Afilias is a sponsor of ICANN no. 37

• ‹ previous
• 53 of 105
• next ›

New policies take effect today to eliminate improper Sunrise registrations

NEWTOWN, PA - 6 December, 2001 - Afilias announced today that it has strengthened its Sunrise policies and challenge process to ensure the effectiveness of the Sunrise registration system which was designed to protect intellectual property in the rollout of the new .INFO top-level domain. These include revisions to the existing Sunrise Challenge policy as well as additional policy enhancements.

"Afilias is eager to ensure that the Sunrise registration process is an effective test bed from which to learn how intellectual property can be adequately protected during the rollout of a new top-level domain," said Hal Lubsen, Afilias' Chief Executive Officer. "With some strategic enhancements to our policies we believe we will be able to clear the .INFO domain of Sunrise registrations that were improperly submitted."

First, Afilias will strengthen its Sunrise Challenge policy by requiring anyone wanting to register a successfully challenged Sunrise name to produce proof of their valid trademark. This policy change, which was posted two weeks ago and became effective today, was made in accordance with Afilias' agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the manager of the expedited dispute process for .INFO.

Second, Afilias will also offer registrars the ability to correct some WHOIS data and request deletions of domain names. Afilias' initial Sunrise policy required all registrants who participated in the Sunrise registration period to have a valid trademark of national effect prior to October 2, 2000 and submit the corresponding information at registration. As a tool to battle cybersquatters who resell names quickly, Afilias locked these registrations for 180 days to both secure the data and ensure that no domains avoided scrutiny under the subsequent challenge process.

The ability to correct and delete records will be facilitated through the introduction of two databases that will parallel the existing WHOIS directory of .INFO names. One of the new databases will now allow registrars to correct certain contact and trademark information that was incorrectly submitted. The other will allow registrants whose domains may have been improperly submitted during the Sunrise process to request that their domain names be deleted. Registrars will be able to submit these changes on behalf of Sunrise registrants.

In August of this year, Afilias also announced it would exercise its rights under the Sunrise Challenge process and submit a bulk challenge against remaining Sunrise names that appear to be facially invalid. The introduction of these auxiliary databases strengthens Afilias' ability to submit this bulk challenge by narrowing the number of names that it will need to consider. Afilias will release a list of names being considered prior to issuing its bulk challenge. Names that are successfully canceled as a result of Afilias' bulk challenge, as well as requested deletions and other names that may have been canceled due to challenge proceedings but that have not been registered, will be returned to public availability in early 2002.

Registrants interested in updating their data or requesting to delete names are urged to contact their Afilias-authorized registrar as soon as possible. Those interested in challenging names registered during the Sunrise Period may do so with WIPO until December 26, 2001.

— Former Infonautics executive oversees first global implementation of an XML-based "thick" registry system —

Newtown, PA – October 29, 2001 — Afilias, the .INFO registry, today announced that Ram Mohan has joined the company as its Vice President of Business Operations and Chief Technical Officer, overseeing the registry for .INFO and the first global implementation of an XML-based "thick" registry system. Mr. Mohan joins Afilias from Infonautics Corp., a pioneering online database and content distribution company, most recently helping it merge with Tucows, Inc., a leading domain name registrar.

"We are very pleased to welcome Ram to Afilias' management team," said Afilias CEO, Hal Lubsen. "Ram's experience and success in building information-based start-ups into tremendous technology innovators will no doubt aid Afilias as its grows the development of .INFO -- the world's first unrestricted and truly global top-level domain."

Mr. Mohan has held various leadership positions at Infonautics, including Interim COO, CTO, and VP, Product Marketing. He is the founder of the award-winning Company Sleuth product, and created the Sleuth line of business at Infonautics. Ram also helped architect Electric Library, the United States' most used online reference database in schools and libraries, and Encyclopedia.com, the first free encyclopedia on the Internet.

"I am excited to come aboard with Afilias as it launches .INFO to the world," said Mr. Mohan. "The enhanced .INFO registry system will serve as a ground-breaking example for registries to come."

"Thick" registry system
Afilias is the first of the new top-level domains (TLDs) to globally implement an XML-based thick registry. The thick registry system is an enhancement to the "thin" registry system that exists today with .COM, as it stores all of the information associated with domain name registrations at the registry level allowing for more security and stability of the information. Additionally this system is based on the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP), an enhancement to the existing Registry-Registrar Protocol (RRP), which enables more data flexibility and makes domain name management easier and more efficient. Afilias registry system also refreshes its zone file information on a near real-time basis (compared to every 24 hours for .COM), allowing a domain name to resolve through Web browsers within minutes of registration.

.INFO is the first truly global, unrestricted domain name since .COM. To date, more than 500,000 .INFO domain names have been registered since the registry opened for registration on July 25, 2001. Those interested in registering a .INFO domain name should contact an Afilias-authorized registrar of their choice. A list is available at:  http://www.info.info/get.

NEWTOWN, PA - 18 October, 2001 - Afilias, the .INFO registry, today issued a formal caution to the legal counsels of .INFO-authorized registrars and popular domain name auction sites regarding the attempted sale of domain names registered during the .INFO Sunrise Period.

Specifically, Afilias noted that Sunrise names are not currently eligible for ownership transfer, as they are locked for up to 180 days following the close of the Sunrise period, which ended August 31, 2001. Additionally, all Sunrise names are subject to challenge until December 26, 2001. Current Sunrise domain name registrants may lose ownership of the domain name as a result of a challenge proceeding, thereby rendering them unable to deliver the name being auctioned.

As part of the intellectual property protection incorporated into the launch of the new .INFO top-level domain, Afilias offered a "Sunrise Period" to enable trademark holders to register their marks in advance of the general public. Sunrise names can be recognized by the "created on" date in the WHOIS. Sunrise names have "created on" dates prior to September 1, 2001.

Sunrise names are subject to conditions that potential buyers should be aware of. First, all Sunrise names are subject to challenge until December 26, 2001, a process that may result in the loss of ownership by the current owner. Afilias expects to challenge a significant number of Sunrise names whose trademark information may be facially invalid. Second, Sunrise names cannot be transferred for up to 180 days past the close of the Sunrise registration period.

In its memorandum to legal counsel, Afilias advised counsel of the restrictions that the Sunrise Period has placed on domain names and strongly urged them to caution potential customers regarding the purchase of Sunrise domain names on auction.

Potential buyers of .INFO domain names through auction sites should be aware of these restrictions. Afilias urges those considering the purchase of .INFO domain names through auction sites to check the "created on" date of registration in the .INFO WHOIS database to verify that the name they wish to bid on was created on or after September 1, 2001.

Additional information regarding .INFO, its registration processes, and its dispute resolution policies can be obtained at http://www.info.info/dispute_resolution

First New Internet Domain Launches Live, Real Time Registration

NEWTOWN, PA - October 1, 2001 - Afilias, the .INFO registry, today announced the opening of real-time registration for .INFO domain names. Businesses and consumers requesting .INFO domain names will now be able to get their domain name awarded within minutes through Afilias-authorized registrars. Those interested in registering can see what .INFO domain names are available by using Afilias' .INFO WHOIS database.

.INFO, the Internet's first unrestricted top-level domain since .COM, is the first of the seven new top-level domains (TLD) to begin live, real-time processing of domain names. The .INFO registration process is faster than the .COM registration process. Users can see their domain name in Afilias' .INFO WHOIS database immediately, and have their new .INFO Web site functioning within minutes. Typically this process takes about 24 hours for a .COM registration.

"The opening of real-time registration is a fantastic opportunity for all small and medium-sized businesses," said Roland LaPlante, Afilias' Chief Marketing Officer. "In many instances, good names are no longer available in .COM, but millions of great and intuitive names are still available in .INFO."

Intuitive, easy to use, and universally recognized, INFO domain names are available for all uses. The new domain represents an opportunity for businesses, individuals and organizations to reach a worldwide audience with information about their products, services and ideas.

More than 350,000 .INFO domain names have already been registered and are accessible through Web browsers worldwide. Nearly 70 percent of Interbrand/Business Week's world's most valuable brands have already registered .INFO domain names, including Dell Computer Corporation, American Express, Budweiser, Wendy's International, and Nokia Corporation.

Those interested in registering a .INFO domain name should visit http://www.info.info/get for a list of authorized registrars.