Hong Kong, 20 August 2007 — DotAsia, the registry operator of the ".Asia" Internet domain, will be using the services of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to help ensure the integrity of procedures for the allocation of domain names, protecting intellectual property owners against abusive applications.

WIPO, a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to the maintenance of a balanced and effective international intellectual property (IP) system, will serve as the exclusive Challenge Resolution Provider for the .Asia Pioneer Domains Program.

This collaboration will facilitate the implementation of an orderly administrative process for intellectual property owners to mount challenges against Pioneer applications that may infringe on their trademark rights.

"The partnership is indicative of DotAsia's strong commitment to the protection of Intellectual Property Rights in our policies. We are honoured to work with WIPO and believe that their participation adds prestige to the Pioneer Domains Program,” said Edmon Chung, CEO of DotAsia. “WIPO's commitment and expertise in global IP protection and domain dispute services will ensure a fair, impartial procedure with a high degree of integrity. This in turn provides a foundation of comfort for leading companies and entrepreneurs to invest their efforts into the development of their brands and ideas on the best .Asia domain names.”

The Pioneer Domains Program sets a new industry benchmark by being the first domain registry ever to open its doors for applications based on the quality of proposals received for any domain name of choice. Imagine "music.asia" or "invest.asia!" To deter abusive applications, a Challenge Process is to be established. WIPO as the Challenge Resolution Provider will appoint neutrals to assess the challenge claims against the application submitted. Based on the available evidence, the WIPO neutral will make a decision on whether DotAsia's acceptance of the applicant should stand."

WIPO's vision is that IP is an important tool for the economic, social and cultural development of all countries. The .Asia Pioneer Domains Program is a meaningful innovation in the domain industry and one which may pave the way for future top-level-domain launches.

About DotAsia

The DotAsia Organisation is a not-for-profit community-based organisation incorporated in Hong Kong with a focused mission to operate the .Asia Registry. It is the sponsoring organization and registry operator for the .Asia sponsored generic top level domain. The DotAsia Organisation has a purposeful mandate to direct surplus proceeds to initiatives that benefit the community in the region, such as projects to bridge the digital divide and regional research development projects.

Media queries please contact:

Amanda de Silva or Cherry Velarde at Upstream Asia, Tel: (852) 2973 0222. Email: amanda.desilva@upstreamasia.com / cherry.velarde@upstreamasia.com