BURBANK, CALIFORNIA--For parents who live in fear that their child might accidentally end up visiting an X-rated site while searching for the latest Teletubbies streaming video release or Barbie.com, .Kids Domains Inc. is working toward a safe harbor solution. In an effort to improve the Internet experience for children and establish safety zones in the World Wide Web, .Kids Domains has submitted a proposal to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to sponsor a new .kids suffix for sites with child-friendly content. Unlike .com or .net, which are unrestricted domains, .Kids Domains proposes that the new .kids domain include web sites without threatening or mature content.

The .Kids Domains proposal follows ICANN's call in July (the first since .com, .net, .org, .edu, and .gov were introduced more than a decade ago) for a new selection of top-level domain applications to maximize the domain name system.

The .Kids Domains application to ICANN describes how the company will assure users that registrants and web site owners who obtain the .kids suffix will obey the laws governing interaction with children on the Internet and that content creators can be assured their sites reside amid a haven of safe and child-friendly web sites. If approved, the suffix could set a precedent for a G-rating system for Internet sites available to children.

.Kids Domains has selected Tucows Inc. as its technology partner for the proposal. Tucows is a leading distributor of Internet business services and applications on the Internet with a network of more than 4,000 managed service providers. Its technology, Open Extensible Registry System, is the first widely available commercial solution for organizations that manage registry operations for top-level domains. Under the proposed sponsorship, Tucows, an ICANN-accredited domain registrar, would serve as the registry operator for the .kids domain.

"Children are one of the fastest-growing populations online," said Elliot Noss, president and chief executive officer of Tucows. "We're proud to be a part of .Kids Domains' efforts to safeguard this important group of Internet users."

.Kids Domains is based in Burbank, California. Investors include WH Partners, a private Internet investment fund, and Internet Properties Development Inc. Also, .Kids Domains has secured a funding commitment from ZA Associates, a merchant-banking firm.

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