A Brief Introduction of the Pioneer Domains Program July, 2007 The .Asia Pioneer Domains Program offers the ultimate first-mover advantage for brand development and e-commerce in Asia. Applicants are invited to submit a brief proposal for the domain of their choice. The best proposal wins the right to operate the best .Asia domains! Breaking the mould of disinterested allocation of domains in a first-come-first-served race, the .Asia Pioneer Domains Program entrusts the most prestigious cyber real estate in .Asia to those who show genuine commitment to this community. The objective of the program is to immediately create active and relevant content on .Asia domains for the benefit of Internet users around the world. The program builds on the value of .Asia to provide a natural name for users to easily navigate and find the information they are looking for. Through the Pioneer Domains Program, DotAsia is giving out millions of dollars worth of domain names. Imagine the value and potential for names like “www.music.asia”, “trade.asia”, “mobile.asia”, “football.asia”, and many more! The value of domain names have risen to staggering new heights in recent years. Vodka.com fetched US$3 million, diamond.com took in US$7.5 million and poker.com, the current record holder was reportedly sold for over US$27 million. Business.com, acquired in 1999 for US$7.5 million is now estimated to be worth US$300-400 million. The appreciation in value is not constricted to .com domains anymore. Poker.de was sold for close to US$1 million earlier this year, while Flowers.mobi auctioned for US$200,000. With the world’s fastest growing and largest online and offline market, .Asia domains are poised to command even higher values. To build .Asia into a thriving cyber community, DotAsia is looking for the help from pioneers and visionaries in the community. In return, we are offering the hottest cyber real estate in Asia to entrepreneurs, businesses and social enterprises who are committed to the region and the community. The Pioneer Domains Program is a golden opportunity for developers of cyberspace. Applications are accepted from now till the end of August (July 11 – August 31, 2007). The .Asia Pioneer Domains Program The Pioneer Domains Program is organised into 3 categories: 1. Community Pioneers 2. Global Brand Pioneers 3. Partner Pioneers Community Pioneers are invited to propose commonly used words and phrases as .Asia names, such as “music.asia”, “trade.asia”, etc. Non-commercial initiatives may also apply as the Community Pioneers for names corresponding to their organisation. Through the Global Brand Pioneers category, DotAsia seeks to work closely with well established brand owners to develop active and relevant .Asia websites and services. While the .Asia Sunrise processes provide comprehensive protective measures for trademark owners, the Pioneer Domains Program offers proactive brand holders who are committed to the Asia community the .Asia domains that best matches their mark and businesses. Partners of DotAsia are encouraged to adopt and lend testimonials to the .Asia domains as Partner Pioneers. Accredited registrars and technology providers may utilize .Asia domain names for promoting the .Asia registry. DotAsia is also actively looking for partners in many other areas, and to offer to them the best .Asia domains that exemplify their affiliation to the Asia community. Community Pioneers Requirements Any individual, business or organisation is invited to become a Community Pioneer. The prospective Community Pioneer (the Applicant) is required to fill in an Application Form, and to include a brief proposal (incorporated in the Application Form) outlining: • Business and Marketing Plan: describing the concept and proposed scheme for the .Asia domain, along with activities and ideas for promoting the domain; • Operations and Financial Support: resources and support available for viability of the initiative and to execute on the proposed plans; and, • Community and Social Considerations: commercial and social benefits to the community Besides the proposal, Community Pioneers will be required to deposit a commitment of US$10,000 to the marketing of the .Asia domain. This Marketing Commitment Deposit is not an application fee, and will be returned to the Community Pioneer (i.e. applicant) against documented proof of advertising and marketing attributed to the promotion of the proposed business, which prominently features the allocated .Asia domain name. Global Brand Pioneers Requirements In order to qualify for the Global Brand category, a brand must have or demonstrate: • Trademark registrations in multiple countries and/or regions, with at least one in Asia; • Significant investment into the development and promotion of the corresponding brand; and, • Substantial sales threshold in connection with goods and services associated with the mark. The Pioneer Domains Program is not designed to replace the .Asia Sunrise process. The Global Brand Pioneer category is focused on global brand owners who are committed to the Asia community and is willing to work with DotAsia to encourage the adoption of the .Asia domain. A framework for evaluation similar to the Community Pioneer category will be used. The same marketing commitment deposit is required, which similarly will be returned based on marketing of the .Asia domain name. Partner Pioneers Requirements Through the Pioneer Domains Program, DotAsia will proactively work with Partner Pioneers to promote the synergistic, positive and active usage of .ASIA domain names, which in turn encourages the adoption of the .Asia domain. In general, Marketing Commitment Deposit is not applicable, however commitments and pledges for the provision of complimentary, considerably discounted or exceptionally favourable terms of services or products to DotAsia will be required. Further details on the proposal guidelines, the parameters for names selected, the technical process for the submission of the proposal and the allocation of domains can be found in the .Asia Pioneer Domains Program Policies document and at: http://pioneer.domains.asia. Unit 617, Miramar Tower, 132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong | http:// www.registry.asia | info@registry.asia Page 2 of 2 DotAsia Organisation Ltd. | Unit 617, Miramar Tower, 132 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong http://www.registry.asia | info@registry.asia Page 1 of 1