.Asia domain launch to promote Asia Market Growth for companies worldwide

Priority applications for trademark owners start October 9, 2007

September 12, 2007; 07:49 AM

WOBURN, Mass. -- .Asia accredited registrar, EnCirca, Inc, (www.encirca.com) announces that pre-registrations are being accepted for the Dot-Asia Sunrise Period, scheduled to launch on October 9, 2007. Priority applications are limited to registered trademark owners. The .Asia extension allows individuals and companies to target the largest Internet community in the world as well as people looking for relevant information about Asia. .Asia domains appear as example.asia and will function just like .com domains.

“Trademark owners are advised to get their applications in without delay”, says Tom Barrett, President of EnCirca. For companies, brands and marketers, the new top level domain adds a strong sense of affiliation to corporate brands and online identities and communicates a commitment to the Asian market. “Demand for .Asia is expected to be high - .eu, a similar extension launched last year for the European Union,
achieved over 2 million registrations in its first year”, adds Barrett.

During a Pre-Sunrise period, Asian governments were invited to submit their list of cities, cultural places and famous travel destinations for a Reserved Names List. Any Asian government that missed the Pre-Sunrise deadline should contact EnCirca immediately.

Eligibility during the Sunrise period is open to trademarks and company names registered in any jurisdiction in the world. Compared to past domain launches, the Dot Asia Organization has adopted a more stable process for managing the expected initial demand for domain names by companies and businesses to protect their corporate identity online. During the Sunrise phases, all applications for domain names within the period specified will be considered to be received at the same time, which greatly reduces the hassle of hastened applications within moments of the registry opening.

The .Asia sunrise period starts October 9 and is divided into several phases:
• Sunrise 1: Governments register reserved place names
• Sunrise 2: Registered Trademark Owners
o Sunrise 2a: Exact Registered Trademarks applied for before March 16, 2004
o Sunrise 2b: Exact Registered Trademarks applied for before December 6, 2006
o Sunrise 2c: Any domain name containing a Registered Trademark in the domain name
• Sunrise 3: Registered Entity Names (company names, etc.)

Pre-registrations are being accepted for all dot-Asia sunrise periods now. Live sunrise registrations begin on October 9 and will continue through January, 2008. Following the completion of the sunrise periods, the Dot Asia Organization will begin a land rush for dot-Asia beginning in February of 2008, which will involve an auction of the most valuable names to the highest bidders. Employing the auction format removes the need for applicants to submit the domains through multiple registrars in hopes of increasing their chances of getting the names they want. In fact, the Dot Asia Organization asserts that working exclusively with a trusted registrar will in no way hinder an applicant’s ability to secure a domain name they want; it might even be a more affordable alternative to paying multiple registrars to get ahead in the registration queue.

About EnCirca, Incorporated
EnCirca, registrar for the .Asia domain is an ICANN-accredited Registrar founded in 2001, specializing in intellectual property protection and internet marketing in new top-level domain extensions, such as .travel, .pro and .jobs. For more information, please visit www.encirca.com or call +1.781.942.9975.

About DotAsia Organisation
The DotAsia Organisation is the Sponsoring Organisation and Registry Operator for the .ASIA Sponsored Generic Top Level Domain. DotAsia is a not-for-profit, community based organisation incorporated in Hong Kong. Asia has developed into a global force in the international commercial, political and cultural network. The .ASIA domain aspires to embrace this dynamism in the Asia Century to become a nucleus, intersection and breeding ground for Internet activity and development in the region.