The new gTLD .London is all over news today as the Board of Top Level Domain Holdings (AIM: TLDH) reported that its client, Dot London Domains Ltd (“Dot London”), has signed the contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”) allowing the new top level domain, .LONDON,  to proceed to the final round of pre-delegation testing before being introduced into the Internet’s root zone in 2014.

Dot London is a subsidiary of London & Partners, the official promotional organization for London.

In the press statement issued today by Dot London, the company also announced that from Spring 2014 London-based businesses, organizations and individuals will be able to apply first for addresses in the new .LONDON domain.

Fred Krueger, Chairman of Top Level Domain Holdings, commented:
“We are delighted that London is to be one of the first major cities in the world to launch a city-named domain on the Internet. We are sure that it will be of significant benefit to the businesses, communities and individuals wanting to associate themselves with London and a powerful mechanism for enhancing London’s digital presence.”

We have posted around 10 mainstream press stories on the .London contract signing and the forthcoming .London new gTLD to our Facebook and Twitter accounts

Here is some more info according to the press release:

“London will shortly be one of the first cities in the world to launch a new city domain name in the biggest change to the online world since .com was launched nearly 30 years ago.

Tens of thousands of businesses, including some of London’s most prestigious brands such as Selfridges and Carnaby Street, have already expressed an interest in the new addresses, which will be live online in summer 2014.

By acquiring a .london address businesses, museums, shops, theaters and galleries will receive a domain name that is easy to remember and instantly identifies them as being located in London. Local businesses are also expected to benefit from consumers looking for services from London-based providers, helping to attract more customers.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “Adopting the .London suffix will enable organizations to more closely associate themselves with our great city’s powerful global brand. This is also an excellent opportunity to expand London’s digital presence, which in turn is set to generate funds to invest back into the city.”

Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the Mayor’s official promotional organization for London, said: “When we have talked to London businesses and organisations about this, they’re extremely excited about the opportunities .London presents. We are already seeing huge interest – not just from London’s most prestigious stores and visitor attractions, but also from local businesses and tradespeople. Applicants will get a domain name that links them with London and is easier to remember and more powerful, potentially resulting in more customers.”

Hazel Kay, Interim Head of Marketing at Selfridges, said: “As an iconic London retailer, Selfridges has always taken care to be at the cutting edge of innovation in order to better serve our customers. Having a selfridges.london address is an exciting new opportunity to be creative with our web presence while showcasing our strong association with London, which is a key component of our identity.”

Claire Harris, Head of Marketing and Communication at Shaftesbury PLC, said: “It will be a great boost to know we can associate Carnaby even more closely with the capital by using the .london address. London is an incredibly strong brand in retail, fashion and lifestyle, so Carnaby is delighted to be able to promote its geographical and cultural identity across the internet in this way.”

The arrival of the .london address is an initiative led by London & Partners to pursue a new top-level domain in order to boost the city’s online identity.

With the support of the Mayor of London, London & Partners successfully applied to ICANN in 2012 to set up and manage the new .london domain. A London & Partners subsidiary called Dot London Domains Ltd has been created, and it has signed the contract with ICANN and will operate the .London registry.

Dot London Domains now plans to allow London-based businesses, organizations and individuals to apply for the new domain in spring 2014, giving them the first chance to own the new addresses that will be on offer. Companies with registered trademarks will also be able to apply during that time.

Information on the new .London is available online at www.mydotlondon.com.

People can also sign up on the website to receive information as it becomes available.

About London & Partners:

London & Partners is the official promotional organization for London. Our company attracts and delivers value to business, students and visitors. London & Partners is a not-for-profit public private partnership, funded by the Mayor of London and a network of commercial partners.

Our remit is to drive leisure and business visitors as well as bidding to secure major events in London, to unlock the city for overseas businesses who want to set up or expand in London and to promote the capital’s world class universities to international students.

Our intention is to work in partnership with organizations in London and across the world to deliver our goal – that London be globally recognised as the best big city on earth.

For more information see www.londonandpartners.com
About Dot London:

London & Partners has set up a subsidiary, Dot London Domains Ltd to operate the new registry. They have procured a Registry Services Provider, Minds + Machines, who are working in partnership to set up and operate the domain. Dot London will operate on a commercial basis and any surplus profits will be re-invested for the benefit of London.

There are guidelines set out by ICANN for new top level domains which cover areas such as disputes, complaints, the protection of trademark holders and law enforcement.

More information can be found at www.mydotlondon.com