TOP LEVEL DOMAIN HLDG LTD 
By September 30, 2011
The Directors of Top Level Domain Holdings Limited (AIM:TLDH.L), the only publicly traded company focused exclusively on acquiring and operating new generic top-level domains (“gTLDs”), confirm that Dot Eco LLC, in which TLDH holds a 25% interest, will apply for the .eco gTLD in the application window next year. Dot Eco LLC continues to enjoy the strong support of major environmental groups with millions of members.
Under the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (“ICANN”) rule book for gTLD applications, an auction will be used as a final tie-breaker where there are contending applications for the same proposed gTLD, except for specific groups or associations who can demonstrate that the gTLD uniquely represents their community. The Board believes that no .eco application can be classified as such a non-compete community gTLD and the award therefore of the .eco gTLD will be ultimately settled by an agreement between the competitors, or failing that by an auction.
Peter Dengate Thrush, Chairman of Top Level Domain Holdings, said:
“The non-compete benefits reserved for certain gTLD applications from true communities are there to protect specific groups or associations who can genuinely claim to represent a given name or descriptor. It is not an invitation to start a race for celebrity endorsement, which will have no material impact on the application process. As a result, we believe the Dot Eco LLC consortium is exceptionally well placed to compete in every respect of its .eco application and run that gTLD in a meaningful manner. We are therefore delighted to continue give it our full infrastructural and financial support.”
Antony Van Couvering, CEO of Top Level Domains Holdings, added:
“While the association of celebrities with a proposed gTLD may be useful for groups needing to attract investment, what ICANN requires for a winning application is a solid business plan from a robust operator that is able to meet the stringent requirements for successfully running a critical piece of Internet infrastructure. Dot Eco LLC has that as well as a real plan to provide significant funding to groups working to protect our planet.”
For further information, please contact:
Top Level Domain Holdings Limited
North America
Antony Van CouveringTel: +1 917 406 7126Europe
David WeillTel: +44 (0) 20 7881 0180Nominated Adviser to the Company
Beaumont Cornish LimitedRoland Cornish / Michael CornishTel +44 (0) 20 7628 3396Joint Brokers
XCAP Securities plcJon Belliss / Karen KellyTel +44 (0) 20 7107 7070Daniel Stewart & Company plc
Nick BrownTel +44 (0) 20 7776 6550gth media relations
Toby Hall /Christian PickelTel: +44 (0) 20 3103 3903About Top Level Domain Holdings Limited http://tldh.org
Top Level Domain Holding is a publicly traded holding company listed on the London AIM market. The company is focused on the new top-level domain space. Top-level domains, such as .com, run by VeriSign (NASDAQ: VRSN), and .biz, run by NeuStar (NYSE: NSR), are regulated by ICANN. ICANN has announced plans to expand the number of top-level domains. TLDH intends to make targeted investments in this space, focusing on both infrastructure technologies and specific top-level domains.Minds + Machines provides full technical registry services for top-level domains and related consulting services, working internationally with commercial organisations, cities, not-for-profits and entrepreneurs to secure and operate new top-level domains (new gTLDs). Minds + Machines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Top Level Domains Holdings, Ltd.
