The parent company of Minds + Machines, Top Level Domain Holdings [AIM: TLDH] reported their revenue for the period to the end of April with £32,000 ($49,000), with a loss of £462,000 ($708,000). The company is pretty much in a holding pattern until the release of the new gTLDs by ICANN and is expecting finalization of ICANN’s new gTLD Applicant Guidebook by November and is hoping for the opening of the first round at the ICANN Meeting in December. The company still has almost £4m in cash and equivalents and appears to have been bootstrapping operations. One of the former key-employees, Jothan Frakes, is not with the company any more. Potential threats to the company could be further delays of the release of new gTLDs through litigation.

[via DomainIncite]

According to the New York Times, The Dot Gay Alliance (dotgay.org) of New York City and dotGay (dotgay.com) of San Francisco are both planning to apply to ICANN for the .GAY TLD. And while they haven’t closed the door to joining forces, they aren’t exactly planning to work together as of yet.

The Dot Gay Alliance application is spearheaded by Joe Dolce, a longtime gay activist who got the idea for a .GAY domain when he was working with Minds + Machines. The .ECO project caught his attention when Al Gore said he would only support the TLD if half the proceeds from the registration would go towards environmental groups. Because of this, Dolce is planning to use 51% of the proceeds from the extension to fund gay causes.

“This could be a significant source of funding for organizations fighting, doing very good, important work,” said Dolce. “It’s a very novel way that doesn’t involve putting your hand out, doesn’t involve another benefit or charity function. This is a community that has to sustain itself.”

A number of gay activists from the local New York community — including City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn and State Assemblyman Daniel J. O’Donnell — have written letters of support for the Dot Gay Alliance.

On the other hand, the dotGay application is lead by Alexander Schubert, a heterosexual who hasn’t yet rounded up any formal support from the local Bay Area community. He does, however, have experience in applying for new TLDs as he was the co-founder of a group which pushed for .BERLIN.

“All these years, I thought about the perfect top-level domain,” said Schubert, who was born and raised in Berlin, the gay capital of Europe. “I came to the conclusion that it should be a community like the gay community.”

And although Schubert plans to give more than half of the proceeds to gay causes,  Dolce doesn’t think he should be applying.

“If you’re launching a purely for-profit venture called dotGay and you are heterosexual, then you are in a way continuing a legacy of straight people earning a lot of money off of gay people that has gone on,” said Dolce. “I want to create a community which is run by the community and gives money back to the community.”

Both groups will attend the ICANN meeting in Seoul, South Korea, that starts on today.

This morning ICANN release the much anticipated version 3 of the applicant guidebook for new TLDs and opened the corresponding Public Comment Forum.The release of the new documents detailing how interested parties can apply for the much discussed new TLDs goes hand in hand with an overhaul of the corresponding website.

In a first review, Jothan Frakes of Minds + Machines notes that Module 2 – 2.1.1.4.1 (p14), rule i alpha 3 codes from ISO 3166-1 could mean that Apple needs to get permission from China before applying for .MAC (due to the similarity to Macao) and .GEO would need permission from Georgia to start up their new TLD.

As mentioned yesterday, a group of businesses — mostly consisting of registrars, new gTLD candidates, and new gTLD consultants — sent a letter to ICANN urging the Board of Directors to initiate the new TLD system without further delay. While 61 businesses endorsed the letter, the Internet Commerce Association (ICA) declined the invitation  replying that “ICA would not be serving its members responsibly if we joined in a call for ‘full speed ahead’ when multiple critical details remain in flux.”

“We have yet to see ICANN’s 3rd version of the Draft Applicant Guidebook (DAG) for new gTLDs and have no idea what changes and additions it contains,” stated ICA Counsel Philip Corwin. “…ICANN has also repeatedly stated that it will not open the application window until all the overarching issues related to new gTLDs have been adequately resolved, and ICA supports that position.”

Additionally, “ICA cannot be a signatory to any letter that endorses the IRT [Implementation Recommendation Team] process or its recommendations, much less one that implies they are an improvement over current rules such as the UDRP.”

ICA Counsel Philip Corwin received the request to endorse the draft letter from Jothan Frakes of Minds+Machines.

[via ICA]

It seems ICANN is getting it from both sides these days – with Republican lawmakers opposing the new TLDs and trying to delay the process as well as supporters of the new system urging the Board of Directors of ICANN to “initiate the new top-level domain application period without further delay.”

Sixty-one businesses, organizations, and individuals including many notable players within the domain industry — such as Antony Van Couvering of Minds+Machines; Paul Stahura, CEO of eNom; Jonathon Nevett, Senior VP of Network Solutions; Elliot Noss of Tucows; and many more — sent a letter to ICANN detailing the reasons why new top-level domains are required without further delay.

The letter [click here to view] stated that the new TLDs will help fix a number of issues including consumer demands, safety considerations, Internet stability, innovation, and ICANN’s own credibility.

“The undersigned, many of whom helped create ICANN and over the course of years have a keen understanding of the domain name market, and many of whom have significant experience dealing with intellectual property,” the document states, “respectfully but forcefully request the Board of Directors of ICANN to fulfill ICANN’s original mandate to introduce choice and competition to the domain name market.”

Seperately, the Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) sent a letter to the US government on September 22, 2009, calling for a full-scale audit of ICANN. The letter offers a ‘Top Ten List’ of things wrong with ICANN, stating the organization is a captured regulator, not independent, not transparent, fueled by profits, not accessible, ignorant of numerous Internet issues, incompetent in regards to the new gTLD process, not looking at itself critically, risking cybersecurity, and not connected to relevant agencies within the US government. [click here for letter]

After teaming up with Wolfgang Puck to launch a bid for the .FOOD gTLD in June of this year, consulting firm Minds+Machines has now filed a complaint (along with Frederick R. Krueger) against the celebrity chef claiming that he has breached the contract and is also suing his wife, Gelila Puck, for fraudulent behavior.

The lawsuit claims that Mind+Machines and Wolfgang Puck agreed to apply for .FOOD using the celebrity chef’s name, image, likeness, signature, photograph, and voice to promote the new TLD. However, Gelila Puck interjected herself into the relationship and caused substantial damage to Minds+Machines’ business through forceful, abusive, and erratic actions.

“Gelila Puck represented to Plaintiffs that she had many conections she could share with Minds+Machines that would result in additional top-level domain customers for Minds+Machines”, the lawsuit states. “None of Gelila Puck’s purported connections resulted in more than an initial introduction… Perhaps because her own attempts at business development failed, Gelila Puck systematically undermined and interfered with Minds+Machines existing clients.

For example, Gelila publicly and personally insulted an agent for professional football player Dhani jones, with whom Minds+Machines was working in connection with <.LOVE>. Gelila also publicly insulted an associate of Shaquille O’Neal, with whom Minds+Machines had been working with in connection with <.BASKETBALL>… During the ICANN meeting in Sydney, Australia, Gelila Puck shouted within earshot of dozens of ICANN participants, that Minds+Machines should not proceed with its application for <.ZULU>, which had already been approved by the King fo the Zulu nation with assistance of the daughter of the President of the Republic of South Africa.

Gelila’s public insulting of Minds+Machines’ clients is likely to substantially impact Minds+Machines’ business and damage Minds+Machines’ reputation and future income.”

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that the Pucks sent a letter to Minds+Machines demanding to particpate in almost every top-level domain name project that Minds+Machines is developing and alleging that Minds+Machines infringed on Mr. Puck’s trademarks.

“Obviously we didn’t take this action lightly,” said Antony Van Couvering of Minds+Machines. “We realize that suing any business associate is bound to raise eyebrows and bring a smile to our competitors. But so be it — we don’t feel that we have any choice.”

Minds+Machines are seeking upwards of $5 Million in measurable damages and requesting the Court to declare that the Puck Defendants are not entitled to an accounting of their top-level domain business.

[via Domain State and tipster George Kirikos]

Top Level Domain Holdings, Ltd., has announced that it has raised $4.1 million in a private placement.

TLDH is currently invested in Minds + Machines, dotNYC, and DotEco and is expected to provide further funding to these initiatives in addition to supporting new TLDs and building up a reserve fund for eventual ICANN auctions in case of contending applications.

[via Minds + Machines]

Minds + Machines announced in a press release that it will work with BRS Media, a diverse media e-commerce firm, to provide all the technical services for the new .radio TLD.

“BRS Media is an Internet legend,” said Antony Van Couvering, CEO of Minds + Machines. “They were pioneers in their field and today their name is synonymous with Internet radio. We could not be more pleased that they selected us. BRS Media’s recognized leadership in the Internet radio space, combined with our expertise in the registry operations, means that .RADIO has a very bright future.”

Minds + Machines will offer critical registry services as well as guide the ICANN application process which is required to create the .radio address.

[via Minds + Machines]

BRS Media — the operator of the .FM and .AM registries — has announced its intentions to apply for the .radio top level domain through the ICANN gTLD application process in early 2010.

“We’re thrilled and ecstatic to announce our intention to secure, operate and promote the new .Radio top level domain,” said George T. Bundy, Chairman & CEO of BRS Media Inc., in a press release [.pdf]. “The future for Internet Radio is vibrant, with the largest growth in mobile listening. From cell phone streaming applications to new In Car and In Flight Wi-Fi access, Internet Radio is now being consumed literally everywhere! DotRadio will allow us to offer the most complete selection of domain extensions to interactive media companies worldwide.”

Currently, online radio is one of the fastest growing segments of the internet with a weekly audience of over 42 million people in the United States alone. In order to ensure a successful ICANN application, BRS Media has chosen to use Minds + Machines for consulting.

BRS Media also operates iDotz.net, a domain registrar; HostRock.net, a discount website hosting service; and Webz.net, an internet directory.

[via dotRadio]

Two new registry consulting & services companies – Minds + Machines and Central Registry Solutions – were launched at ICANN Mexico City to help anybody interested in starting a new TLD work through the process from beginning to end – saving time, money, and confusion along the way. (more…)