9 Nov 2009 07:00
For immediate release: Monday 9 November 2009
Top Level Domain Holdings (AIM:TLDH) Applauds ICANN's Creation of Internationalized New Top-Level Domains
Authorization of non-Latin top-level domains by ICANN will allow billions to use the Internet in their own language; new plan could kick-start ICANN's authorization of new web addresses in all languages.
November 7, 2009 - London - In a move widely regarded as a necessary prerequisite to a broad introduction of new top-level domains, the Board of Directors of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has authorized the creation of new top-level domains (TLDs), or web addresses, in non-Latin scripts. For the first time ever, countries around the world can create their own top-level domain - the equivalent to .com, .net, or .uk - without using the Roman alphabet.
The decision was celebrated in Seoul, South Korea, where domain name industry participants gathered for ICANN's 36th meeting. The meeting also produced some notable progress toward authorizing new top-level domains, such as .MUSIC or .BLOG, in any alphabet.
At a meeting on October 29, nearly a dozen potential TLD applicants, representing cities, regions, and commercial applicants, supported by others, presented one-by-one before the ICANN Board to support a proposal introduced by Jothan Frakes of Minds + Machines, the wholly-owned subsidiary of TLDH, that would kick-start the new TLD process by adopting a fast-track pre-application process in which interested parties would be able to submit their intended TLD along with a non-refundable deposit. The following day the ICANN Board directed its staff to work up the proposal into a plan for consideration at its next meeting in December 2009.
The proposed pre-application "Expression of Interest" (EOI) process would allow ICANN to establish the number of new TLDs and to work out the impact on trademarks, scalability of the Internet's root servers, and other issues that might otherwise delay the process. The plan would also allow ICANN to see which applications might be in contention, and to enable ICANN, should it so wish, to categorize and sequence applications for any future roll-out.
Fred Krueger, Chairman and CEO of Top Level Domain Holdings Limited, commented:
"We congratulate the ICANN Board for authorizing non-Latin top-level domains, the first meaningful expansion of the Internet namespace and a truly global benefit to Internet users. Furthermore, the decision to consider the Expression of Interest proposal ahead of its next meeting in December 2009 was timely and heartening. The EOI process would demonstrate strongly ICANN's commitment to new TLDs and provide the ICANN Board with key data to allow it to complete its preparations before the full application process begins. We believe the EOI process will allow a firmer timetable for the new TLD applications to be established by the Nairobi meeting on 7 March 2010."
The next ICANN Board meeting is due to take place on December 9 2009, with ICANN's 37th International Public Meeting taking place in Nairobi from 7-12 March 2010.
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About TLDH
Top Level Domain Holdings (AIM:TLDH) is a publicly-traded holding company. The company is currently focused specifically on the new top level domain space. Top level domains (such as .com, .net and .org) are organized and controlled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN has recently announced plans to expand the universe of generic and country top level domains. TLDH intends to make targeted investments in this space, focusing on both infrastructure technologies and specific top level domains.
Note to editor - about ICANN:
ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.
Contact details:
Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
North America
Fred Krueger Tel: +1 310 866 1935
Antony Van Couvering Tel: +1 917 406 712
Europe
David Weill Tel: +44 (0) 20 7881 0180
gth media relations
Toby Hall /Christian Pickel Tel: +44 (0) 20 7153 8039/8036