After years of insisting they have it their way, and then not wanting to do it, and then wanting to do it but making it extremely difficult on themselves, the People's Democratic Republic of Korea has finally managed to impress upon ICANN and IANA that they are the government of record for the ISO-3166 code of "KP", and therefore, the only legitimate authority to speak as to the initial delegation of their TLD - dare we say, Intellectual Property?

And it has only taken them 37 months...

St. Simons Island, Georgia, January 25, 2008: Today Karl Peters, President of the Top Level Domain Association (TLDA), announced that Top-Level Domain (TLD) holders have a new home. The trade association established in 1998 is ready to represent and protect the interests of Internet TLD holders worldwide. "The organization will seek to foster cooperation among TLD holders", said Peters, "and advance the cause of building a stable Inclusive Name Space (INS)". All TLD holders are welcome to join the organization.

Simon Higgs, of Higgs Communications and a member of the TLDA, has published an Internet Draft with the ISOC defining the basics of how Inclusive Roots operate. Although it is mostly correct, there are differences in how an Inclusive Root actually does include the IANA TLDs...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 25, 2001

The formation of the not-for-profit Top Level Domain Association, Inc. (TLDA) has been announced.

It is the world?s first industry association for holders of Top Level Domains (TLDs), the "dot" extensions (such as .com, .net, and.org) used for navigation on the Internet. To qualify for membership, a person or organization must be the Holder of one or more TLDs actually resolving in the Internet.

"The TLDA is a major leap forward for the Internet," said Gene Marsh, co-founder and interim president. "It creates a single voice for the concerns of the growing, multi-million dollar TLD industry."

The TLDA has issued the following preliminary mission statement:

The Top Level Domain Association (TLDA) is a not-for-profit trade association of Top Level Domain Holders, serving the public interest. Among our purposes are to represent member TLD Holders as a whole to business, industry, government, and the media; to promote Internet commerce through the growth of the world-wide TLD industry and its related businesses; to document and promote standards and best practices for the operation and management of TLDs; to serve as a clearing house providing for the fair resolution of TLD collisions; to promote cooperation and provide liaison between TLD Holders and Root Managers in the interests of collision-free choice to the world Internet community; to periodically publish a single, up-to-date, comprehensive compilation of all known TLDs; and to educate and inform the public of the public service that TLDA provides.

An initial board of directors has been seated. "A good board is essential to the success of the TLDA," said Marsh. "Some of the brightest minds shaping the Internet today will help ensure that the best interests of TLD holders and the people they serve are at the forefront."

The TLDA can be found at http://www.TLDAinc.org/. Questions regarding the TLDA can be directed to the interim spokesperson, Leah Gallegos, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .