29 Nov 2011 07:00
For immediate release:
0700hrs 29 November 2011
Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
("TLDH", the "Company" or "Group")
Update on gTLD Programme
Highlights
* Client agreements now signed, or close to being finalized, in the US, Canada, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe;
* Continued progress being made with the Company's own application bids;
* TLDH seeing strong international interest in the gTLD programme; and
* ICANN's timetable remains unchanged.
The Directors of Top Level Domain Holdings Limited (AIM:TLDH.L), the only publicly traded company focused exclusively on acquiring and operating new generic top-level domains ("gTLDs"), are pleased to provide an update on the business development activity of its registry services business, Minds+Machines and the progress of the new generic top-level domain ("gTLD") programme administered by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN").
Company Update
Further to the announcement on 7 September 2011, the Directors are pleased to report that Minds+Machines continues to engage with a wide spectrum of gTLD applicants, including cities and regions, brand owners and entrepreneurs who have either issued request for proposals ("RFPs") or who are in direct discussions with Minds+Machines. To date, Minds+Machines has now signed, or is close to finalising, agreements with clients in the US, Canada, South America, Africa, Asia and Europe to represent them in the gTLD application process. For competitive reasons, the clients do not wish their names to be disclosed until after the application window has closed.
In addition, the Company continues to make good progress on preparing applications for gTLDs on its own behalf.
gTLD Market Update
There continues to be growing world wide interest in the gTLD programme and a range of governments, businesses, and entrepreneurs have announced their intention to apply for new gTLDs in recent weeks. For competitive reasons, most applicants are unlikely to disclose their plans publicly at this stage. However, excluding the prospective applications being prepared by Minds+Machines for its clients and own account, the Directors are aware of globally recognised brands requesting information or issuing RFPs, as well as entrepreneurs searching for services for one or several applications. Over 100 named-bids have already been identified by market commentators as intending to apply (of which over 40 are cities or regions) and the Directors believe the industry wide applications which will be made during the application window will be a significant multiple of this.
ICANN gTLD Update
The Directors are also pleased to report that ICANN's planned schedule for the new gTLD programme remains unchanged. The application window will open on 12 January 2012, and close on 12 April 2012. On 27April 2012, ICANN will announce which applicants have applied for which gTLDs (or strings), after which they will evaluate the applications according to the criteria established by international consensus in the Applicant Guidebook (see http://newgtlds.icann.org/applicants/agb). While the length of the evaluation period will depend on the volume of applications to be processed, the Directors estimate that the first new gTLDs will go live in late 2012 or early 2013.
In the past month, ICANN has provided a significant amount of information to prospective applicants and has made available a number of useful tools on its new web site devoted to new gTLDs (see http://newgtlds.icann.org), including a knowledgebase and FAQ devoted to the new gTLD programme (see http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-4-21nov11-en.htm). ICANN has also opened a customer assistance center and a demonstration version of their Top Level Domain Application System ("TAS"), which will be used by applicants to submit their applications (see http://newgtlds.icann.org/applicants/tas/demo).
Peter Dengate Thrush, Chairman of TLDH, commented:
"We are very pleased to see that there is now a ground swell of strong international interest in the newgTLDprogramme and we look forward to Minds+Machines submitting applications both for its clients and its own account when the application window opens early in January."
Further Information:
Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
North America
Antony Van Couvering Tel: + 1 917 406 7126
Beaumont Cornish Limited (Nomad) Tel +44 (0) 20 7628 3396
Roland Cornish
Michael Cornish
XCAP Securities plc (Joint Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 20 7107 7070
Jon Belliss / Karen Kelly
Daniel Stewart & Company plc (Joint Broker) Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 6550
Nick Brown
gth media relations
Toby Hall /Suzanne Johnson Walsh Tel: +44 (0) 20 3103 3903/2
Or visit the group's website at www.tldh.org
About Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
Top Level Domain Holding is a publicly traded holding company listed on the London AIM market. The company is focused on the new top-level domain space. Top-level domains, such as .com, run by VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN), and .biz, run by NeuStar (NYSE: NSR), are regulated by ICANN. ICANN has announced plans to expand the number of top-level domains. TLDH intends to make 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 web domains, known as top-level domains (TLDs). Minds + Machines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Top Level Domains Holdings, Ltd.
ENDS