New York City– May 5, 2001 — Afilias, the registry selected by ICANN to operate the new .INFO top-level domain (TLD), today announced the first stage of registration for the .info rollout to begin approximately 45 days following the signing of the ICANN contract expected by mid-May and subject to US Department of Commerce approval.

This first stage of registration, the Sunrise Period, is a 30 day period, prior to the opening of public registration, where trademark and service mark holders will be able to reserve their exact marks in the .INFO domain. Following the Sunrise Period, Afilias will open registration to the general public, expected in the third quarter of 2001.

Given the tremendous interest in .INFO, Afilias today released a beta version of its Registry-Registrar Protocol, the software enabling registrars to communicate and submit domain name requests to the registry. The beta software will be available for download beginning Monday, May 7, 2001 on Afilias' Web site at http://www.afilias.com, and will enable registrars to begin the operational testing and evaluation (OT&E) of their systems to ensure a smooth roll-out of registration.

"The rollout of .INFO will be an opportunity for organizations to re-think not only their Web strategy, but also their brand strategy," said Richard Lindsay, Chairman of the Afilias Board of Directors. "With the availability of new top-level domains, brand managers and intellectual property specialists alike will have new ways for communicating with consumers worldwide."

"Afilias is committed to the protection of intellectual property and is breaking new ground in being the first registry to launch a comprehensive Sunrise Period," said Kent Jordan, member of Afilias' Executive Committee. "As an organization's online presence has become an important part of its corporate identity, the protection of intellectual property is vital in responsibly introducing new TLDs."

Trademark holders interested in reserving their trade or service marks should contact their ICANN-accredited registrar of choice upon the opening of Sunrise registration in order to submit their requests for domain names and should visit Afilias' Web site at http://www.afilias.com for additional information as the registration date approaches.

Afilias will be providing special Sunrise Challenge procedures for those who wish to dispute registrations made during the Sunrise Period. These services will be exclusively provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and will last for approximately 120 days following the conclusion of the Sunrise Period. Following the conclusion of the Sunrise Challenge period, claimants may utilize the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and/or the regular court system in order to resolve additional disputes.