The UK-based CentralNic Group is seeking to raise €15 million (US$18m) from investors “for the acquisition of near-term identified targets.” Since 2015, CentralNic has acquired at least 10 companies, mostly domain name registrars.
The largest of the new gTLDs, .xyz, is celebrating its second birthday by almost giving away domains for a US$1.99 each in a flash sale! And instra wants you to join in the celebrations.
Through instra or its subsidiaries such as Asia Registry, Europe Registry, Africa Registry or Only Domains, weâre offering .xyz domains for US$1.99/â¬1.80/£1.40. But the prices are only available for a limited period and expire at midnight, although which time zone Iâm not sure.
There are currently 2,956,740 .xyz domains registered, around 450,000 more than the second largest of the new gTLDs, .top, which has 2,498,698 registrations according to the most recent statistics from nTLDstats.com.
There are limitations and the offer only applies to new registrations and domains can only be registered for one year at this price.
The instra group, based in Australia and New Zealand, has been acquired by the London-based CentralNIC in a deal worth A$33 million instra announced today.
Instra Group supplies companies in Australia, New Zealand and worldwide with domain names and other services to protect their brands online. CentralNic, one of the fastest growing companies on the London Stock Exchange, has agreed to pay consideration of A$33 million for Instra Group and related companies in Australia and New Zealand.
âToday domain names are just as important as intellectual property assets as trademarks and patents,â said CentralNicâs CEO Ben Crawford. âThrough services like instra.com and asiaregistry.com, Instra Group has made it possible for businesses to secure their domain names in every major country in the world, as well as under new Top-Level Domains, including in Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi and Russian.
âI have travelled the world looking for cutting edge companies to acquire, and Instra Group stood out among all the others. Many of the savviest businesses in Australia and around the world are already using Instra as their one-stop shop for online brand protection. It is a fantastic example showing that Australian innovation can serve customers worldwide.â
Instra Group CEO Desleigh Jameson will take on the role of head of all of CentralNicâs retail operations worldwide and join the main Board of CentralNic on the London Stock Exchange.
âWe are delighted to have Desleigh and the entire staff across Australia and New Zealand joining the CentralNic family,â said Ben Crawford. âThey will ensure that local customers of Instra will continue receiving the great service and brand protection support Instra is famous for.â
âInstraâs new parent company CentralNic will be adding even more domain names from around the world, secured by their business development team on the ground globally,â said Instra Group CEO Desleigh Jameson. âWe will also be rolling out internet monitoring services to help brands with early detection of cybersquatting and other domain abuse, and adding new consulting and domain portfolio management tools to our service offering.â
Disclaimer: Domain Pulse is an instra Group product.
[news release] Global domain name registrar Instra Corporation has attracted one of the industry’s top players to their team, marking yet another leap forward for the fast-growing, cutting-edge company. Former VeriSign Senior Channel Manager Samantha Frida has sparked controversy by aligning herself with Instra CEO Tony Lentino, a man she describes as a “creative genius.”
With academic achievements spanning two continents and industry experience including key management positions within the largest and most successful companies in the world, Samantha Frida has chosen to merge her expertise with the team at Instra Corporation – a move that has set industry experts talking.
“I have known Tony Lentino for a very long time now, and his vision never ceases to amaze me,” explained Frida in a recent interview. “Tony is a true creative genius. The passion and energy of the Instra creative team drives the company into unchartered territory – they are leaders in the ccTLD world, the technology used to power their systems is untouchable, and that’s what I’m drawn to. I will be managing Instra’s strategic partnerships and global registries, and I feel this is my chance to be a part of something groundbreaking, something huge. I am extremely excited to be a part of their vision.”
Instra Corporation is continuing to grow, attracting highly respected industry professionals from across the globe. CEO Tony Lentino accredits this growth to one key attribute: a vision to succeed.
“The Internet industry is in a constant state of flux,” says Lentino. “Instra Corporation is creative to the core, and this is what allows us to stay two steps ahead of the information technology frontline. We are designing systems now that will be used in years to come; we are creating technology that other IT companies have dismissed as an impossibility – and that is what’s attracting the attention of industry high-flyers such as Samantha Frida.
“My vision – and it is one shared by my entire team – is that we will pioneer a new level of communication through technology, opening the floodgates of possibility and creating a truly global community.
“We welcome the addition of Samantha Frida to our team, and look forward to utilizing her extensive experience in the years to come.”
About Instra
Instra Corporation is a privately owned company based in Melbourne, Australia and Auckland, New Zealand, formed in 1997. Instra Corporation has expanded its initial domain name business from New Zealand and Australia into a leading, world-wide domain registrar.
Instra Corporation supplies over 300+ country domains worldwide and has direct accreditations with over 100 registries. Many companies and household brand names from around the world take advantage of Instra’s unique and sophisticated Domain Management System to actively manage their online intellectual property. Our customers come from over 160 different countries.
Applicants for new generic Top Level Domains have a new option for a significantly reduced application process, with even the possibility of brand owners having their Instra application fee waived.There are a number of pricing options, but the cheapest options depend on Instra managing the gTLD applicant’s existing domain name portfolio. Applicants for generic or geographic gTLDs will pay around a $35,000 application fee with further application and ongoing management fees detailed on the NewTLDs.com website.”Our initiative is to offer free or reduced-cost Instra application processes for those companies who wish to apply for a .Brand TLD through www.newtlds.com,” explained Instra CEO Tony Lentino.”NewTLDs is our answer to the growing hype surrounding the new top-level domain movement. We are targeting .Brand TLDs in particular at the moment, as we strongly believe that international companies need to secure and protect their global online identities,” said Lentino.”Although current ICANN TLD application protocol indicates a significant brand protection strategy, it is still a risk that well-recognised company brands could become the target of parasitic enterprise from within the domain industry.””The thrust of our marketing campaign for newtlds.com is simple,” says Lentino. “Our domain industry experts whilst offering an attractive application pricing package which is completely transparent will guide all applicants through the ICANN process but also to offer a unique level of corporate after-care service.”Instra plans to offer a pricing package that is extremely competitive and upfront, with their technical and industry experience is without equal. Instra through their NewTLDs.com plans to make their application process an intensely secure and actively client-focused package.ICANN commences taking applications from 12 January 2012 for new gTLDs for a three month period.
[news release] Domain Directors, an associated company of Instra Corporation, an auDA (Australian Domain Name Administrator) and ICANN accredited registrar, yesterday commenced legal proceedings in the Supreme Court of Queensland against auDA, the Australian domain name policy and regulatory body.
Last week, auDA unilaterally cancelled Domain Directorâs domain name registration for âauregistry.com.auâ. Domain Directors have owned and used the domain name âauregistry.com.auâ for the past eight years.
Tony Lentino, the CEO of Domain Directors, said this afternoon:
âI am shocked at auDAâs actions. auDA brought down one of my long standing websites. auDA wrote the policy, made the complaint to itself, and acted as judge and jury, and then deleted my DNS entry without informing me. With auDA governing the system, no Australian domain name is safe.â
Originally, auDA informed Domain Directors that a third party had made a complaint about the âauregistry.com.auâ domain name, but after the lawsuit was commences, the lawyers for auDAâs informed Domain Directors that in fact, no complaint had been made.
John Swinson, partner of Mallesons Stephen Jaques which is representing Domain Directors, says that the dispute will be heard in the Supreme Court of Queensland on Friday, 21 November.
Domain Directors is an international registrar and provides an extensive range of over 200 country code Top Level Domain name extensions across Europe, America, and the Asia Pacific regions.
About Domain Directors
Domain Directors is a global supplier in the Domain Name and ENUM industry, with its head office in Melbourne, and offices in New Zealand and China. For more information about Domain Directors, and its associated company, Instra Corporation, please visit www.instra.com
For Media Enquiries, please contact: media@instra.com
This news release was sourced from Domain Directors/Instra Corporation.