Verisign Contest Asks Small Business Owners, "Where Will .com or .net Take You?"
Beginning March 1, small business owners in the United States (U.S.) and Canada can visit www.DotComForSmallBiz.com or www.DotNetForSmallBiz.net to answer the question, "Where will .com or .net take your business?" On March 28, Verisign plans to expand the contest to more than a dozen countries worldwide, including Mexico, Brazil, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Poland, Turkey, Russia, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Contest launches in specific markets are subject to regulatory approval, and dates and terms may vary. The contest websites will accept video or written entries through May 31, 2011.
Verisign will award the local equivalent of $25,000 (USD) in funds to one grand prize winner in each country or region. If the grand prize winner is located in one of the contest countries outside the U.S., the prize value will be primarily calculated using purchase power pricing equivalencies from the World Bank and exchange rates.(1) The U.S. contest rules are currently available on the contest websites. Contest rules for other contest countries will be posted on or before the beginning of the contest period in that country.
"Verisign designed the contest to reward creative small businesses that are leveraging the global power of the .com and .net brands, where the world is your domain," said Dave Stewart, Vice President of Strategic Partners at Verisign. "We're launching this contest today because we want entrepreneurs interested in growing their online business to be creative in telling the world how .com and .net will extend their reach and open a world of opportunities."
Contest participants are required to upload photos of themselves at their places of business and provide an essay or video about where .com or .net will take their business. The photos will be used in advertising and marketing efforts built around Verisign's .com and .net promotions. "At its heart, this is the story of small business people building a dream, and creating a global online presence is part of that," added Stewart. "Our goal is to encourage and show participation from business owners around the world."
As the global registry operator for .com and .net, Verisign processes as many as 78 billion* Domain Name System (DNS) queries in a single day. Verisign's continued commitment to its infrastructure has enabled it to maintain a record of 100 percent operational accuracy and stability of .com and .net TLD resolution services for more than 12 years, earning Verisign the reputation of being one of the most reliable and trusted networks in the world.
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*The Domain Name Industry Brief, Nov. 2010
Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause Verisign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results due to such factors as increasing competition, pricing pressure from competing services offered at prices below our prices and changes in marketing practices including those of third-party registrars; the sluggish economic recovery; challenges to ongoing privatization of Internet administration; the outcome of legal or other challenges resulting from our activities or the activities of registrars or registrants; new or existing governmental laws and regulations; changes in customer behavior, Internet platforms and web-browsing patterns; the inability of Verisign to successfully develop and market new services; the uncertainty of whether our new services will achieve market acceptance or result in any revenues; system interruptions; security breaches; attacks on the Internet by hackers, viruses, or intentional acts of vandalism; the uncertainty of the expense and duration of transition services and requests for indemnification relating to completed divestitures; and the uncertainty of whether Project Apollo will achieve its stated objectives. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in Verisign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Verisign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this announcement.
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(1) In local currency, grand prize values are estimated at:
Australia – 25,000 AUD
Canada – 25,000 USD
France – 20,000 Euros
Germany – 20,000 Euros
India – 800,000 Rupees
Japan – 2 million Yen
Korea – 20 million SK Wons
Mexico – 200,000 Pesos
New Zealand – 35,000 NZD
Poland – 45,000 Zlotys
Russia – 350,000 Rubles
Turkey – 25,000 Lira
United Kingdom – 20,000 Pounds
United States – 25,000 USD
Actual prize amounts may fluctuate based on changes in the purchasing power rates.