all potentially could be launched by the Company this year, depending on the speed at which ICANN completes the contracting and delegation process.
Antony Van Couvering, CEO of TLDH, commented:
"We are delighted with the results of the auction. We have added two new top-level domains that we could potentially launch in 2013 and added to our cash reserves. We are also very pleased that the International Centre for Dispute Resolution has dismissed the objection against .购物. The panel's decision provides us with yet an additional opportunity to launch a significant TLD in 2013."
TLDH now has interests in 25 uncontested applications: TLDH either wholly-owns or has the majority interest in 17 applications, has a joint venture agreement on one application, revenue sharing agreements on two other applications and is providing registry services for another five uncontested applications by its clients. The Company continues to progress resolving contentions on the remainder of its applications.
About .购物, .FISHING, and .CASA
.购物 is targeted at Chinese-language e-commerce. E-marketer estimates that the number of e-commerce buyers in China will rise from 219 million in 2012 to 423 million in 2016. China is today the fourth largest B2C e-commerce market globally, and it is expected to become the second largest market by the end of 2013.
.FISHING is targeted at all those with an interest in fishing. According to FAO statistics, the total number of commercial fishermen and fish farmers is estimated to be 38 million, fisheries and aquaculture providing direct and indirect employment to over 500 million people. Recreational fishing is also recognised as one of North America's and Europe's major participation activities.
.CASA is aimed at the home interior and real-estate markets in Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese-speaking markets. In Brazil alone, the interior products market was worth US$21.6 billion in 2012 (marketresearch.com), and the real-estate market at US$38.7 billion (Ken Research).
Further Information:
Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
North America
Antony Van Couvering Tel:+1 310 452 1491
Beaumont Cornish Limited (Nomad) Tel:+44(0)20 7628 3396
Roland Cornish
Michael Cornish
N+1 Singer (Broker) Tel +44 (0)20 7496 3000
Shaun Dobson/Matt Thomas
gth media relations
Toby Hall /Suzanne Johnson Walsh Tel:+44(0)20 7822 7493/2
Or visit the group's website atwww.tldh.org
About Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
Top Level Domain Holding is a publicly traded holding company listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. The company is the only publicly traded company exclusively focused on the new top-level domain space. Top-level domains, such as .com and .net are regulated by ICANN. ICANN is expanding the number of new generic top-level domains from the current 22 to over 1000. TLDH is making targeted investments in this space, focusing on both infrastructure technologies and specific top-level domains.
About Minds + Machines, http://mindsandmachines.com
Minds + Machines is a registry services provider that works internationally with commercial organisations, cities, not-for-profits and entrepreneurs to secure and operate new top level domains (TLDs). Minds + Machines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Top Level Domain Holdings Limited.
ENDS