Premium Chinese Character Domain Names Sell for Between US$2,000 and $25,388 to Buyers Worldwide MACAU – March 24, 2014 – TLD Registry Ltd and Sedo, the world’s largest domain marketplace and monetization provider, today announced that the first premium domain name auction of new Chinese character gTLDs has raised US$182,000 from 33 auction lot sales. Bidders in the room and around the world paid between US$2,000 and US$25,388 for valuable Chinese character domain names in the Dot Chinese Online (.在线) and Dot Chinese Website (.中文网) TLDs. The hybrid live and online auction was staged in the Galaxy Macau’s “China Rouge” private member’s club and was simultaneously held live on Sedo’s online auction platform. Veteran and first-time domain name investors participated in and won auctions for domain names as diverse as “games.online” (游戏.在线) for $25,388, “casino.online” (赌场.在线) for $25,000, “realestate.online” (房地产.在线) for $16,000, “rent.online” (租赁.在线) for $15,500 and “bitcoin.online” (比特币.在线) for $14,388. “The inaugural landrush auction for Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website was a complete success,” said Arto Isokoski, TLD Registry’s CEO. “We achieved everything that we said we would do. Our innovative hybrid auction was delivered fully and with great satisfaction for our 50 guests. We are very happy with the value which investors have placed on our TLDs.” TLD Registry's Vice President of Strategy & Partner Relations, industry veteran Pinky Brand said, "We have unambiguously launched the premium domain name auction environment for ICANN's New gTLD program. No other New gTLD domain name registry has performed so strongly in its premium domain name sales since new domain extensions were introduced to the internet in November last year." In addition to the domain names sold at the live auction, many investors requested access to additional premium domain names, with some requesting portfolios of hundreds of premium domains in the Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website registries. China's central government is also backing the adoption of the new TLDs, introducing a new national policy on March 3, 2014 which mandates the use of Chinese domain names for all Chinese government websites. “The interest we’ve seen in these new Chinese TLDs is reminiscent of the rush for dot com names in the 90s,” said Tobias Flaitz, Sedo’s CEO. “This auction has shown how strong the market is for Chinese character domains, and we look forward to seeing how their values will evolve as the market matures.” The 30-day Landrush period of Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website concludes on April 24, 2014, with the TLDs’ General Availability beginning on April 28, 2014. Domain names in Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website are unrestricted and available from a worldwide registrar network. The auction event was sponsored by .CLUB...
Live Auction Event in Macau confirmed for March 21
TLD Registry Ltd, the home of the essential new Chinese TLDs Dot Chinese Online (.在线) & Dot Chinese Website (.中文网) confirmed today that its first major live auction event will be staged in China's Macau on March 21, 2014. TLD Registry's CEO, Arto Isokoski said, "As the first new Chinese gTLDs to come to market, it's only fitting that we celebrate our Landrush period in China. I can think of no better place for our celebration than Macau." The innovative live auction will be held in China Rouge, one of the world's top-10 private members' clubs, at the US$1.9 billion Galaxy Macau entertainment complex. The auction event will draw a who's who of Chinese and international domain name registrars and investors, and will be simultaneously held over the internet, utilizing the Sedo domain name auction platform. TLD Registry's Chairman, Taneli Tikka said, "China Rouge is a stunning combination of Shanghai 1920s glamour and contemporary Chinese art. The ambiance of China Rouge, which is exceptionally difficult to gain entry to wtihout a member's invitation, presents a dramatic and luxurious backdrop to the auction of our excellent premium domain names." "The all-day live auction event will feature expert speakers, fine refreshments and entertainment in between the action," said Simon Cousins, the registry's CMO. "We've invested six months of effort to design an unforgettable event, and to showcase our premium domain names in the best possible place." The auction event will be preceeded by a first-day-of-Landrush celebration, also held in Macau, on Thursday March 20. "Our Landrush celebration will feature a traditional southern Chinese feng shui ceremony to mark the "ground breaking" of Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website," said Cousins. "We've carefully synchronized all of our key dates to the ancient Chinese almanac, so that our Sunrise, Landrush and General Availability dates fall on auspiciously lucky days. Our invited guests will have the opportunity to experience China and Macau in a way unprecedented in the domain name industry." "The timing couldn't be more convenient for our guests", said Pinky Brand, TLD Registry's registrar relations head. "With the Singapore ICANN Meeting beginning on Sunday March 23, most of our guests will choose to take a short flight to Singapore right after our celebrations conclude." Flying time from Macau/Hong Kong to Singapore is less than four hours. "A special microsite for the two day celebration of Dot Chinese Online & Dot Chinese Website is online now, at tldland.cn/auction and, in Chinese, 域通联达.在线/拍卖," said Lillian Zhang, Senior Communications Manager for the TLD Registry. "The complete agenda for our two days of celebrations is online now, and specific details on travel logistics, partnerships and auction lots will be made available from that microsite over...
TLD Registry Ltd Announces Starting Roster of 26 Chinese and International Registrars
Hong Kong – January 13, 2014 //TLD Registry Ltd the owner-operator of the Chinese New gTLDs Dot Chinese Online (.在线) and Dot Chinese Website (.中文网) announced today its starting roster of registrars. The registry's international network of partners comprises 26 leading domain name registrars serving every continent and major region of the world. "According to our research, we have made domain name history", said CEO Arto Isokoski from Hong Kong. "No other Chinese language New gTLD registry has acheived such a substantial global distribution network. We're very proud of our performance, and even more proud of our fantastic registrar partners in China and around the world." The 26 registrars which have signed Registry-Registrar Agreements (RRAs) with TLD Registry are listed with principal offices in brackets: 101domain (USA) 35.com (China) Ascio/NetNames (Denmark, USA, UK, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Norway, Germany) BizCN (China) CSC Digital Brand Services CSC Digital Brand Services (USA) Dynadot (USA) EachNIC (China) Encirca (USA) eNom (USA) EuroDNS (Luxembourg) Hexonet (Germany, Canada) HiChina/Net.cn (China) Instra Corp (Australia, New Zealand) IP Mirror (Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, United Kingdom) Key-Systems (Germany, USA) Lexsynergy (UK, South Africa, Australia, Austria, Tanzania, USA) Macaria (Spain, Chile, USA) Mailclub (France, Canada) MarkMonitor (USA, UK) name.com (USA) Nawang (China) Net-Chinese (Taipei) Openprovider (Netherlands, Spain) Service Development Center of SCOPSR (China Central Government) SuperRegistry/Momentous (Canada) XinNet (China) Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website's Sunrise period begins this Friday, January 17, 2014, and runs for 60 days. A VIP celebration event hosted at the Finnish ambassador's residence in Beijing will mark the end of Sunrise on March 17. Following a 2-day quiet period, the Landrush period will begin with a major Chinese "feng shui" ceremony in China's Macau on March 20. An international hybrid-online/live auction of valuable premium domain names in the registry's TLDs will be held at the Galaxy Macau on the following day, March 21. The Landrush period will run through the weeklong ICANN meeting in Singapore (March 23—27) and China’s Qing Ming festival (April 4—6) and conclude on Thursday April 24. A three-day quiet period will immediately follow. General availability of domain names in Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website will begin on Monday 28 April, 2014. All of the landmark days in the go-live schedule has been set to coincide with auspicious days in the ancient Chinese almanac. The almanac was created during the Han Dynasty around 200BC, and continues to be an important guide to the lives and businesses of more than a billion Chinese people. "Domain names in Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website are the clear leaders amongst the Chinese language New gTLDs", said the registry's CMO, Simon Cousins. "Our TLDs have generated more...
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Go-Live Dates for Dot Chinese Online (.在线) & Dot Chinese Website (.中文网)
We are thrilled to announce that our two Chinese TLDs, “.在线” (Dot Chinese Online) and “.中文网” (Dot Chinese Website), passed Pre-Delegation Testing on 28 November (Thanksgiving Day in the US), and we now have a clear path to annoucing our go-live schedule! We're proud to be bringing the essential new Chinese TLDs to the internet, so its only fitting that we introduce the TLDs according to the ancient Chinese almanac (also known as the "Farmer's Calendar). First created by eminent Chinese astrologers in the Han Dynasty, around 200BC, the almanac continues to be an important guide to life for more than a billion Chinese people around the world. Our “trademark-owners only” Sunrise period will commence on Friday January 17, and run for 60 days, concluding on Monday March 17. Both the start and end days of Sunrise fall on highly auspicious days for “starting new businesses” in the ancient Chinese almanac. The conclusion of the Sunrise period will be marked with a traditional ceremony in China’s capital, Beijing, on March 17. We're looking forward to that spectacular ceremony! Following a two-day quiet period, the second stage of domain name availability – the Landrush period – will begin on Thursday March 20, which is an auspicious day for “breaking ground”. As the introduction of Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website is analogous to the opening of valuable new tracts of internet real estate in the Chinese-speaking world, starting Landrush on a lucky day for breaking ground is highly resonant in the China region. The Landrush period will be launched with a traditional ceremony and vibrant celebration in China’s Macau on March 20. Expect a typical southern China style of celebration, complete with lion dance, firecrackers and blessings from our feng shui master! A hybrid live and internet auction of some of the most valuable and sought-after domain names in Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website will be held in Macau one day later, on Friday 21 March. This innovative event will combine an international online auction with a full day of live auction, interesting speakers and entertainment in the most prestigous location in Macau. More information will be released soon. The Landrush period will run through the weeklong ICANN meeting in Singapore (March 23—27) and China’s Qing Ming festival (April 4—6) and conclude on Thursday April 24. A three-day quiet period will immediately follow. General availability of domain names in Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website will begin on Monday 28 April, 2014 (a highly auspicious date for “starting new businesses” and “grand openings”). Minor changes to the go-live schedule may be required by ICANN, however we're confident that the milestones will be achieved on the set...
Media release: Go-Live Schedule for Dot Chinese Online & Dot Chinese Website TLDs Announced
Go-Live Schedule for Dot Chinese Online & Dot Chinese Website TLDs Announced Leading fully-Chinese internet domain name TLDs to launch in January 2014; spectacular live auction event to initiate “Landrush” phase of availability. Helsinki, Finland – December 3, 2013 // TLD Registry Ltd, the leading internet domain name registry for fully-Chinese domain names, today announced the go-live schedule for its Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website internationalized domain names (IDNs). IDNs in the Dot Chinese Online (.在线) and Dot Chinese Website (.中文网) top level domains (TLDs) will be introduced to the global internet according to ICANN rules, beginning on January 17, 2014. ICANN is the world’s governing body for domain names. Having passed ICANN’s final test for technical integrity – known as pre-delegation testing – on November 28, the path is now clear for the registry to reliably announce milestone dates. The “trademark-owners only” Sunrise period will commence on Friday January 17, and run for 60 days, concluding on Monday March 17. Both the start and end days of Sunrise fall on highly auspicious days for “starting new businesses” in the ancient Chinese almanac. The Chinese almanac was created during the Han Dynasty around 200BC, and continues to be an important guide to the lives and businesses of more than a billion Chinese people. The conclusion of the Sunrise period will be marked with a traditional ceremony in China’s capital, Beijing, on March 17. Following a two-day quiet period, the second stage of domain name availability – the Landrush period – will begin on Thursday March 20, which is an auspicious day for “breaking ground”. As the introduction of Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website is analogous to the opening of valuable new tracts of internet real estate in the Chinese-speaking world, starting Landrush on a lucky day for breaking ground is highly resonant in the China region. The Landrush period will be launched with a traditional ceremony and vibrant celebration in China’s Macau on March 20. A hybrid live and internet auction of some of the most valuable and sought-after domain names in Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website will be held in Macau one day later, on Friday 21 March. The Landrush period will run through the weeklong ICANN meeting in Singapore (March 23—27) and China’s Qing Ming festival (April 4—6) and conclude on Thursday April 24. A three-day quiet period will immediately follow. General availability of domain names in Dot Chinese Online and Dot Chinese Website will begin on Monday 28 April, 2014 (a highly auspicious date for “starting new businesses” and “grand openings”). Minor changes to the go-live schedule may be required by ICANN, however TLD Registry is confident that the milestones will be achieved on the set dates. About TLD Registry Ltd TLD...
