Shortly after Montenegro gained independence in June of 2006, the ISO 3165 Maintenance Agency assigned the emerging nation the country code ME. Proud of the country’s newfound sovereignty, the new government of Montenegro took important additional measures to formalize the country’s fledging independence. One such step was to submit an application to IANA for delegation of .ME as the country’s Top Level Domain (TLD). The delegation was finally approved and took place in September 2007. Understanding that “ME” has multiple meanings and has mass appeal as a word, the government of Montenegro embarked on generalizing the .ME name space so that anyone and everyone could enjoy obtaining a .ME for themselves. As a result, in November of 2007, a formal public RFP was issued to find a Registration Agent who could provide a world-class registry platform, run operations for an international registry, and deliver marketing expertise to make .ME a worldwide success. The contract was eventually awarded to doMEn, d.o.o., a Montenegrin joint venture (doing business as .ME Registry), whose partners include Afilias Limited, GoDaddy.com, Inc., and ME-net d.o.o.