MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--.CO Internet S.A.S. (www.COinternet.co), the registry operator of the .co domain, announced today that it would hold a global charity auction for the one-letter domain name – e.co. The auction will commence on June 7 at 12:00 pm EDT with a ceremonial kick-off presentation at Internet Week headquarters in New York City, where .CO Internet will be the Official Community Sponsor of the week-long festival which celebrates the Internet and culminates with the popular Webby Awards.

The online auction of e.co will be powered by Sedo, the world’s leading domain marketplace, and will take place online at www.e.co from June 7 through 10 – until the very last hour of bidding, from 3-4 pm EDT, at which point the auction will be broadcast live from Internet Week’s headquarters so that bidders and spectators from around the world can participate in the auction. All bidders must qualify in advance to be eligible to participate.

.CO is the new web address that offers businesses more choice in branding their online presence with a global, recognizable and credible domain. In a time where short, memorable web addresses are in high-demand, and viable options are few – the availability of e.co is an exceptionally rare opportunity for a forward-thinking business or brand to secure one of the most valuable pieces of Internet real estate ever to come available on the market.

The letter “e” has great historic significance on the Internet, and has come to mean all things electronic, including e-mail, e-commerce, and digital entertainment of all kinds.

“The e.co domain name can be a strategically important asset for any organization looking to enhance customer engagement and adapt to changes in technology, like Twitter and Facebook, that demand shorter urls,” according to Kathy Nielsen, director of sales at Sedo. “The shorter the URL, the easier to spread awareness and engagement with your brand.”

“We wanted to celebrate our upcoming global launch in a way that would not only raise awareness about the availability of the .CO domain extension – but also raise money for a deserving charity,” said Lori Anne Wardi, director of marketing of .CO Internet S.A.S.

“The upcoming auction of e.co is the perfect way to do that, and will give the buyer the added bonus of donating the auction proceeds to the charity of their choice.”

For more information about the auction of e.co, or to qualify to bid in the auction, please visit www.e.co. For more information about .CO Internet, please visit www.COinternet.co.

About Sedo

Sedo, an acronym for "Search Engine for Domain Offers," is the leading domain marketplace and monetization provider. Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Sedo has assembled the world's largest database of domain names for sale, with more than 16 million listings. The success of Sedo's model has attracted a global membership base of more than 1 million domain professionals. Sedo is owned by Sedo Holding AG (ISIN DE0005490155 / German WKN: 549015), which is part of the German United Internet AG (ISIN DE0005089031/ WKN 508903). Sedo offers regional versions of its site for the UK (Sedo.co.uk), France (Sedo.fr), Germany (Sedo.de), and Spain (Sedo.com). For additional information, please visit them online at www.Sedo.com or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Sedo and on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Sedo.

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About .CO Internet S.A.S.

.CO Internet S.A.S. is the Registry Operator for the .CO top-level domain. .CO Internet was formed by a strategic venture between Arcelandia S.A. and Neustar, Inc. The .CO domain offers individuals and businesses a truly global, recognizable and credible option in branding their online presence. Thanks to leading-edge technology, enhanced security and unprecedented rights protections for trademark owners, the .CO domain is poised to become the world’s next premier web address. For additional information, please visit www.COinternet.co.