Names@Work
 | |
| Type: | Privately held |
| Industry: | Internet |
| Founded: | 2005 |
| Founder(s): | Antony Van Couvering |
| Headquarters: | 256 5th Ave. 4th Floor
New York, Ny 10001 |
| Country: | USA |
| Website: | names@work |
| Blog: | Names@work blog |
| Key People | |
| Antony Van Couvering, Principal | |
Names@Work.com is a general web consulting firm which was founded by Antony Van Couvering in 2005. The company is based in New York City, with associate offices in Toronto, London, and Seattle.[1]
Services
The company concentrates on helping its clients acquire new top-level domains through the ICANN process by helping its clients to:[2]
- Put together a winning business plan
- Identify revenue opportunities
- Raise money from knowledgeable investors
- Complete the ICANN application
- Publish policies that work for your TLD
- Find and engage a reliable registry operator
- Find and engage a reliable auction provider
- Plan and publicize the Sunrise Period to trademark holders
- Engage your community and get public support
- Secure political backing when required
- Deal with competition and contention
Names@Work and Icann
The founder of the company, Antony Van Couvering is an active participant of ICANN activities. In 2008, Couvering commented on the Independent Reviewer's Report, which was written by the Boston Consulting Group and Colin Carter & Associates and proposed to reconstitute the ICANN Board. According to Couvering, the entire report was worthless and ICANN should ignore it. Couvering pointed out, "The mind-set, bias, and basic understanding of the authors came from the corporate world, and whether they thought they could set that aside and make a fair assessment, very obviously they could not. The entire document is shot through with unwarranted assumptions, riddled with unsubstantiated opinions, and as a whole has been rendered useful only for demonstrations on how to recycle wastepaper by the authors’ evident ignorance of ICANN’s history or its values".[3]
He has been an active representative for his ventures at ICANN for over 10 years,[4] and has been nominated to the ICANN Board via his participation with the DNSO.[5]