.asia Domain to Launch

This Web page is designed to provide you with registration requirements, important upcoming deadlines and unique characteristics of the .asia top-level domain launch, which will go live shortly. We recommend that trademark owners take advantage of the opportunity to protect their house marks and core brands during the sunrise period for holders of registered trademarks. The first sunrise period is scheduled to take place in less than two weeks between October 9 and October 30.

OVERVIEW
.asia is a new top-level domain targeted for the Pan-Asia and Asia-Pacific Internet community, broadly defined to encompass 73 countries and to include over 60% of the world's population.

The registry responsible for .asia suggests that the new top-level domain will provide an opportunity for companies and individuals to target the Asian marketplace and register their mark "__________.asia." Trademark holders should also have another objective in mind: protecting their brands. Defensive domain name registration remains a crucial aspect of protecting intellectual property rights, as online commerce continues to sustain rapid growth.

REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
To qualify to register .asia domain names, at least one of the domain name contacts (registrant, administrative contact, technical contact, or billing contact) specified in the application must be a legal entity or individual in one of the 73 countries of the Asia/Australia/Pacific Geographic Region established by ICANN. Local counsel or local registrars may be able to act as a contact.

KEY DEADLINES
The .asia launch will occur in phases: Three SUNRISE phases and a LANDRUSH phase.

SUNRISE 1 begins October 9, 2007 and continues through the LANDRUSH phase targeted for February 2008. This phase is designed for governments to register relevant domain names.

SUNRISE 2 has three sub-phases. Domain name applications received within each sub-phase will be treated as having been filed simultaneously.

SUB-PHASE 2a: October 9 — 30, 2007
For domains corresponding to a valid registered trademark, registered in any country or intergovernmental organization recognized by WIPO, that is currently in use and was filed before March 16, 2004. The trademark registrant must match the domain name registrant contact.

SUB-PHASE 2b: November 13, 2007 — January 15, 2008
For domains that correspond to a valid registered trademark, registered in any country or intergovernmental organization recognized by WIPO, that was applied for before December 6, 2006. The trademark registrant must match the domain name registrant contact.

SUB-PHASE 2c: November 13, 2007 — January 15, 2008
For domains corresponding to marks that qualify under 2a or 2b combined with terms from the Nice International Classification system for any Class included in the trademark registration (e.g. the owner of a registration for XYZ in Class 1 could apply for "xyzchemicals.asia".

SUNRISE 3: November 13, 2007 — January 15, 2008.
Domains registered during this phase must correspond to the name of an entity organized in one of the 73 countries of the Asia/Australia/Pacific Geographic Region established by ICANN, registered on or before December 6, 2006, and supported by documentary evidence submitted with the domain name application. As in SUNRISE 2, applications received within SUNRISE 3 will be treated as having been filed at the same time.

LANDRUSH: Expected to launch February 2008
During this phase, anyone meeting the eligibility requirements may apply for registration. Applications filed during this period will be considered to be filed at the same time.

YOU SHOULD KNOW
If during SUNRISE 2, SUNRISE 3 or the LANDRUSH, more than one application is received for the same domain name, the domain name will be auctioned between the applicants.