The International DOI Foundation (IDF) and Content Directions, Inc. (CDI), a Registration Agency of the IDF since 2001, have agreed a constructive dis-engagement of CDI from the IDF, following extensive discussions on the policies regarding the rights and obligations of IDF Registration Agencies. Each party will continue to offer and promote services using persistent identifiers, and will ensure that existing allocated identifiers remain fully operational. This agreement recognizes a maturation of the marketplace with emerging different business models, and demonstrates the commitment made by the IDF to ensure that DOIs are persistent even with changes in registration agency and management.

CDI will, in coordination with the IDF, transfer the registration and management of existing DOIs it has assigned to R R Bowker, an existing DOI registration Agency, which will have control and responsibility for the legacy DOIs. CDI will continue to manage these DOIs on behalf of its customers, under an agreement with R R Bowker, in compliance with IDF's operational policies and procedures. These DOIs will remain actionable and persistent identifiers: CDI's clients who wish to continue using DOIs, and client's customers and users, should not see any change from current practice and functionality.

CDI will no longer be an IDF Registration Agency, and will not use the DOI System, IDF trademarks and other copyrighted material except as a subcontractor to R R Bowker who will have control and responsibility for the legacy DOIs. CDI will create non-DOI Handles for any new Handle System activities it wishes to undertake: none of these activities will use DOIs or DOI resources and assets such as the dx.doi.org Proxy infrastructure.

About the International DOI Foundation

The International DOI Foundation (http://www.doi.org/) is a not-for-profit organization created in 1998 to develop and promote the DOI (Digital Object Identifier®) System for identifying content in the digital environment. Through the use of standards-based components the DOI allows persistent access and linkage to content and information. The DOI uses the Handle System® under agreement with the Corporation for National Research Initiatives.

For more information please contact:

Dr Norman Paskin
Director
International DOI Foundation
n.paskin@doi.org
web site: http://www.doi.org
Tel: (+44) 1865 559070

About Content Directions, Inc.

Content Directions helps companies maximize the commercial effectiveness of their web presence by applying next generation web navigation tools and techniques. More information about CDI's products and services can be found at http://www.contentdirections.com.

For more information, please contact:

Tina Aridas
Manager, Marketing & Press Relations
Content Directions Inc.
phone: 718-965-8490 or 917-514-5364
fax: 718-768-7542
email: taridas@contentdirections.com