Expected change in the comming months on the way the Domain space is going to behave

Acquisition of Minds and Machines on May this year provide them with the infrustracture to service client requirements on the future.

Swinehart confirmed that the 3rd version of the Draft Applicant Guidebook (DAGv3) would be released by ICANN in Q3 2009, before the Seoul ICANN meeting (October 25 30).

A recent placing the Company intends to use the Placing proceeds to provide additional working capital and to develop the business in line with the Company's investing policy.

The shares are currently trading at 9p after a strong rise with volume, but for the long term holders are still worth taking some aboard.

Links
WEB - tldh       Stephan Evangelder archives ICANN confirms new gTLDs coming

Intraday

3 month Candlestick with 50 & 200 days Moving Average

4 month candkestick with Indicators ad support /resistance

6 month Bollinger Bands,RSI, S Stochastic and 50 days MA

Charts - 5 days

Number of people who have visited this thread    

Interesting this news release - TLDH will surely start heading higher.

Reasons to invest

- Very sharp Management team
- Funds at their disposal
- A change in the internet structure, which will expand the market for Domain names.
- Acquisition of Minds and Machines provide them with the infrustracture to service client requirements.
- Potential value 10 times current value.

Moving strongly UP today after yesterday's rest now 10 / 10.25p +1.125

MMs seem short of stock after the large volume lately

Very strong all day, as investors are slowly getting into knowing the company

If some of you are interested may read further information at their web site

WEB site .... Top Level Domain Holding

More info about domain
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/08/24/want-to-be-master-of-your-domain-these-guys-can-help/

TLDH 10.75 / 11.50p +1.75p

is certainly on the move UP with volume 3.5M already

Typical case of BREAKOUT, retracement and new highs to come

News on Friday that they increased their stake in Dot Eco to 25% and a tip by RHPS, not on many people's radars yet

Red Hot Penny Shares issued over the weekend a tip for TLDH in the issue.

Two good pages on TLDH. Too long to repeat here.

"... a tiny company that is about to make it big. It is one of only a nhandful of companies qualified to enter the contest to run new Top Level Domains. Applications are being prepared and ICANN should name the winners early next year. Of course, there is no knowing how succesful it will be, but TDLH has as good a chance of success as any, With a target of 50p, this is a high risk Buy that could give you gains of 387% or more than 4 times your investment.

Minds + Machines to provide registry services for BayernConnect, applicant for .bayern, TLD for Bavaria

September 10, 2009

Munich Bavarian citizens, associations and organizations will soon be able to express and underline their Bavarian identity by registering their Internet address under .BAYERN, the new web address for Bavaria. Thousands of new names will be available to Bavarians in addition to the existing .de or .com domain names.

Bavarians are proud of the their homeland and heritage, and our position as the Internet leaders in Germany. Bavaria deserves to take its rightful place on the Internet with .BAYERN, an Internet address for Bavarians, said Bayern Connect CEO Caspar von Veltheim. The new address will give Bavaria visibility and prestige, and will encourage innovation and new business opportunities.
Bayern Connect GmbH, with support of prominent Bavarian organizations, will apply to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to run .BAYERN (punkt Bayern). ICANN will begin accepting applications for new top-level domains in the beginning of 2010. Examples of the new names include www.hotels.bayern , www.allianz.bayern, www.schmidt.bayern.

Bayern Connect wants to represent Bavarian interests on the Internet. In pursuit of that effort, Bayern Connect has already presented its project to the Bavarian State Government and aims for close cooperation with the government. Bayern Connect has already won the support of prominent Bavarian organizations. In addition, Prince Leopold of Bavaria, an enduring advocate for the preservation of Bavarian traditions, is serving as Senior Advisor and supporter of the effort. He says: With .BAYERN, Bayern Connect will give Bavaria a home on the virtual Internet.

.BAYERN is already in compliance with the strict technical requirements needed to win approval from ICANN. We need a strong and stable technical infrastructure to take our place among existing top-level domains, said von Veltheim. We are therefore using the Espresso platform, which powers over a dozen country-code top-level domains, is used by ICANN worldwide to demonstrate security best practices, and can deliver domain names for Bavarians at a fraction of the cost of other solutions.

Bayern Connect is developing a strong policy and legal framework to protect trademark holders. Intellectual property attorney Dr. Andreas Schulz states, Trademark owners are entitled to a fair and transparent system by which the domain names are allocated. I will help Bayern Connect develop policies that will assure this.

As a Bavarian business, Bayern Connect will donate a substantial portion of the annual registration revenues to Bavarian charities and cultural organizations. Bavarians will make .BAYERN succeed, and therefore we will give back to Bavaria, said von Veltheim.

Bayern Connect GmbH is based in Munich, and the groups innovative plan has attracted significant funding from within Germany and from the United States. For more information, see http://www.bayernconnect.com or www.bayernconnect.de.

11 - 11.75p + .5p

Tipped in Red Hot Penny Shares

RHPS update.

What Fred told me...

In this weeks e-alert Im also making one or two minor changes to my recommendations. But first I duly had my meeting this week with Fred Krueger of Top Level Domain Holdings (TLDH). What he told me absolutely confirmed my view that this could be a huge winner for Red Hot Penny Shares. Let me bring you up to date.

Fred was kind enough to say that my article in the September issue basically hit the nail on the head. I wont repeat everything that I wrote then.

Next year ICAAN, the body that controls the internet, is going to authorize a number of new top level domains to rival the likes of dot-com and dot-org. Top Level Domain Holdings owns Minds and Machines, one of a handful of companies that has the capability of handling the back-end that is the computer systems capable of running what is in effect a huge directory. It will offer this service to any outfit that owns a top level domain, but TLDH is also keen to own or part-own some top level domains itself.

This business could be worth millions

A good new top level domain dot-blog for example could easily capture ten million new names (or internet addresses). Each one would pay, say, $10 per year for the privilege. That means that $100m per year would be paid to the owners and operator of dot-blog top level domain. And this is not a one-off it is a stream of income that will run on indefinitely. If TLDH ran the back-end for dot-blog it would make 20% of this i.e. $20m per year. If it owned the dot-blog name it would get the whole $100m. It is really that simple.

So the question is how successful will TLDH be in its applications either to own new top level domains or run them for other owners? We cannot possibly know the answer to this. But today there are some two hundred million domain names. New top level domains could instantly add demand for another, say, fifty million names as organizations rush to register new dot-blog or dot-eco names. At $10 per year that creates a new income stream of $500m.

If TLDH can garner just 10% then, given that this income stream would persist for many years and the business would cost little to run, it could easily be worth $500m itself. That is about 300m, or roughly ten times todays stock market value for TLDH. This simple mathematics reveals why the shares are such a very exciting gamble.
My recommendation is BUY UP TO 13p.

12.75 / 13.50p +1.375p

moving well ahead now and close to a BREAKOUT again

Some large size buys the last couple days have done the job for the share price today with a rise to reach a BREAKOUT

Selected at the "UPS" earlier.........

TLDH 10.625p ( 10.25 / 11p )

Reason : Well marked down on the last few days, now there are large buys on the ticker at 10.75p, ready for the turn. Owns Minds and Machines so is well place for next year as ICAAN, the body that controls the internet, is going to authorize a number of new top level domains to rival the likes of dot-com and dot-org.

an old post............

ICANN Defends Plans for New TLDs But Launch Date to Likely Slip
Sep 25, 2009 2:18 PM -- By Elisa Cooper

On September 23, ICANN's Chief Operating Officer, Doug Brent was asked by ranking members of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee why they were continuing to move forward with the launch of new gTLDs when they had not yet been able to resolve complaints.

Brent stated that Internet users have long called for the expansion of new gTLDs and that winners of new gTLDs would have to abide by a lengthy set of rules.

Brent went on to say that "ICANN did not casually think this plan up."

Although an official launch date for the program was not provided, Brent said that he expected a slip in the schedule as ICANN works to resolve issues.

The launch had been expected to begin in the first quarter of 2010.

http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090925_icann_defends_plans_for_new_tlds_launch_date_likely_slip/#

another old post............

dotNYC Applauds New York City Plan to Seek .NYC Web Address

dotNYC LLC Proceeding With Application To Operate .NYC Top-Level Domain for the City

NEW YORK, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's announcement that the City of New York will seek the .NYC web address makes New York the first U.S. city to seek a top-level domain. dotNYC LLC, a private company that for the last year has been meeting with city officials about the plan for the .NYC web address, is applying to become the city's operating partner.

Former Mayor Ed Koch, who supports the dotNYC effort to operate .NYC on the city's behalf, said: ".NYC is the best real estate deal since the Dutch bought Manhattan." (Video of Mayor Koch: http://www.dotnyc.net/ed-koch)

Everyone is familiar with generic web addresses (known as top-level domains) ending in .com, .org, .net, .edu and .gov. But early next year there will be many more when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) begins accepting applications for new web addresses from cities, companies, organizations and entrepreneurial ventures that want to create their own.

ICANN's approval of .NYC will allow New York city residents, businesses, groups, government agencies and tourist attractions to register website names and have email addresses ending in .NYC - directly identifying themselves with the world's leading city. Examples include: theater.nyc, pizza.nyc, blockparty.nyc, statueofliberty.nyc, yourname.nyc, yourbusinessname.nyc and millions more.

Dozens of cities worldwide are expected to apply for their own top-level domains, including Rome (.roma), Berlin (.berlin), Paris (.paris), London (.london) and Barcelona (.bcn).

dotNYC is led by Internet pioneers with unmatched experience creating and operating top-level domains, and is backed by a proven registry technology that currently powers more than a dozen top-level domains for countries around the world. In addition, dotNYC is affiliated with the team seeking to create the .eco web address. That effort, www.supportdoteco.com, is backed by former Vice President Al Gore and will dedicate a majority of profits to fighting global warming - just as New York City will keep most .NYC proceeds.

Antony Van Couvering, the CEO of dotNYC and a Manhattan resident, is a founder of Minds + Machines (www.mindsandmachines.com), which provides technical services for new top-level domains. Following a series of meetings with city officials about the .NYC web address, Mr. Van Couvering was invited to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn's State of the City address in February where she unveiled the city's plan to pursue .NYC.

"Today's announcement that New York City will seek an operating partner for .NYC is a significant milestone towards a great online identity for all of us who live and work here," Mr. Van Couvering said. "The city made the right decision about how to apply for this important asset, and we're confident the city will make the right decision when choosing a partner."

ABOUT dotNYC LLC

dotNYC's efforts to create the .NYC web address moved into full swing last year when ICANN announced plans to accept applications for new top-level domains based on city names. dotNYC is based in Manhattan, and its executive team includes founding members of ICANN who together have launched five successful top-level domains and advised dozens of others. In addition, members of the dotNYC team created the worldwide model for public-private partnerships to operate geographic-based web addresses.

as the Icann meeting in Seoul, South Korea, that is to start Monday..........

Competing Groups Press for a .Gay Internet Suffix -- By Jennifer 8. Lee
Should there be a .gay Internet suffix?

Two for-profit groups are pushing for one. The Dot Gay Alliance (dotgay.org), out of New York City, is being led by a longtime gay activist. And dotGay (dotgay.com) is being spearheaded by a heterosexual German man in Riga, Latvia, who has incorporated a company in San Francisco.

In other words, there could be hotels.gay, provincetown.gay, match.gay and pride.gay Web sites. (Question: What would the popular Web site gay.com have as its .gay counterpart? Gay.gay? Gaydotcom.gay? Or does it not get a .gay counterpart?)

While both groups have left open the possibility of cooperating, they havent yet joined forces. Both groups say they plan on starting the application process with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or Icann, to create top-level domains, akin to .com, .edu, .org and .net.

Icann, which coordinates the Internet naming system, has encouraged the creation of other dot-whatever top-level domains (though only after an expensive application process that costs upwards of $400,000). Both groups will attend the Icann meeting in Seoul, South Korea, that is to start Monday.

The domain-registry business can be lucrative, potentially spinning off millions of dollars per year as each registered Internet site pays annual fees of $8 or so. While neither group is nonprofit, both say they plan on funneling those funds toward supporting gay causes. This could be a significant source of funding for organizations fighting, doing very good, important work, said Joe Dolce, founder and executive director of the Dot Gay Alliance, and a longtime gay activist.

Mr. Dolce said he got the idea for a .gay domain as a way to raise money when he was working with Minds and Machines, an Internet-domain consulting service that is helping with the creation of a .eco domain. He was intrigued when Al Gore, the former vice president, said he would support .eco only if half the proceeds from the registration went to environmental groups, and thought that model could be applied to gay causes as well.

Since June, he has been working with the parent company of Minds and Machines, which will provide the financial backing for the expensive application process. The plan is for 51 percent of the proceeds from domain registration to go to gay causes, he said.

Its a very novel way that doesnt involve putting your hand out, doesnt involve another benefit or charity function, said Mr. Dolce, 52, who saw many of his friends die from AIDS in the 1980s. He added: This is a community that has to sustain itself. There was very little help from the outside world, very little help from the government.

The AIDS crisis galvanized the gay community, leading to the creation of groups like Gay Mens Health Crisis and Act Up, both in New York. I think New York has trained an entire generation of people to be socially conscious and be activist, he said.

Among those is Paula Ettelbrick, a lawyer and longtime gay activist who is serving as a philanthropic adviser to the alliance. Both the City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, and State Assemblyman Daniel J. ODonnell, both Manhattan Democrats and openly gay, have written letters to support the Dot Gay Alliance.

In contrast, the chief executive of dotGay, Alexander Schubert, does not appear to have substantial local support. He was born in Berlin but now lives in Riga. He said he planned to move to San Francisco, where dotGay was incorporated, after he gets his visa sorted out. Currently dotGay lists the address 799 Castro Street, San Francisco, which is the office of his lawyer.

Mr. Schubert declined to say where he was getting his financing, but he noted that more than half of the proceeds perhaps as much as two-thirds would go to gay causes.

As to why he chose the Bay Area over, say, New York, he said: I thought it was best done from San Francisco. San Francisco is the gay capital of the world.

Mr. Schubert was the co-founder of a group which pushed for .berlin (which inspired the .nyc campaign here).

That experience made him think more broadly about domain names. All these years, I thought about the perfect top-level domain. I came to the conclusion that it should be community like the gay community, he said. I am personally not gay. I am born and raised in Berlin, which is the gay capital of Europe.

But Mr. Dolce was troubled by the fact that dotGay was founded by a man who was not gay. If you are launching a purely for-profit venture called dotGay and you are heterosexual, then you are in a way continuing a legacy of straight people earning a lot of money off of gay people that has gone on, he said. I want to create a community which is run by the community and gives money back to the community.

And why .gay and not say, .lgbt a commonly used short-hand term for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender? Mr. Dolce said one reason was that gay is an internationally recognized word, while the L.G.B.T. acronym differs across different languages. Also, he added, gay is a nice three-letter word, which fits Internet naming convention.

November 7, 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.

Selected on the "UPS" thread tonight for the short term moving north ..........

TLDH 9.25p ( 9 / 9.50p )

reason: After a large retracement and a few days of pause, today there was a good size buying. Should be moving up tomorrow, news are expected soon on the Domain names.

Another ramp like VOG ???

What's your stop loss / profit target mr tosser ?

We have a STALKER on the thread with signs of LEPROSY attached, is the SHEPP SHAGGER OF WALES ( Dil )

17 December 2009 - Top Level Domain Holdings Limited - (AIM: TLDH)

Expressions of Interest Update

Top Level Domain Holdings Ltd (AIM: TLDH) is pleased to note that ICANN, the
internet's independent governing body, has resolved to progress the development
of the proposed Expressions of Interest ("EOI") process model and has requested
that it be submitted for approval at ICANN's next Board meeting on 10 February
2010. The preliminary minutes of ICANN's last Board meeting, released on 9
December 2009, state that following the public comment phase, "ICANN staff shall
present a proposed EOI process model for approval at the ICANN Board's February
2010 meeting".

The Directors of Top Level Domain Holdings believe this represents a significant
step forward and underlines ICANN's commitment to expanding the number of top
level domains on the internet.

As announced by Top Level Domain Holdings on 6 November 2009, the EOI process
will allow ICANN to establish the number of proposed new generic top level
domains ("gTLDs") being applied for, and to size and resolve the relevant
technical issues arising from the creation of new gTLDs ahead of the formal
application process beginning. The EOI process will 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.

It is anticipated that prior to ICANN's February meeting, the ICANN staff's
recommendations on the proposed EOI process will be made public on the internet.

Frederic Krueger, Chairman and CEO of Top Level Domain Holdings Limited,
commented:

"We are delighted with these developments. For the first time we are now seeing
a clear time-table emerging for the expansion of top level domains on the
internet. Once again we applaud the determination being shown by ICANN to
starting the gTLD programme in 2010 and look forward to reviewing the EOI
recommendations as and when they are made public."

New gTLD Program ICANN Proposes Draft Expression of Interest / Pre-Registrations Model

18 December 2009
ICANN is publishing today for public comment a draft model for soliciting Expressions of Interest for new generic top-level domains (new gTLDs) [PDF, 192K]. According to this EOI / pre-registration model, entities interested in participating in the first round of the New gTLD Program are required to submit basic information about the participating entity and the requested top-level domain, also referred to as "string".

The model is a direct result of community recommendations for such an undertaking. The Board directed that a draft model be constructed based on public comment for additional discussion. A decision on whether to proceed and, if so under what model, will be taken after this round of public comment.

The public comment period opens on 18 December, 2009 and closes on 27 January, 2010. Details can be found at http://www.icann.org/en/public-comment/public-comment-201001.htm#draft-eoi.

The proposed model published today is not an operationally complete plan, i.e., it is not intended to include all the details that would be needed for implementation of a functioning process. Rather, it is intended to convey the detail necessary for robust public discussion. After the end of this public comment period, the ICANN Board will convene to consider the community feedback and decide on the path forward. A decision is expected in the first quarter of 2010. If approved, the final process and the opening date for EOI will be published.

Highlights of the draft EOI / pre-registration model:

Participation in the EOI is mandatory for eligibility to submit a gTLD application in the first round. Subsequent application rounds will be open to any eligible applicants.
A deposit of US$55,000 is required for the EOI, and will be used as a credit against the US$185,000 evaluation fee.
The deposit is refundable if the New gTLD Program does not launch within a specific time period. Details will be outlined in the final EOI model.
Participants are notified that there may be subsequent amendments to the Draft Applicant Guidebook. It is the intention to conclude many current open issues prior to initiation of the EOI process.
A fully executed communications campaign, intended to ensure global awareness about the EOI, will precede the opening of the process.
Participants will be required to provide specific information concerning the participating entity and the requested string.
The participant and string information will be made public.
The EOI launch is conditional on the conclusion of many of the outstanding issues, for example, issues concerning vertical separation and the IDN three-character string requirements. Solutions for these and other issues are expected to be included in the Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 4.
Below is a short Q&A regarding the proposed EOI draft model. For details, please refer to the http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/eoi-model-18dec09-en.pdf [PDF, 192K].

What is the value in conducting an EOI / pre-registration process?

An EOI process could provide ICANN and the Internet community important information that will contribute to a better understanding of, for example: the economic demand for new gTLDs; the number and kind of strings requested; certainty as to root-zone delegation rates; and inform the program's operational readiness plan. It is also believed that the draft EOI model may assist with the resolution of outstanding issues.

The impetus for publishing an EOI model began at the ICANN Seoul Meeting where a significant number of community members expressed interest in evaluating a process that calls for "expressions of interest" from organizations that have a serious interest in applying for a new gTLD. The Board subsequently directed staff to develop a model, and in order to facilitate consideration of these issues, staff posted a set of conceptual questions relating to the EOI for community feedback. The analysis of these comments helped in the development of the current proposed model.

Are there any pre-conditions for the launch of the EOI?

Yes, if the Board approves this path forward, there are a few pre-conditions to the EOI launch, for example: t he resolution on issues regarding vertical separation of registries and registrars; resolution on the three-character string requirements; the publication of Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 4; the execution of a communication campaign that will work to ensure that all parties wishing to participate are knowledgeable of the opportunity.

How does the EOI impact the continuing development of the program?

ICANN and the community continue to work on the program's development and the resolution of open issues, including the next iteration of the Draft Applicant Guidebook, and the program's operational readiness.

Who can participate in the EOI process?

As outlined in the Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3, any public or private organization from any part of the world can apply. As described above, certain key provisions that significantly affect an entity's ability to participate would have to be settled prior to the EOI launch.

When will the EOI application period open?

The ICANN Board will be considering the draft EOI model and the community feedback during its meeting in February, 2010. If the Board decides that this is the path forward, staff will publish the final model along with instructions for a specific launch date.

How will EOI applications be submitted?

Entities will be able to apply on-line. ICANN will use the TLD Application System (TAS) that is already in development for the program. The TAS system will be accessed through ICANN's website.

What information will be required from participating entities?

The proposed draft model requires participants to answer questions 1 through 14, which are currently outlined in the Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3: Evaluation Questions and Criteria (http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/draft-evaluation-criteria-clean-04oct09-en.pdf [PDF, 741K]). These include: contact information of the participating entity; proof of legal establishment and good standing; disclosures concerning the participant's background, and; the requested string and associated IDN information, if applicable.

Can an entity that does not participate in the EOI still be eligible to apply when the New gTLD Program officially launches?

Yes, but not in the first round. According to the proposed draft model, participation in the EOI is mandatory for eligibility in the first new gTLD application round. There will be future opportunities to apply, however, the dates are not yet available.

Why is a deposit required and how was the US$55,000 determined?

One of the objectives of the EOI process is to generate data that will drive validation of implementation work and operational readiness. The deposit is one means of giving weight to the process and the submissions. Absent a deposit of a sufficient amount, participants could provide false or misleading information, which would undermine the reliability of the data to be used for the purposes intended.

The proposed US$55,000 EOI deposit is the non-refundable portion of the evaluation fee (currently US$185,000 as per Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3). This amount strikes a balance between two negative outcomes, that a low amount could result in speculation and a high amount could be a barrier to entry. The US$55,000 deposit is would be considered as a credit against the eventual fee that accompanies submission of an application.

Is the deposit refundable?

Under the current proposed draft model, the US$55,000 deposit is non-refundable, except in specified, limited circumstances, for example, if the first application round does not start within a defined time period (currently, 18 months from the closing date of the EOI submission period).

What happens to the EOI information collected by ICANN?

ICANN plans to publish on its website the information collected from the participants along with the requested strings submitted during the EOI.

Related Resources :

For Program details, go to: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtld-program.htm
Full Draft Applicant Guidebook, version 3: http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/draft-rfp-clean-04oct09-en.pdf (PDF, 1,980K)
Related previous announcement and public comment: http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-11nov09-en.htm