RESTON, VA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/12/15 -- This Sunday, March 15, 2015, will mark 30 years since the first .COM domain name -- Symbolics.com -- was registered, and the Internet and world as we know it changed forever. Today VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), a global leader in domain names and Internet security, and the authoritative registry operator of .COM, is celebrating the 30^th anniversary of .COM and the remarkable impact it has had on the economy and culture.

In the last 30 years, the Internet has evolved from an unknown phenomenon used primarily by academics and researchers to a global communication, commerce and information sharing channel that few could imagine life without; in fact, nearly three billion people around the world are online today, and more than $300 billion in U.S. e-commerce sales and over $1.3 trillion in global e-commerce sales rely on the Internet.

As the Internet has evolved and grown, .COM has grown alongside it. .COM websites are accessed trillions of times each day. Companies use .COM's global recognition and brand appeal to grow their businesses and reach customers worldwide. Millions of entrepreneurs have realized their dreams by building their businesses online with .COM, and the biggest names in business have branded their business with a .COM address, making .COM synonymous with the Internet.

From Amazon.com, which registered its domain name in 1994, and Google, which registered Google.com as a domain name in 1997, to small and mid-sized businesses more recently registered, such as Enduracenter.com, NaturallyCoolKids.com, or PantryFullofRecipes.com, which was registered in 2015, .COM is the global online standard for doing business. .COM addresses are your best choice for making your online identity recognizable, easily found and trusted on the global Internet.

".COM is more than just an address. It's a globally recognized and respected brand itself that nearly every major global brand, including 100 percent of the Fortune 500, has entrusted with their online presence," said Jim Bidzos, executive chairman, president and chief executive officer at Verisign. ".COM turning 30 represents a shared milestone for us all and a celebration worth commemorating." 

While Internet growth and adoption has been primarily concentrated in North America for the last 30 years, today, Internet users in North America account for 19 percent of the total number of Internet users globally. As global Internet adoption and growth is accelerating outside of North America, .COM's global brand appeal, instant recognizability and rapid growth in overseas markets illustrates .COM's growth in parallel with Internet adoption.

To celebrate 30 years of .COM and all of the online businesses that have found success because of it, Verisign launched the #InternetOfficial contest in January, giving those who register a .COM domain name through a participating registrar during the contest entry period (i.e. Jan. 26, 2015 through April 30, 2015) and enter it into the contest by April 30, 2015, the opportunity to win up to $35,000. With the total number of possible .COM domain names tallied at over 10⁹⁸, and nearly half of all .COM domain names consisting of two or more English keywords, there is an extraordinary opportunity to register a memorable, descriptive, and original domain name on .COM. Visit VerisignInternetOfficial.com to enter or for more additional details about the #InternetOfficial contest.

To find more stats about the remarkable impact .COM had on society and business around the globe, check out Verisign's Celebrating #30YearsofCOM infographic.

About Verisign
Verisign, a global leader in domain names and Internet security, enables Internet navigation for many of the world's most recognized domain names and provides protection for websites and enterprises around the world. Verisign ensures the security, stability and resiliency of key Internet infrastructure and services, including the .com and .net domains and two of the Internet's root servers, as well as performs the root-zone maintainer functions for the core of the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS). Verisign's Network Intelligence and Availability services include intelligence-driven Distributed Denial of Service Protection, iDefense Security Intelligence and Managed DNS. To learn more about what it means to be Powered by Verisign, please visit VerisignInc.com.

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© 2015 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. VERISIGN, the VERISIGN logo, and other trademarks, service marks, and designs are registered or unregistered trademarks of VeriSign, Inc. and its subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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Source: VeriSign, Inc.

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