New.net™ and ICANN

New.net is a market-based approach to satisfying the growing public demand for shorter, more descriptive domain names that has been left unmet by the increasing scarcity of names ending in .com, .net, etc. We believe that the Internet has expanded to a point where its users are underserved by the few top-level domains currently available, and that businesses and consumers alike will benefit from having access to more descriptive and relevant Web site addresses. Our new domain names exist side-by-side with current ICANN-sanctioned top-level domains and use the Internet's existing domain name system infrastructure for resolving domain name address queries. New.net will seek to work with ICANN to ensure stability in the Internet, and we will attempt to work in the best interests of all parties to not interfere with anything that ICANN plans to do.

New.net is building a more open registry business that also will enable other parties to introduce new domain name extensions to the millions of users that have access to New.net domain names. New.net will determine which extensions to release in the future, applying the standards set forth below. We will serve as the registry for many of such domain names and will enable other qualified parties to serve as registries or registrars.

Release of New Extensions

To date we have released new domain name extensions in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, and we plan to introduce new domain name extensions in the future. We selected the first extensions based on which names our market research indicated would be most useful to individuals and companies, and which would help us communicate our new business to the world. In the future, we will continue the policy of introducing new domain name extensions on the basis of which names market feedback tells us will be most useful to users of the Internet.

We are soliciting real-time input from visitors to our Web site regarding which new domain name extensions to introduce in the future in order to assist us in making sound, market-driven choices. We also will consider proposals submitted by third parties interested in having particular domain name extensions released. We intend to not release domain name extensions that conflict with those already released by ICANN, other country code designations released previously or in the future, or certain domain name extensions that would interfere with the current Internet infrastructure.

Sale and Use of New.net Domain Names

We intend to sell most New.net domain names for any domain name extensions available on our Web site on a first-come, first-served basis and at a flat, reasonable price. We may deviate from this approach in special situations, but our goal is to sell domain names at a reasonable price to help cover the costs associated with deploying, administering and marketing the New.net system.

Once a domain name is purchased, we generally will not restrict the use of the domain name, but we expect that purchasers of our domain names will provide content that is relevant to the specific domain names purchased. If we do impose restrictions on use, we will disclose such restrictions in the Registration Agreement used to purchase a domain name and on our Web site. For example, we will expect purchasers of domain names ending in ".kids" to offer Web sites that are "kid-friendly" and compliant with the Children Online Privacy Protection Act under United States law. We reserve the right to revoke or cancel any .kids domain name that is used to offer content that does not comply with these standards. We will not revoke domain names that have been sold unless the owner of a domain name violates the terms of our Registration Agreement or fails to renew within the specified registration period. Domain names that come up for renewal will be at the first option of the current owner.

Domain Name System Infrastructure

New.net is committed to improving the existing infrastructure for administering the Internet's domain name system and the technology used by most domain name registry and registrar businesses. We recognize the value and importance of the distributed domain name system (DNS) that makes it possible for Internet users throughout the world to use simple names to find relevant content at any time. We are building a DNS infrastructure that is at least as reliable as the root servers that serve .com, .net, .org, .co.uk, and other top-level domains. We also intend to develop registry and registrar functionality in our Web site that makes it much easier for domain name purchasers to purchase and manage their domain names, and for partner companies to sell New.net domain names on their Web sites. In the future, New.net will continue to place high importance on continually improving the DNS system and the technology that serves as the backbone of our registry and registrar functions.

Domain Name Dispute Resolution

New.net is committed to providing a fair and effective mechanism for resolving disputes between persons that claim competing interests in domain names. Each purchaser of a New.net domain name is required to represent at the time of purchase that, among other things, the purchaser intends to use the domain name for a legitimate, lawful use. We initially have decided that any disputes that do arise shall be settled according to the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy adopted by ICANN and most traditional domain name registries and registrars. We will reevaluate the adequacy of this policy as necessary.

Privacy

New.net believes strongly in preserving the privacy of visitors to our Web site and purchasers of our domain names. See our Privacy Policy for further detail.