Neustar Inc., a leading provider of Internet registry services, and Valideus, a consultancy group providing dedicated management services for the new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs), today announced a strategic partnership to provide Valideus’ European and worldwide brand owners with all of the services required to register their own company or brand names as a gTLD.

For the first time in history, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will allow companies to use their own brand or product names to the right of the dot in domain names (.companyname.brand) rather than the more generic extensions like .com and .net.

As part of this partnership, Neustar and Valideus will provide Valideus’ brand owner customers with the expertise and support required to prepare and submit their application to ICANN, and all of the registry services necessary to launch and operate their own Internet extension.

This latest innovation serves as a unique opportunity to extend brands online, provides easier to remember domain names (product.brand vs. brand.com), and delivers improved security. Some companies also plan to issue domain names to their customers or trading partners. Most of the desirable domain names are no longer available on .com; new global TLDs provide brands what they want in shorter, more descriptive names to match their products, services and experiences and more control over that domain name. Companies with their own .brand control everything to the left of the dot—all names suddenly become available.

Nick Wood, Valideus’ CEO and founder said, “The benefits of moving up in the browser must be considered very carefully by brand owners who value innovation, security and the opportunity to communicate more directly with their customers. We are delighted to be working with Neustar as they offer the right combination of experience and technical excellence that our clients are looking for.”

“We are very pleased to be working with Valideus,” said Tim Switzer, Vice President, Registry services at Neustar, “Valideus has a history of active participation in ICANN / Internet policies and practices, a deep knowledge of the application process for new gTLDs and have specialized in working with intellectual property owners and in understanding their needs.”

About Valideus
Valideus was formed to provide dedicated services and recommend technology solutions to brand owners seeking to launch their own domain. Although Valideus may support other types of registry applicant, its focus is upon corporations who wish to put their brands in the browser. For more information about Valideus, visit http://www.valideus.com