Over 15,000 applications received in first wave
WOBURN, Mass., Nov. 20, 2007 — .Asia registrar, EnCirca is now accepting applications for the second Sunrise phase for .asia domains. The DotAsia registry reports that over 15,000 trademark applications were received during its first month. .Asia domains look like example.asia and will function just like .com domains.
"Trademark owners are advised to get their applications in as early as possible," says Tom Barrett, President of EnCirca, .Asia registrar. "This second sunrise phase includes a much larger pool of trademarks than the first phase."
The second .asia sunrise phase lasts until January 15, 2008. Applications are limited to trademarks registered prior to December 6, 2006 as well as any domain containing a Registered Trademark.
The .Asia extension allows individuals and companies to target the largest Internet community in the world as well as people looking for relevant information about Asia, from Asia, and for Asia. For companies, brands, and marketers, the new top level domain adds a strong sense of affiliation to corporate brands and online identities and communicates a commitment to Asia.
During a Pre-Sunrise period, Asian governments were invited to submit their list of cities, cultural places and famous travel destinations for a Reserved Names List. Any Asian government who has not yet secured their names, should contact EnCirca immediately.
Eligibility during the Sunrise period is open to trademarks and company names registered in any jurisdiction in the world.
The .Asia sunrise period started October 9 and is divided into several phases:
-- Sunrise 1: Governments register reserved place names
-- Sunrise 2: Registered Trademark Owners
-- Sunrise 2a: Exact Registered Trademarks applied for
before March 16, 2004
-- Sunrise 2b: Exact Registered Trademarks applied for
before December 6, 2006
-- Sunrise 2c: Any domain name containing a Registered
Trademark in the domain name
-- Sunrise 3 (SR3): Registered Entity Names (company names, etc.)
Applications are being accepted for all dot-Asia sunrise periods now and will continue through January 15, 2008. Following the completion of the sunrise periods, dot-Asia will begin a land rush for dot-Asia beginning in February of 2008, which will involve an auction of the most valuable names to the highest bidders.
About EnCirca, Incorporated
EnCirca, registrar for the .Asia domain is an ICANN-accredited Registrar founded in 2001, specializing in intellectual property protection and internet marketing in new top-level domain extensions, such as .travel, .pro and .jobs. For more information, visit http://www.encirca.com/asia.
About DotAsia Organisation
The DotAsia Organisation 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. 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.
Media Contact:
Smita Majumder
Marketing Dept.
pr@encirca.com
+1.781.942.9975
