Hi all

I hate to tell you all this, but the news will be
coming from locales such as London, Cambridge, Paris,
Bern, Ulm, Salzburg, Vienna and Frankfurt in coming
weeks as I do some travelling through Europe. But
there's no need to feel sorry for me!

Regards
David

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Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/dn-news for
the latest domain news. Within 24 hours of this news
being posted, a more recent edition of the news will
normally be posted to the auDA web site. The domain
name news is supported by auDA.

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nz: 30,000 more .nz domains
The number of domain names registered in the .nz name
space rose by more than 30,000 last year, the highest
growth rate since 2000.

http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/BA62EEAB7AAC4DF6CC256F96000DE777

Dell joins domain name hall of shame (again)
Dell has joined the domain name hall of shame,
alongside such notables as Microsoft, the Easy Group
and BAA, for its flagrantly unjustified hounding of
website www.dellwebsites.com.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01/26/dell_domain_dispute/

The .Net Race Is On
Officials at the ICANN expect to announce early next
week the name of the third-party evaluators who will
decide which registry is best suited to assume
management of the .net domain extension.
 http://internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/3465961

Looking at .Net Bids
ICANN is now seeking public comments regarding the
.net bids. Unlike before, I am not going to offend one
friend or another by siding with one proposal over
another. They are all qualified and experienced
registry operators. Instead, I will make some general
observations.
 http://www.circleid.com/article/927_0_1_0_C

us: Web Sites Have Bill on the Run
Gov. Bill Richardson hasn't announced plans to run for
president in 2008, but at least two people have bought
Internet domain names that would fit the bill.

http://www.abqjournal.com/north/297195north_news01-26-05.htm?tease

Kauai: Master of its domain
Bureaucrats have been vanquished in the case of the
General Services Administration versus the County of
Kauai. The home team has won the right to use its own
preferred name for the county Web site.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2005/01/24/daily39.html

Final call for comments on ICANN Strategic Plan 2004 -
2007
The call for comments on the ICANN Strategic Plan will
close on 10 February 2005.
 http://ripe.net/news/icann-strat.html

Call for Nominations to ISOC Board of Trustees
ISOC has announced a call for nominations for the
annual election to the ISOC Board of Trustees. The
Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for all
aspects of the Internet Society, as outlined in the
ISOC by-laws.
 http://ripe.net/news/isoc-elections.html

IETF seeks Administrative Director
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is looking
for an Internet Administrative Support Activity (IASA)
Administrative Director.
 http://ripe.net/news/isoc-job.html

DENIC Expands Capacity and Power of .de Name-Server
Network (news release)
DENIC, the German domain registry, has massively
upgraded and expanded its global name-server network
over the past few weeks. Now that the changes have
been entered into the domain system's root servers and
the final optimizations made, the switchover is
complete and the new configuration is in regular
operation. At least another five new name-server
locations are to be added by the end of 2005; these
are to be set up in Eastern Europe, South America,
Africa, Southwest Asia and the Pacific. This marks
DENIC's response to the explosive growth in demand for
name-server resources that has come about as a result
of the increasing use of the Internet. The number of
queries that DENIC's name servers are called upon to
answer now stands at 700 million per day - twice as
many as only a year ago.
 http://www.denic.de/en/denic/presse/press_65.html

DENIC baut Leistungsfähigkeit des .de-Nameservernetzes
aus (news release)
 http://www.denic.de/de/denic/presse/press_65.html

.NU ccTLD implements EPP and reduces prices
.NU logo.NU ccTLD offers its registrars the new
standard Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP). The
implementation of this standard provides registrars
the ability to use a single interface for all TLD
registries and streamlines integration processes, thus
reducing registrars' costs. The Internet organization
ICANN, which oversees the Internet's domain name
system, now requires all generic top domains, such as
.COM, .NET, .ORG, to adapt to EPP.

http://domaintimes.net/newseng.php?mhnews_id=306&mhnews_newsid=4893

http://www.webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=11446

.in domain name receives good response
The recently extended .IN country code internet domain
name Registry services set up by the National Internet
Exchange of India (NIXI) has received 4122
applications from registered Indian trademark holders
during the initial sunrise period. Sunrise
applications were being accepted from January 1 to
January 21, 2005, and are now being processed during
the ‘silent period’ from January 21- February 16. The
date for the opening of real-time, registration for
the general public is slated for February 16, 2005.
 http://www.indiainfoline.com/news/news.asp?dat=52821

fr: FRENCH CT. UPHOLDS DOT-FR'S SUSPENSION OF 4500
DOMAINS (sub req'd)
From BNA'S Electronic Commerce & Law Report: a Paris
court has upheld the suspension by the dot-fr domain
name registry of nearly 4,500 domains. The domains
were held by a registrar accused of permitting rampant
cybersquatting.
 http://pubs.bna.com/ip/BNA/eip.nsf/is/a0b0h3q6u7

ie: IEDR reduces .IE domain prices
.IE logoThe IE Domain Registry, which administers the
.IE ccTLD, has announced it's to reduce prices by
12.5% for new .IE domain registrations and renewals of
domains from January 1 this year.

http://domaintimes.net/newseng.php?mhnews_id=306&mhnews_newsid=4878&mhnews_page=1

Misspelled Domain Attracts 6-Figure Bid at SnapNames
To Seal A Superb Week There
Just as our weekly deadline arrived, a phenomenal
auction ended at SnapNames.com. Three fiercely
competitive bidders drove Voyuer.com (a misspelling of
voyeur) past the 100K mark before the winner finally
nailed down the domain with a bid of $112,100.

http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/domainsales02_01_05.htm

uk: Charges brought for denial of service attack (news
briefing)
A man has been charged under the Computer Misuse Act
1990 for launching denial of service attacks on
websites based in Scotland and the US. 
 http://ipandit.practicallaw.com/2-200-2421

ICANN Selects Vancouver for December Annual Meet
ICANN will hold the next annual meeting at the Westin
Bayshore, Vancouver, Canada from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4,
2005.
 http://news.webhosting.info/t-4100

ca: Beating domain squatters
The introduction of the Internet into the everyday
lifestyles of consumers has fundamentally changed the
way we do business. A domain name is an important part
of a businesses identity. Reaching customers by a
website can be crucial to a company's ability to
compete in the marketplace. Cybersquatters can
interfere with this ability -- but fortunately there
is recourse.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/LondonFreePress/Business/2005/01/29/913558-sun.html

The Internet and Public Dispute Resolution: Help or
Hindrance?
from Five Surprising Lessons, by MIT Prof. Lawrence
Susskind (Founder of the Consensus Building
Institute): "...there is no substitute for
face-to-face interaction. The Internet and other forms
of telecommunication have misled many people. They
create too much room for misunderstanding, mask too
many important non-verbal signals, and draw attention
away from on-going organizational dynamics that hold
important clues to how we are being understood and how
well we have assessed the interests of others.
Additional cost, I know, is an issue. But dispute
resolution and consensus building require the
immediacy of face-to-face dialogue, and the trade-off
is not worth it."

http://www.cbuilding.org/publications/cbireports/index.html

us: VeriSign stock falls sharply after segment misses
Shares of technology company VeriSign on Thursday
tumbled, despite the company's positive outlook, after
a key growth catalyst for VeriSign posted revenue that
missed the most aggressive investor expectations.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?storyID=7454801

VeriSign Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2004
Results (news release)
VeriSign reported its results for the fourth quarter
and year ended December 31, 2004. VeriSign reported
revenue of $356 million for the fourth quarter of
2004. On a GAAP basis, VeriSign reported net income of
$115 million for the fourth quarter and earnings per
share of $0.43 per fullydiluted share which includes a
onetime gain from the monetization of a portion of its
investment in VeriSign Japan for $78 million.
 http://verisign.com/static/022859.pdf

Directi Offers .Info Domains for $1.11
Domain registrar and Web services provider Directi
(directi.com) announced on Tuesday that it has lowered
the price for its .info domains to $1.11 per year. The
promotional price will be available for an entire year
starting January 1, 2005.
 http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/dir012605.cfm

New Wave of Internet Domain Name Theft Identified
Internet domain name theft on the rise. Experts
comment on how to prevent someone from trying to steal
a domain name that you own

http://www.webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=11436
 http://www.net-security.org/press.php?id=2872

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prwebxml201461.php

*****************
WSIS & GOVERNANCE
*****************
Access - Africa's Key to an Inclusive Information
Society: WSIS Regional Conference in Africa (news
release)
The theme of the African Regional Preparatory
Conference for WSIS, "Access — Africa’s key to an
inclusive Information Society" will prepare for
Africa’s effective participation in the Tunis phase of
WSIS to ensure a strategic and interdependent digital
partnership that will promote economic growth and
human development on the continent.

http://www.itu.int/wsis/newsroom/press_releases/wsis/2005/24jan.html

IFEX Mission Finds 'Serious Concerns' for WSIS Summit
(news release)
A fact-finding mission to Tunisia undertaken by
members of the International Freedom of Expression
eXchange (IFEX) has found "serious cause for concern"
about the current state of freedom of expression and
of civil liberties in the country, including gross
restrictions on freedom of the press, media,
publishing and the Internet.
 http://allafrica.com/stories/200501280001.html

Serious concerns for World Summit on the Information
Society
A joint monitoring visit to Tunisia undertaken by
members of the International Freedom of Expression
Exchange (IFEX) has found serious cause for continuing
concern about the current state of freedom of
expression and of civil liberties in Tunisia,
including gross restrictions on freedom of the press,
media, publishing and the Internet.

http://www.indexonline.org/en/news/articles/2005/1/tunisia-free-expression-groups-concerned-for.shtml

ng: Putting Human Face to the WSIS Process
The first WSIS took place in Geneva in 2003. The
second African regional preparatory meetings for WSIS
Phase II, which due in Tunisia December 2005, are
scheduled for Accra from Friday.  Mrs. Christie
Charles-Iyoha, executive director of the Policy and
Development Centre, and coordinator of the WSIS
process in Nigeria, spoke to ETIM IMISIM in Lagos last
week on the shape of a knowledge society for Nigeria
and Africa.
 http://allafrica.com/stories/200501260094.html

Preparatory workshops for WSIS conference begins
A series of workshops preceding the WSIS African
Regional Conference scheduled for February 2, began in
Accra on Friday to discuss and put together Africa's
contribution for a world conference on ICT to be held
later this year.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=74320

Ghana to host ICT summit next week
Presidents Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Paul Kagame of
Rwanda and Yahya Jammeh of Gambia will attend the WSIS
scheduled to begin in Accra, Ghana, starting on 2
February.

http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=315329
 http://www.africast.com/article.php?newsID=53821

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=74253

What do communication rights mean to people on the
ground, especially when they are denied them?
In an age of increasing concentration of the media in
fewer hands, governments working hand in hand with
private companies to get their messages onto the front
page, state paranoia and growing surveillance, groups
and individuals are coming together to build a new
communications agenda focused on equality, dignity,
diversity and justice.
 http://www.apc.org/english/news/index.shtml?x=30525
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Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and
BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.

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(c) David Goldstein 2005

=====
David Goldstein
 address: 2/4 Dundas Street
             COOGEE NSW 2034
             AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David&#167;yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 0015 - home

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