.nyc

The New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) put out a press release yesterday announcing that they are seeking a partner to run .NYC on behalf of the City. DotNYC has been in discussions with various city officials for over a year, and we are thrilled that this has culminated in an official announcement. New York is now the first U.S. city to announce their intention to seek a top-level domain.

We put out our own press release congratulating the City of New York and announcing our intention to complete the RFP and to operate .NYC on behalf of the city.

DoITT had this to say about the announcement:

Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave today announced issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking a qualified vendor to assist the City in applying to obtain the “.nyc” top level domain (TLD) web address and – if the City successfully acquires the TLD – to operate, manage, maintain and market .nyc. A TLD is the last part of an Internet address, such as .com, .gov, .edu, etc. The City of New York may use the .nyc TLD to generate revenue, assist residents in locating City government services, help local businesses to thrive, market and promote tourism in the City, and spread the dynamic image of New York City around the world. Use of .nyc has also been advocated by City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn and Council Member Gale A. Brewer, Chair of the Council’s Technology in Government Committee. The RFP can be accessed on www.nyc.gov.

“Each day the Internet serves as an essential tool in the lives of an increasing number of New Yorkers, helping inform the ways they live, learn and play,” said DoITT Commissioner Paul J. Cosgrave. “Through .nyc, we hope to make the search for New York City-related content easier than ever by providing individuals, organizations, non-profits and others a chance to own a virtual piece of the greatest city in the world.”

“A top-level City needs a top level domain, that’s why finding a partner to join the City in making .nyc a reality for small businesses in New York is vitally important,” said Speaker Quinn. “Once the .nyc program is launched, local business owners will be able to uniquely associate themselves and their business with their home, and the NYC brand.”

“New York City, like many of its global competitors, plans to apply for a top level domain name. I hope that this TLD will assist local merchants based in New York City to be able to brand their businesses as located in the five boroughs,” said Council Member Brewer. “The small business community is a vital part of the New York City economy and any opportunity to increase their exposure while facilitating easy searching online is a step forward. I applaud the Mayor for applying for .nyc and I look forward to seeing this TLD attached to my local bakery or dry cleaner.”

And in our press release, we said:

Antony Van Couvering, the CEO of dotNYC and a Manhattan resident, is a founder of Minds + Machines, which provides technical services for new top-level domains. Following a series of meetings with city officials about the .NYC web address, Mr. Van Couvering was invited to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s State of the City address in February where she unveiled the city’s plan to pursue .NYC.

“Today’s announcement that New York City will seek an operating partner for .NYC is a significant milestone towards a great online identity for all of us who live and work here,” Mr. Van Couvering said. “The city made the right decision about how to apply for this important asset, and we’re confident the city will make the right decision when choosing a partner.”

This is a great step forward for New York City and for the Internet. Congratulations!

We issued a press release on New York City’s plan to apply for .NYC from ICANN. Here is the full text:

dotNYC Applauds New York City Plan to Seek .NYC Web Address

Mon Oct 5, 2009 2:37pm EDT

dotNYC LLC Proceeding With Application To Operate .NYC Top-Level Domain for
the City

NEW YORK, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ — Today’s announcement that the City of New York will seek the .NYC web address makes New York the first U.S. city to seeka top-level domain. dotNYC LLC, a private company that for the last year has been meeting with city officials about the plan for the .NYC web address, is applying to become the city’s operating partner.

Former Mayor Ed Koch, who supports the dotNYC effort to operate .NYC on the city’s behalf, said: “.NYC is the best real estate deal since the Dutch bought Manhattan.” (Video of Mayor Koch)

Everyone is familiar with generic web addresses (known as top-level domains) ending in .com, .org, .net, .edu and .gov. But early next year there will be many more when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) begins accepting applications for new web addresses from cities, companies, organizations and entrepreneurial ventures that want to create their own.

ICANN’s approval of .NYC will allow New York city residents, businesses, groups, government agencies and tourist attractions to register website names and have email addresses ending in .NYC – directly identifying themselves with the world’s leading city. Examples include: theater.nyc, pizza.nyc, blockparty.nyc, statueofliberty.nyc, yourname.nyc, yourbusinessname.nyc and millions more.

Dozens of cities worldwide are expected to apply for their own top-level domains, including Rome (.roma), Berlin (.berlin), Paris (.paris), London (.london) and Barcelona (.bcn).

dotNYC is led by Internet pioneers with unmatched experience creating and operating top-level domains, and is backed by a proven registry technology that currently powers more than a dozen top-level domains for countries around the world. In addition, dotNYC is affiliated with the team seeking to create the .eco web address. That effort is backed by former Vice President Al Gore and will dedicate a majority of profits to fighting global warming – just as New York City will keep most .NYC proceeds.

Antony Van Couvering, the CEO of dotNYC and a Manhattan resident, is a founder of Minds + Machines, which provides technical services for new top-level domains. Following a series of meetings with city officials about the .NYC web address, Mr. Van Couvering was invited to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn’s State of the City address in February where she unveiled the city’s plan to pursue .NYC.

“Today’s announcement that New York City will seek an operating partner for .NYC is a significant milestone towards a great online identity for all of us who live and work here,” Mr. Van Couvering said. “The city made the right decision about how to apply for this important asset, and we’re confident the city will make the right decision when choosing a partner.”

ABOUT dotNYC LLC

dotNYC’s efforts to create the .NYC web address moved into full swing last year when ICANN announced plans to accept applications for new top-level domains based on city names. dotNYC is based in Manhattan, and its executive team includes founding members of ICANN who together have launched five successful top-level domains and advised dozens of others. In addition, members of the dotNYC team created the worldwide model for public-private partnerships to operate geographic-based web addresses.

SOURCE dotNYC LLC

Davidson Goldin (DolceGoldin), +1-646-386-9602, david@dolcegoldin.com