KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rightside™, the domain name services business of Demand Media (NYSE: DMD), today announced new partnerships with many of the world’s leading registrars to bring its portfolio of new Top Level Domains (TLDs) to market. More than 40 registrars – including GoDaddy, Web.com, 1&1 and Host Europe, and Rightside affiliates eNom and Name.com have signed registrar agreements with Rightside Registry, creating an expansive and global distribution network. This agreement allows each registrar partner the opportunity to provide domain name services for Rightside’s portfolio of desirable and memorable new domains. In addition, Rightside Registry TLDs, .DANCE and .DEMOCRAT, are now available for early registration, allowing trademark holders to safeguard the domain name that matches their trademark, as well as allowing registrar customers to pre-order domain names.
“As we prepare to bring our new TLDs to market, we wanted to partner with the largest and most innovative registrars in the domain business to help capture the full potential of this new opportunity,” said David Ryan, general manager of Rightside Registry. “Entering into these agreements marks an important milestone for our business, and constitutes a significant step towards helping our customers define their unique digital identity.”
“The introduction of new TLDs brings unique options for small businesses to be successful online,” said GoDaddy Vice President Domains, Mike McLaughlin. “Domain names are essentially real estate of the 21st century – it’s your online address. Partnering with Rightside gives our customers the option of interesting TLDs for their business or personal needs.”
The entry into registrar agreements makes it possible for these leading registrars to make any number of the Rightside Registry new domains available during all phases of launch – from pre-registration to general availability. Current registrar partners include:
-
1&1
- CSC
- eNom
- EuroDNS
- GoDaddy
- Host Europe
- Internetx
- Mark Monitor
- Melbourne IT
- Name.com
- ResellerClub
- Web.com
Rightside Registry also announced that its first available TLDs, .DANCE and .DEMOCRAT, are now available for pre-order through partner registrars, and full registration for trademark holders. To qualify for purchase, trademarks must be validated with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), a centralized database that verifies trademark information. Once the trademark is validated, the new domain will be available for registration through any registrar partner of Rightside Registry that a customer chooses to use.
As a popular pastime for both professionals (over 38,000 choreographers have profiles on LinkedIn) and amateurs (ABC Network’s Dancing with the Stars garners approximately 13 million viewers each episode), .DANCE is an exciting new domain that appeals to a mass audience. With more than 43 million registered democrats in the U.S., .DEMOCRAT will offer politicians, political advisors and organizations passionate about political identity a new avenue to express themselves online.
In addition, Rightside is bringing two additional TLDs to market later this month. One of the most buzzed about new domains, .NINJA, as well as the German term for real estate, .IMMOBILIEN, will be available on February 19th. For more information on how to become a registrar partner, please visit http://rightside.co/rightside-registry/registrar-overview/.
Rightside Registry, based in Dublin, Ireland, is a subsidiary of Demand Media and has been investing to become a world-class registry and leader in new TLDs. Rightside Registry’s full portfolio of new TLD registry operator agreements and applications features some of the most interesting and desirable new domains to come from this historic internet expansion including .ACTOR, .ARMY, .ENGINEER, .NINJA, .PUB and .SOCIAL.
About Rightside
Rightside™ inspires and delivers new possibilities for consumers and businesses to define and present themselves online. The company, with its affiliates, is a leading provider of domain name services, offering one of the industry’s most comprehensive platforms for the discovery, registration, development, and monetization of domain names. This includes 15 million names under management, the most widely used domain name reseller platform, more than 20,000 distribution partners, an award-winning retail registrar, the leading domain name auction service through its NameJet joint venture and an interest in more than 100 new Top Level Domain registry operator agreements or applications through Rightside affiliate, United TLD Holdco Limited, trading as Rightside Registry. Following its planned separation from Demand Media, Rightside will be home to some of the most admired brands in the industry, including eNom, Name.com, and NameJet (in partnership with Web.com). Headquartered in Kirkland, WA, Rightside has offices in North America, Europe and Australia. For more information please visit www.rightside.co.
About Demand Media
Demand Media, Inc. (NYSE: DMD) is a leading digital content and media and domain name services company that informs and entertains one of the internet’s largest audiences, helps advertisers find innovative ways to engage with their customers and enables publishers, individuals and businesses to expand their online presence. Headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, Demand Media has offices in North America, South America and Europe. For more information about Demand Media, please visit www.demandmedia.com.
Cautionary Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Statements containing words such as may, believe, anticipate, expect, intend, plan, project, predict and estimate or similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve various risks and uncertainties. Statements regarding the Company's future financial performance are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, financial condition, operating performance and results of operations, including certain assumptions related thereto. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance. Potential risks and uncertainties include, among others: the ability of Demand Media to complete a separation of its business into two independent public companies as previously announced and unanticipated developments that may delay or negatively impact such a transaction; the possibility that Demand Media may decide not to proceed with the separation of its business as previously announced; our ability to successfully pursue, acquire and operate new TLD registries; the impact of any delays, limitations or even cancellations in introducing new TLDs; changes to ICANN’s TLD registry agreement and its governing policies that could adversely affect our registry business; our ability to successfully market and sell our TLDs; the difficulty in predicting and developing consumer demand for new TLDs; and our ability to continue to add partners to our registrar platform on competitive terms. More information about potential factors that could cause events and results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements set forth in this press release are contained in our Registration Statement on Form 10 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov) on January 13, 2014, as the same may be updated in future amendments, including, without limitation, information under the captions Risk Factors and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. The Company does not intend to revise or update the information set forth in this press release, except as required by law, and may not provide this type of information in the future.
Contacts
for Rightside
Quinn Daly, 323-800-1925
[email protected]