XTNS Domain Namespaces Revolutionize Navigation, Brand Identities and Trademark Control on the Internet

Pasadena-Based Start-Up Unveils a Domain Namespace System Powered by RealNames Technology To Enable Limitless Creation of New Internet Addresses that Are Simple, Memorable, and Work in All Languages.

PASADENA, Calif., August 17, 2001 -- Today, XTNSSM (Extended Name Services, Inc., http://www.xtns.net) announced the first availability of its Extended NamespacesSM ," a new form of Internet domain names set to revolutionize the way we navigate the Internet worldwide and leverage commercial brands. XTNSs new Domain Namespaces answer at least three major market demands: massive over-crowding of the .com" domain and the extreme need for new domains; the need for a new more simple naming convention to replace existing hard-to-remember lengthy URLs; and the substantial worldwide demand for language-specific domain names. Now corporations can own and control entire XTNS Domain Namespaces such as anything.brand" and create their own names in over 150 languages worldwide.

XTNS is working in partnership with RealNames Corporation, whose technology is already embedded worldwide in the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser. Being based on UNICODE the RealNames system enables XTNS names to work automatically and immediately in all languages and character sets. Thus XTNS Extended Namespaces can now be accessed and queried by 88% or over 360 million of the worlds Internet users -- in their own language without any need to download additional software or enroll with a particular ISP.

Corporations can now finally gain control of their brand identity on the Internet," said Tim Langdell, XTNSs CEO. No longer constrained to market new products and services to the public in the form of http://www-dot-something-dot-something, forward-slash some complex series of letters and numbers, companies can now use our new simpler names in the form 'service.company or 'product.brand and do so in virtually any language in the world. A key thrust will be to enable global corporations to control their branding around the world enabling Internet navigation in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, German and over 150 other languages. We believe this is a watershed event, marking a new era of a vastly simplified marketing message and intuitive navigation of web content worldwide."

Keith Teare, founder and CEO of RealNames Corp. said of this new partnership XTNS is the first to offer this new form of namespace to the world based upon RealNames Keyword technology, and to understand the limitless potential and flexibility this technology can bring to Internet users -- specifically, easy to remember and use names that work automatically in any language from virtually any desktop on the planet. The beauty of Keyword technology is that it is not constrained by syntax and it allows virtually limitless combinations in delivering custom namespaces with prefix.something or something.brand."

Simpler Multilingual Domain Namespaces That Anyone Can Remember.

Because XTNS namespaces rely on the RealNames system which utilizes UNICODE-based encoding and which sits as a layer on top of the DNS, the company can create and activate new Domain Namespaces in virtually any language in the world. XTNS is unique in being able to offer a wide range of multilingual domain names that are universally accessible to the global Internet community.

In addition to offering corporate and multilingual names, XTNS plans a number of Open Domain NamespacesSM" that operate like existing top level domains (such as .com", .biz", .info" etc) and will permit users to register unique addresses within these Domain Namespaces. However, XTNS primary attention is to ensure that its Open Domain Namespaces are not confused with top level domain names released via ICANN or the U.S. Department of Commerce by requiring Open Domain Namespaces to be in the form name.trademark", name.corporation", or in the form genericprefix.name".

Having already experienced a substantial interest from global corporations wanting their own domains, our current focus is upon Domain Namespaces based upon trademarks, brand names, corporate names and association names," said Langdell. Soon, though, we plan to launch a number of Open Domain Namespaces for the domestic and overseas markets aimed at satisfying individual and small business domain name demand to further relieve the immense pressure on the '.com domain."

Immediate Availability

XTNS Corporate Domain Namespaces and multilingual Corporate and trademark Domain Namespaces are available immediately. The first of XTNSs Open Domain Namespaces for second level name registration in both Roman characters (English") and multilingual characters will be announced shortly, with a special focus on the Asian, Hispanic and European markets. Names in these Open Domain Namespaces are anticipated to sell for flat fee of between $25-$50 per annum. A trademark protection policy will be announced at that time.

Registry/Registrar Channels

XTNS itself acts as a Registry for most of the new Domain Namespaces that it launches. However, it also licenses other entities to act as registries for proposed and sponsored new Domain Namespaces, and projects a world-wide network of registrar re-sellers for XTNSs and its clients second level name sales. XTNS is currently accepting proposals for sponsored and un-sponsored Open Domain Namespaces with a scheduled launch in late 2001 and in 2002.

Whats Next?

These first XTNS names are merely an introduction to a wealth of new extended naming possibilities we will be creating over the coming years, said Langdell. Because we can set up pay-per-view and member-only Domain Namespaces, we have the flexibility to create new namespaces that provide safe-havens for children, or namespaces that can be securely regulated and restricted."

XTNS namespaces feature geographic location capabilities as well as provide the potential for enhanced security (e.g. for enhanced virtual private networks). XTNSs GeoLocTM features enable companies to route web traffic according to territory or country of origin, making fully automated language specific web navigation a reality. No longer will web-users need to face a menu to determine which language version or territory version of a web site they are seeking. These features will also enable XTNS customers to have important marketing data about the source location of their web sites visitors.

Future XTNS namespaces will also permit advanced search capabilities. Added Langdell, Our namespaces sit on top of DNS in a complementary relationship and form a perfect fit with anticipated extensions and enhancements to the DNS, meaning we permit new functionality over the existing system and future developments. By doing so, we enable XTNSs system to overlay the DNS, enhancing it without interfering with it or damaging it in any way. We have the clear potential to also include easy navigation using wireless devices (cellular phones, PDAs, etc) as well as providing critical assistance with the integration of voice, text and other media, while maintaining a truly global scope and vision. It is central to XTNSs intent to work closely with bodies such as IETF and ICANN, and be supportive of the ongoing work of these bodies, and the single root structure or DNS."

About XTNS (Extended Name Services, Inc.)
XTNS is a Pasadena, California based corporation which is in process of opening offices in Korea, China, Japan and Europe. XTNS is an Internet Domain Namespace registry as well as an Internet Domain Namespace resolution service provider. The vision of XTNS is to bring about global acceptance for a new form of Internet naming and navigation that is far simpler and more intuitive than the existing system, while working closely with and utilizing the existing DNS system rather than replacing it. Using the existing DNS, XTNS Domain Namespaces replace complicated URLs with simple, easy to remember names in virtually any language in the world. The XTNS technology is based upon the RealNames (RealNames Corporation) system which is integrated directly into the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser (version 5.0 and above).Therefore the XTNSs system already built into the Microsoft IE Browser is today already operational in hundreds of millions of PCs worldwide. For more information please visit the XTNS website at www.xtns.net

About RealNames Corporation
RealNames Corporation is the global infrastructure provider of Keywords and offers a naming
platform for the next generation Internet. The RealNames registration and resolution name
services platform provides a modern naming layer on top of DNS. Keywords are a superior Web
naming registration platform that extends the existing Domain Name System, and are integrated
into Microsoft Internet Explorer browser software and the Openwave Mobile Access Gateway.
RealNames Keywords and name services are available through a worldwide channel of Registries and Registrars. For more information, please enter Keyword: RealNames to visit our Web site.

XTNS, XTNS System, Extended Namespaces, Domain Namespaces, Open Domain Namespaces, Open Domains, and GeoLoc are all trademarks or service marks of Extended Name Services, Inc. All rights reserved. RealNames, and RealNames System are either service marks or registered service marks of RealNames Corporation.

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Copyright (C) 2001, Extended Name Services, Inc. All rights reserved.