UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 25, 2020
VERISIGN, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | ||
(703 ) 948-3200
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Not applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) | |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company | ||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. | ☐ | |
Item 7.01. | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
On March 25, 2020, VeriSign, Inc. (the "Company") posted a blog post on https://blog.Verisign.com announcing certain actions the Company is taking in response to the COVID-19 crisis. A copy of the blog post is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated by reference in this Current Report on Form 8-K.
The information in this Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and the Exhibit attached hereto shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.
Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits
Exhibit Number | Description | |
99.1 | ||
104 | Inline XBRL for the cover page of this Current Report on Form 8-K | |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
VERISIGN, INC. | ||||
Date: March 25, 2020 | By: | /s/ Thomas C. Indelicarto | ||
Thomas C. Indelicarto | ||||
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||||
Exhibit Index
Exhibit No. | Description | |
Exhibit 99.1 | ||
Exhibit 104 | Inline XBRL for the cover page of this Current Report on Form 8-K | |
How We’re Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis
By Verisign
As people around the world gather online to address the global challenges posed by COVID-19, we want to share some of the steps we have taken so far to support the communities we serve, while keeping our critical internet infrastructure running smoothly.
Protecting Our People
In late January, Verisign established a task force to monitor the COVID-19 outbreak. The task force proposed actions to protect our people, which resulted in a number of changes, including restricting travel in February, quarantine and isolation when warranted, modifying our sick leave policy and directing the vast majority of our employees to work from home starting on March 11th. We also introduced new cleaning and health safety protocols to protect those employees who must remain on site supporting key infrastructure operations functions. While we are grateful that there have been no COVID-19 cases reported within Verisign’s global workforce, the company continues to monitor the situation closely and is taking active steps to protect employees.
Managing Our Operations
While the issues posed by COVID-19 are unprecedented, they fall within our standard preparation for disruption caused by local, regional and global events. The company’s readiness plans, which are routinely exercised, include the ability to maintain critical internet infrastructure with most employees working remotely. Verisign maintains multiple redundant operations centers, as well as hundreds of service locations distributed worldwide across six continents. Verisign’s diverse domain name system (DNS) infrastructure is not dependent on a single type of technology, vendor, or power source at a given location, and Verisign technical teams across the globe are able to perform key functions from multiple locations. We are prepared to continue to operate all of our services, including registry services for .com and .net and our root operations at the rigorous standards of performance governed by ICANN, even in the demanding environment created by COVID-19.
Helping Our Communities
Verisign and its employees operate in many communities around the world, with most of our employees living near our headquarters in Reston, Virginia. Today we are announcing, effective immediately, an initial $2 million donation to first responders and medical personnel in the Northern Virginia area, the United Way’s COVID-19 relief efforts, and the Semper Fi & America’s Fund1. In addition, effective immediately, Verisign is doubling the company’s funding to its matching program for employee giving, so more employee donations to support COVID-19 response will be matched by Verisign.
Helping Small Business Through Our Retail Partners
Verisign partners with registrars for some of its services, including the registration and renewal of domain names. In order to support individuals and small businesses affected by this crisis, Verisign will freeze registry prices for all of our Top-Level Domains (TLDs), including .com and .net, through the end of 2020. In addition, we will soon deploy a program, available to all retail registrars, to provide support and assistance for domain name registrants whose domain names will be expiring in the coming months. Verisign does not have direct relationships with domain name registrants, but we are confident that this program can be delivered through Verisign’s registrar partners to support registrants who are affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
1The fund provides support to wounded military and their families. With the outbreak of COVID-19 the fund is supporting military communities with immediate life essential needs that service members and families may have to include gift cards for food and grants to cover immediate needs.