Netword, Inc. Submits Internet Draft to IETF.

GAITHERSBURG, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 22, 1999--

Company supports open standards for registering and resolving

Human-Friendly Names

Netword, Inc. submitted an Internet Draft to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) last Friday. The Draft supports and builds upon the IETF's efforts to improve the usability of the Internet. Entitled "An Architecture for Open Human Friendly Naming of Internet Resource Addresses", the Draft suggests requirements, standards and capabilities of an open system for registering and resolving Human-Friendly Names (HFNs) for Internet resources.

The Draft builds upon the principles of IETF RFC 2276, and other IETF efforts. Specifically, it suggests an open approach for HFNs that is not proprietary, and supports a variety of HFN schemes for different applications and user communities. Unlike URLs, HFNs can be mnemonic and closely match the names of companies, their products and brand names, and other well known offline names. Other submissions to the IETF have proposed closed, proprietary approaches to the problem of unfriendly URLs. For example, N. Popp states in Centraal Corporation's Internet Draft submission that "Centraal Corporation owns and manages the RealNames repository database, and is the sole assigning authority for RealNames."

"Netword believes that open, human-friendly naming systems are essential to making the Internet easier for users, especially for the next hundred million," says Shep Bostin, Netword's COO and co-author of the Draft. "Our Draft supports the IETF's HFN efforts, and, since the Netword System is an open system for creating and using HFNs, it supports our corporate goals as well."

The Netword System for HFNs has received wide acceptance on the Internet, and, thus far in 1999, users have created over 100,000 Free Networds. Human-friendly Networds make Web navigation easier, and users and resource owners are able to communicate information about their Networds to friends and associates.

About Netword, Inc.

The patented Netword System provides universally available, human-friendly names for URLs. Owners of Internet resources, such as Web pages, ftp files, or e-mail addresses, create easily remembered Networds to reach any Internet address directly. Networds pointing to businesses, entertainment locations, personal Web sites, sports figures and teams, TV and radio stations, news stories, and government entities are currently available in Netword*s database. Networds like "Netword Patent", "Frasier", "NY Yankees" and "Sesame Street", and GeoCities Networds like "GC Press Releases", "GC WallStreet", and "MedFlight Networds", take Internet users directly to those Web pages when entered in Netword-enabled browsers (with an Agent downloaded), or in slots at Netword partners* sites. The Netword System recognizes over 4,000,000 top-level domains and directs Internet users to those Web sites instantly. Trademark

owners register their marks as Networds to preserve brand identities and increase traffic to their Web sites.

The Netword System is compatible with current IETF RFCs related to URNs and HFNs, as well as the Knoxville Framework for URN specifications, as outlined in the URN Progress Report of February 1996. Networds work seamlessly with all major Internet clients, including Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. (Note: the major Web browsers, as currently implemented, are not OHFN-compliant. However, revisions to make them so would be relatively minor.)

Netword, Inc., based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has numerous well-known, Fortune 500 clients, and thousands of Internet users worldwide. Media contacts and prospective business partners may contact Netword Marketing at 800-NETWORD. Netword is found on the Web at www.netword.com or simply use the Netword: NETWORD.