More professionals to be allowed .pro domains

Web Hosting Company Hostway .Pro TLD Reported Approved
22 May 2008

Hostway Corporation, web hosting and managed technology services company, has indicated that ICANN has unanimously approved the the .Pro TLD.

Hostway has reported that RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .Pro top level domain (TLD) on the Internet, has received approval from the ICANN, to greatly expand the scope and availability of the .Pro TLD. The newly ratified terms of service increases the number of professionals who are eligible for the TLD, extends the availability globally, and streamlines the registration process.

Catherine Sigmar, General Manager at RegistryPro noted, ''This is a significant milestone for .Pro. By approving these changes, ICANN has given us the opportunity to open up .Pro to tens of millions of licensed and credentialed professionals and entities across the globe.''

Since launching in 2004, access to .Pro has been restricted to four professions: accountants, engineers, lawyers and medical professionals in Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. Under the new terms of service, the TLD will become available to any professional or professional entity holding credentials from a certifying governmental authority anywhere in the world. These changes significantly broaden the market for the .Pro domain while still limiting the availability to professionals and maintaining the exclusive nature of the TLD.

In addition to the expanded scope, the new terms of service also makes it much easier to obtain a 2nd level domain and greatly simplify the registration process - thereby making .Pro domains both easier to obtain and more desirable.

Previously, stringent guidelines limited the availability of 2nd level .Pro domains (e.g. ''doctorsmith.pro'') and resulted in registrants opting for the easier to obtain 3rd level domains (e.g. ''doctorsmith.med.pro.'') The new terms of service eliminates the additional requirements for 2nd level domains, making these shorter, more desirable addresses available to anyone that meets the general TLD requirements.

The registration process has also been simplified. Individuals were previously required to submit written documentation of their credentials from an authorized certifying authority. These credentials would then be manually authenticated and verified by the registry - a process that greatly impacted the time and effort required to register a .Pro domain. Under the new registration process, the registrants need only supply the type of certification they hold, the name of the organization, and their license number on the registration form.

Per the published minutes of a Special Meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors posted on ICANN's web site, the proposed changes to the .Pro Registry Agreement were approved by a voice vote of 10 to 0. These changes clearly remove the principal hurdles that have previously challenged the adoption of the TLD, but Sigmar emphasizes that .Pro is still a premium domain space for professionals and professional entities. In the interest of keeping .Pro focused on the professional community, RegistryPro is introducing a Terms of Use Agreement that every customer will be required to accept.

Mr. Sigmar added, ''Our position all along has been we don't want to become an unrestricted, general use TLD. That's why we've developed the new Terms of Use Agreement.''

As noted in the published ICANN minutes, ''Registrants will be required to annually reaffirm that they are using the registration for the professional purpose as intended.''

The new Terms of Use obligates new and renewing registrants to do three key things: 1) self-certify professional credentials, 2) agree that their .Pro domain will be used only by them and 3) consent to use .Pro domains only in relation to professional services. As part of its commitment to ICANN, RegistryPro will monitor new and renewed domains to ensure that registrants adhere to these regulations.

Mr. Sigmar continued, ''We understand this is a major shift, and we encourage current .Pro registrants to contact their sponsoring registrars if they have any questions about how these changes impact them. Our priority now is to help registrants and registrars determine how the new agreement affects them, as well as educate professionals internationally about the benefits of the .Pro TLD.''

Plans are in progress to relaunch .Pro with a target date of July 14, 2008.

Hostway Corporation provides domain name registration, web hosting and ecommerce, colocation, managed dedicated hosting, SaaS hosting, Web design and online marketing services to more than 600,000 customers worldwide. It operates state-of-the art data centers that reduce the complexity and cost of Web-based technologies for small businesses and large enterprises. Founded in 1998, Hostway is one of the three largest Web hosting companies in the world with a direct presence in 11 countries, 15 worldwide operation centers and more than 700 employees. Hostway franchises include: Affinity Internet, Bigstep, DiscountDomains, Hostway UK, Hostway Netherlands, Hostway Korea, Hostway Australia, Hostway Denmark, NetNation, PowerMedium, RegistryPro, Server Service, Service Over Internet, ValueWeb and WinSave.

RegistryPro operates the .Pro top-level domain (TLD), an Internet registry exclusively for professionals who meet specific eligibility requirements and undergo a verification process. All .Pro names are issued with a digital certificate, an online passport that facilitates secure communications and transactions. RegistryPro provides a new way for professionals to distinguish themselves on the Internet by using the .Pro extension. Initially offered to doctors, lawyers, accountants, and engineers, the .Pro domain name provides a solution for professionals who require heightened confidentiality and security in their online communications.
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To learn more about RegistryPro, please visit: http://www.registry.pro.

For more information, please visit: http://www.hostway.com.

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More professionals to be allowed .pro domains

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