Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! Headlines from the February 4 edition of the news include: Governments, ICANN and the JPA (part 2) by Milton Mueller | What would the internet be like had there been no ICANN? by Karl Auerbach | Twenty years of .at domains | InternetNZ proposes official name-change | ICANN considering '.post' domain name for electronic postal services | US honing defences against cyber attack | What's in a domain name? Serious money And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** The dangers of 'locking down' the Internet by Michael Geist http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2648/159/ Is Net TV Slowing Broadband Speeds? http://networks.silicon.com/broadband/0,39024661,39169824,00.htm Federal Register: Notice of Public Meeting Regarding Mid-term Review of the Joint Project Agreement between NTIA and ICANN http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2008/ICANN_meeting_080228.html Closing of cybersquatting loophole is 'excellent news' for brand owners http://out-law.com/page-8843 Domain Tasting to Go Away for Real This Time by John Levine http://www.circleid.com/posts/81299_domain_tasting_ends/ One Step Back on ICANN Resolution by Bret Fausett http://blog.lextext.com/blog/_archives/2008/1/30/3495995.html The Internet Is Your Business: ICANN Seeks Volunteers http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-28jan08.htm Phishers use DNS tricks to direct users to bad sites http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/31/Phishers-use-DNS-tricks-to-direct-users-to-bad-sites_1.html MySpace wins UK domain name that pre-dated its service http://out-law.com/page-8834 CADNA Releases Study on Domain Name Drop-Catching [news release] http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3861 DNS celebrates 25th birthday http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2208383/dns-celebrates-25th-birthday ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** A Winning Solution for Youtube and Utube? Corresponding Trademarks and Domain Name Sharing by Jacqueline D. Lipton [Harvard Journal of Law and Technology] Abstract: In June of 2007, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio ruled on a motion to dismiss various claims against the Youtube video-sharing service. The claimant was Universal Tube and Rollform Equipment Corp ("Universal"), a manufacturer of pipes and tubing products. Since 1996, Universal has used the domain name utube.com - phonetically the same as Youtube's domain name, youtube.com. Youtube.com was registered in 2005 and gained almost-immediate popularity as a video-sharing website. As a result, Universal experienced excessive web traffic by Internet users looking for youtube.com and mistakenly typing utube.com into their web browsers. Universal's servers were initially unable to handle this traffic causing interruptions to its online business. The Youtube litigation, although factually idiosyncratic, does raise questions as to how effectively current laws and policies deal with situations where two different companies assert similar interests in one or more domain names. There have been many examples since the inception of the domain name system where several parties with legitimate claims to similar trademarks have battled for corresponding domain names, such as delta.com. This article examines the possibility of developing domain name sharing strategies in such cases. In particular, it presents a new proposal to expand the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy to facilitate domain name sharing arrangements. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1080313 Domain Tasting is taking over the internet as a result of ICANN?s "Add Grace Period" by Christopher Healey Abstract: When a domain name is registered, the registrant is given five days to cancel for a full refund. While the purpose of this grace period is to protect those who innocently err in the registration process, speculators have taken advantage of the grace period through a process called "domain tasting." These "domain tasters" register hundreds of thousands of domain names and cancel the vast majority of them within the five-day grace period, keeping only those that may be valuable as placeholder advertising websites or to holders of trademark rights. This iBrief will outline the "domain tasting" process, analyze why it is a problem, and discuss solutions to the problem. Ultimately, it concludes that the five-day grace period is unnecessary because it serves little, if any, legitimate purpose. http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dltr/articles/2007DLTR0009.html ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** The dangers of 'locking down' the Internet by Michael Geist As digital technologies and the Internet began to emerge in the mid-1990s, many content companies responded by betting on the ability of technological protection measures to re-assert the control that was rapidly slipping from their grasp. ... A decade later, the strategy lies in tatters. Many content owners have dropped digital locks after alienating disgruntled consumers fed up with their inability to freely use their personal property. http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2648/159/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7215235.stm http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/297938 http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/297938 Is Net TV Slowing Broadband Speeds? The massive increase in bandwidth-heavy online TV and video content being downloaded by UK broadband users has raised questions about whether current networks can cope and who should pay for any upgrades. http://networks.silicon.com/broadband/0,39024661,39169824,00.htm http://businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/jan2008/gb20080128_462159.htm http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39292468,00.htm ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** Federal Register: Notice of Public Meeting Regarding Mid-term Review of the Joint Project Agreement between NTIA and ICANN The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), U.S.Department of Commerce (Department), will hold a public meeting on February 28, 2008, to discuss the mid-term review of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) between the Department and ICANN. The meeting will be held on February 28, 2008. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/frnotices/2008/ICANN_meeting_080228.html ICANN Board Recommends Action on Domain Tasting ICANN is looking to effectively end domain tasting with a proposal to start charging the annual ICANN fee on registrar domain registrations. Domain tasting is the use of the Add Grace Period to test the profitability of a domain name registration. The AGP is a five-day period following the initial registration of a domain name when the registration may be deleted and a credit can be issued to a registrar. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-29jan08.htm Closing of cybersquatting loophole is 'excellent news' for brand owners ICANN wants to change the charging structure for global domain names to put an end to a multimillion pound business that takes advantage of a loophole in its rules. http://out-law.com/page-8843 Domain Tasting to Go Away for Real This Time by John Levine At last week?s meeting, the ICANN board uncharacteristially did something and voted to make their fee of 20 cents per domain-year nonrefundable. They expect this to stop both domain tasting and NSI?s frontrunning, which it certainly will. It?s not clear when this change will go into effect, but it might be within a month. http://www.circleid.com/posts/81299_domain_tasting_ends/ Google leads, ICANN follows: domain tasters can now eat dirt Domain tasting might sound like a leisurely Sunday afternoon activity, but ICANN isn't amused, and it has just proposed a crackdown plan that could make "tasting" and "front running" of domains an unprofitable activity. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080130-google-leads-icann-follows-domain-tasters-can-now-eat-dirt.html Is $.20 enough to stop domain tasters? ICANN thinks so [IDG] A proposal by the overseer of the Internet's addressing system could make it a lot easier for people to reserve the domain name they want for their Web site. http://www.itworld.com/Net/3499/stop-domain-tasters-080130/ http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142008-pg,1/article.html http://www.nytimes.com/idg/IDG_002570DE00740E18802573E00032449C.html http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/30/ICANN-considers-proposal-to-stop-domain-tasting_1.html New Policy Aims to Curb Web Site Name Abuse Consumers and businesses may soon find it easier to register an attractive Web site name, now that the nonprofit organization that oversees the global domain name system has agreed to a policy change. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/30/AR2008013002178.html ICANN Actually Does Something About Domain Tasting by Larry Seltzer Opinion: No more free tastes at domain, so registrants will go on a diet. We have Network Solutions to thank, it seems. I take it all back, sort of. http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/ICANN-Actually-Does-Something-About-Domain-Tasting/ ICANN to throttle domain tasters ICANN wants to destroy domain tasters at the expense of poor typists. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/30/icann_to_stamp_out_domain_tasting/ One Step Back on ICANN Resolution by Bret Fausett According to Thomas Narten, IETF Liaison to the ICANN Board, writing on the At Large mailing list, last week's resolution on domain tasting wasn't a statement of new policy or a directive to staff, it was something more like a trial balloon for discussion. http://blog.lextext.com/blog/_archives/2008/1/30/3495995.html Icann vows to kill domain 'tasting' Icann is looking to end the five-day grace period when registering a domain, and to start charging the annual fee on registrar domain registrations. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2208599/icann-wants-kill-domain-tasting http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2208599/icann-wants-kill-domain-tasting http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2208599/icann-wants-kill-domain-tasting ICANN to close internet domain name loophole ICANN is hoping a change in policy will stamp out the practice of sampling or "tasting" domain names without paying for them. http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/01/31/tech-icann-domain-tasting.html Domain Tasting Goes Sour: ICANN Will No Longer Issue Registration Refunds During a special meeting of the ICANN Board of Directors a resolution was passed which will end domain tasting as we know it. The discussion was sparked in response to the scandalous practice of Network Solutions hijacking domain searches in recent weeks. Oddly enough, the industry can be thankful to Net Sol for getting the snowball rolling on the end of domain tasting. http://www.dotsauce.com/2008/01/29/the-end-of-domain-tasting/ ICANN's Recent Proposal to Curb Domain Tasting Over the last month I and others have written quite a bit about domain tasting and how registrars are taking advantage of the policy, allowing them to capture potential domain names that their customers are searching for. http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2008/01/30/icanns-recent-proposal-to-curb-domain-tasting http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/01/icann-proposal-to-eliminate-domain-tasting.html Plan for ICANN's Future Urgently Needed ICANN does not have a mechanism to protect itself against governmental interference, CDT warned in comments filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce. While ICANN has made major strides in improving the transparency of its procedures, there is urgent need for a plan to guarantee its independence when its current contracts with the U.S. government are ended. Absent such such protections, CDT reluctantly opposed ICANN's request for early termination of one of its contracts. http://www.cdt.org/dns/icann/20080128_CDT-JPA-comments.pdf The Internet Is Your Business: ICANN Seeks Volunteers The Nominating Committee for ICANN is looking for volunteers to help it with the global task of coordinating the Internet?s unique identifiers. "The Internet is the most powerful communications tool in human history ? and the incredible story is how much of this has been accomplished by dedicated volunteers," said Hagen Hultzsch, Chair of the Nominating Committee (NomCom). "ICANN?s work coordinating the Internet?s addressing system is at the foundation of the Internet and its future ? and we are always looking for people who want to make a contribution." http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-28jan08.htm ICANN: Extension Request for input on the preparation of the Issues Report from the IDN ccPDP Issues Manager Dear all, At its meeting on 2 October 2007 the ccNSO Council requested the creation of an Issue Report as a first step in launching a ccPDP. To identify matters that are potentially relevant to the Issues Report, a comment period was opened on 19 December 2007 and would remain open until 25 January 2008. http://ccnso.icann.org/announcements/announcement-22jan08.htm ICANN has outgrown JPA - Thrush In November 2007, a joint agreement between the US Department of Commerce and ICANN was reached, allowing ICANN to take full control of Internet governance and usage worldwide. The agreement followed fears that the United States government was using the Internet to monitor the activities of the world. http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/410/23/21400.html ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** au: The Australian guide to online business ... Also explained is the process of registering a domain name and the options of building your own site or seeking the skills of a specialist. http://www.pcauthority.com.au/review.aspx?CIaRID=1080 Barbados government to take over .bb ccTLD administration The Barbados Government, through its Telecommunications Unit and with the agreement of Cable &Wireless (Barbados), will take over the administration of the .bb ccTLD from February 18 according to a public notice on the government?s Telecoms Unit website dated 10 January 2008. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/01/30/barbados-government-to-take-over-bb-administration/ http://www.domainnews.com/registries/2008012309/barbados-government-to-take-over-bb-administration/ http://telecoms.gov.bb/ Eurid and the failure to promote dotEU by Michele Neylon In some ways the failure of .eu to capture hearts and minds makes me sad. I'm European. I'd like to think that a European namespace could be a success, but that seems to be a misplaced desire. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2008/01/30/eurid-and-the-failure-to-promote-doteu/ IEDR Introduces 5th Consecutive Price Reduction [news release] Wednesday, 30th January, 2008: The IE Domain Registry (IEDR), the managed registry for Ireland?s dot-ie domain names, today announced a 5.8% price reduction for registering or renewing a dot-ie internet domain name, with effect from the 1st January 2008. This latest price reduction represents the fifth annual consecutive price reduction introduced by the IEDR, reducing the price of a dot-ie by 48% since 2003. http://www.iedr.ie/NEWS/News-30Jan08.php dot.ie domain names fee reduced The IE Domain Registry (IEDR) has reduced its prices by 5.8pc for registering or renewing a dot-ie internet domain name. http://www.businessworld.ie/livenews.htm?a=2001670;s=rollingnews.htm http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single10141 IEDR Engages With Reseller / Registrar Community by Michele Neylon IEDR LogoWhile a lot of registries have been engaging actively in dialogue with registrars and resellers the IE Domain Registry has been avoiding it for the last few years. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2008/01/31/iedr-engages-with-reseller-registrar-communit/ kz: Kazakhstan: Censorship of Independent Websites ... On 18 October 2007 the authorities in Kazakhstan blocked four independent websites which published links to audio files containing politically sensitive telephone conversations alleged to feature senior government officials. In the files the speakers use strong language to discuss Rakhat Aliyev, a former ally of President Nursultan Nazarbayev who now lives in exile in Europe. One of the blocked sites, kub.kz, is hosted outside Kazakhstan. It was subsequently suspended by the official website regulator, the Kazakhstan Network Information Center (KazNIC), under the ?Regulation for the Allocation of Domain Space in the Kazakhstan Segment of the Internet? which prohibits sites with the .kz domain from being hosted abroad. However, the KazNIC website itself is hosted in the USA, suggesting the selective targeting of specific websites. http://eurasia.org.ru/cgi-bin/datacgi/database.cgi?file=News&report=SingleArticle2005&ArticleID=0002368 mobi: Scale It Down More than 1 billion people worldwide will be accessing the internet from a mobile device at least once a month by 2010, according to IDC Internet Commerce Market Model, version 11.1. A great way to make your website accessible via BlackBerry or cell phone is to build a .mobi version. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/141884/scale_it_down.html PIR calls for nominations to the .ORG Advisory Council [news release] The Public Interest Registry (.ORG), the premier domain where people turn to find credible information, get involved, fund causes and support advocacy, announces it is seeking internet leaders to fill 5 open seats on the .ORG Advisory Council. http://www.isoc.org/isoc/headlines/20080125.shtml .pt December DNS newsletter now available For those who can read Portuguese, the fourth edition of the .pt DNS newsletter is now available. https://online.dns.pt/imagens/site/home_228/fotos/71989271390336560321.pdf ru: Federation Council defines terms for Runet The Commission for Information Policy at the Federation Council discussed the draft law ?On the internet? on January 29th 2008. Although the draft law was sent for revision after the discussion, its main provisions are likely to be implemented. In such a case such terms as ?internet?, ?site? and ?domain name? will be defined for the first time in the history of the Russia law. http://eng.cnews.ru/news/top/indexEn.shtml?2008/01/29/285695 ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Phishers use DNS tricks to direct users to bad sites The latest information on phishing indicates that fraudsters are increasingly using malicious software to direct users to their deceptive sites. The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) said in a new report Thursday that it saw a sharp rise in November in malware that directs users to DNS (Domain Name System) servers controlled by phishers. http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/31/Phishers-use-DNS-tricks-to-direct-users-to-bad-sites_1.html http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/013108-phishers-use-dns-tricks-to.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013101470.html cn: Decimal network security address begins operation China's decimal network security address was officially launched. China has made a fundamental breakthrough in its Internet development; and actual use has been successful. The birth of decimal network technology makes China the only country able to unify domain names, IP addresses and MAC addresses into the text of a metric system; the second, after the United States (US), in the world to have root servers and IP address hardware connectivity servers and its own domain name, IP address and MAC address resources; and enables our country to become the world's second country (after the US) to possess and control scarce network resources such as network distribution, domain names and addresses. It puts a crack in the US's monopoly over the Internet, based on hexadecimal technology; and is a major, independent technical innovation of the Internet in China. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90877/6345144.html Scientology website shielded against DDoS attack The Church of Scientology has restored it website to normal after a campaign of denial of service attacks prompted it to use DDoS mitigation service Prolexic. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/28/scientology_ddos_post_mortem/ The Internet is down - now what? It?s likely that the Internet will soon experience a catastrophic failure, a multiday outage that will cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars, Or maybe it isn?t likely. In any case, companies are not prepared for such a possibility, but then again, some are. http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Internet/2674.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** MySpace wins UK domain name that pre-dated its service Social networking company MySpace has won the right to have the domain name myspace.co.uk transferred to it despite the fact that it was registered six years before MySpace was founded. http://out-law.com/page-8834 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/29/myspace_wins_domain/ MySpace wins domain name fight MySpace has won the right to have the MySpace.co.uk domain name despite another firm having registered it six years before the social networking website launched. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/31/myspace.digitalmedia Big brands target entrepreneur in domain name battle Domain name businesses created by Denver entrepreneur Bill Mushkin have become targets over the past year for Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Microsoft. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/30/paton-big-brands-target-entrepreneur-in-domain/ The Many Names of Cybersquatting United States federal law enacted the ACPA to provide a remedy for cybersquatting. Cybersquatting requires a domain registrant to register, traffic in, or use a domain name that incorporates "a mark that is distinctive at the time of registration of the domain name, identical or confusingly similar to that mark, and possess "a bad faith intent to profit" from that mark. As cybersquatters become more sophisticated and trademark holders become more intent on protecting their intellectual property, new names have been used to more specifically define the kind of cybersquatting. Nonetheless, the ACPA elements required above remain the same for the following forms of cybersquatting. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/01/the-many-names.html ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** CADNA Releases Study on Domain Name Drop-Catching [news release] The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) is announcing the release of a study on drop-catching. Drop-catching is an enabler for other domain abuses such as tasting, kiting and typosquatting. Large registrars and others that have the means to test domains on a large scale have harnessed this technique and built a business around taking advantage of ICANN's Add Drop Grace Period (AGP). http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=3861 http://www.domainnews.com/general/2008012320/cadna-releases-study-on-domain-name-drop-catching/ http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/01/31/cadna-releases-study-on-domain-name-drop-catching/ i-Technology Milestone: The Domain Name System (DNS) Turns 25 This Week When the Domain Name System (DNS) was created twenty-five years ago this week, eight years before the introduction of the World Wide Web, a few hundred machines were connected to the Internet. Today more than 130 million are connected, and this number is expected to grow substantially as the majority of the world's population goes online. Without a simplified naming scheme like DNS today's Internet would not exist. http://it.sys-con.com/read/491998.htm DNS celebrates 25th birthday The internet's Domain Name System is 25 years old this week. Paul Mockapetris, chairman and chief scientist at Nominum, is credited with inventing the DNS in 1983. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2208383/dns-celebrates-25th-birthday http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=69179 http://www.pcw.co.uk/vnunet/news/2208383/dns-celebrates-25th-birthday The Internet's Greatest Invention Celebrates 25 Years Nominum and Afilias announced Paul Mockapetris, chairman and chief scientist, was the keynote speaker at an event hosted by the Oxford Internet Institute and Afilias. The event was held on January 28 at the Royal Society in London to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the invention of the Domain Name System (DNS). Credited with inventing DNS in June 1983, Mockapetris shared his thoughts on the technology, how it came to be, its impact on the Internet and where it is headed in the years to come. http://sys-con.com/read/491978.htm 2008 Report Analyzing Distribution and Trends of IP Address Allocation by Tim Ruth The study report analyzes the distribution and the trends of IP address allocation in 238 countries for 2007. From the data analysis (see Table 1 & Chart 1), the United States tops the allocation list by holding 37.73% of the IP addresses worldwide. It follows by United Kingdom (12.83%), Japan (7.64%), China (5.74%), Germany (3.81%), France (3.65%), Canada (2.81%), Korea (2.74%), Netherlands (2.00%) and Italy (1.67%). http://www.circleid.com/posts/81298_internet_ip_address_allocation/ The Single-Letter Domain Trademark Game by John Berryhill Patent practitioners are familiar with the long-honored practice of engaging in standards-setting activities with the aim of having the standard ultimately require the use of one?s proprietary technology. This practice is no longer limited to patents, but has become the game the whole family can play. http://www.circleid.com/posts/81284_single_letter_domain_trademark/ Google Evicts 'Domain Name Tasters' From AdSense The online advertising leader Google said Friday it would help make it less lucrative to tie up millions of Internet addresses using a loophole and keep those domain names from legitimate individuals and businesses. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/61399.html Internet Pioneers Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn Honoured with 2008 Japan Prize [news release] Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, pioneers of the Internet and two of the founders of the Internet Society, have been named as Laureates of the 2008 Japan Prize for "creation of network architecture and communication protocol for the Internet". http://www.isoc.org/isoc/headlines/20070118.shtml ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Domain king's rivers of gold In Rick Schwartz's thriving real-estate business there are no rising interest rates to fret over, no land taxes to deal with and foreclosures are few and far between. Yet Schwartz rakes in millions of dollars in annual income from his 6000-odd properties and recently sold one for $US750,000 after buying it in 1997 for about $US100. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/01/28/1201369021193.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/01/28/1201369021193.html http://stuff.co.nz/4381218a28.html Are Domain Names Recession-Proof? Probably Not, Next Question? by Mark Jeftovic I didn?t see the Fortune article Are domain names recession proof until the weekend, and being the author of the now infamous Domain aftermarket overdue for an asset repricing last year I feel somewhat obligated to comment on it. http://www.circleid.com/posts/81283_domain_names_recession_proof_not/ How to Get Started with IDNs - 14 Tips, Techniques and Resources How does becoming wealthier than Frank Schilling sound? Schilling, the most successful individual domainer in the world, has a portfolio of about 300,000 names, estimated revenue of $20 million dollars per year, and has received several 9-figures offers for his portfolio. Yet according to long-time IDN investor and IDN expert David Wrixon, "[t]here are IDN investors out there that will make Frank Schilling look like an amateur." When it comes to making money in domaining, there are many strategies. But if you are looking to capitalize on one strategy that holds a lot of potential, you should check out IDNs. Although you may never be as successful as Schilling, the timing for getting into IDNs is good. http://www.domainbits.com/idn/ 15 Ways To Become A Better Domainer The competition in the domain industry is steadily increasing as more and more people are becoming aware of it's global impact in today's financial marketplace. Professional investors and huge corporations are staking their claim of this internet real estate and have turned this once primitive name exchange into a booming multi-billion dollar industry. Today's domainers are needing take their domain investing to another level in order to have continued success and profitability. Below are 15 Ways To Become A Better Domainer. http://logistiklabs.blogspot.com/2008/01/15-ways-to-become-better-domainer.html TrafficClub Closing Its Doors Moniker?s TrafficClub will shut its doors at the end of the month. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/01/29/trafficclub-closing-its-doors/ ********************** - AFTERMARKET ********************** Media Corporation buys sport.co.uk Search Engine for Domain Offers (Sedo), an online market place for buying and selling internet domain names and websites, has announced that it sold the domain name sport.co.uk for 135,000 pounds to Media Corporation, an internet media and advertising company. http://cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=86E6E383-7EBC-431B-B7CC-C03E012C72A4 Sedo takes stake in Italian web domain firm Sedo.com LLC reports it has made a minority investment in DomainsBot, an Italian Internet domain name search company. http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2008/01/28/daily15.html Handy Tool For Hunting Domains Domain Name News is always on the lookout for new tools or sites that can save time or make more money with domains. We recently stumbled on a handy tool called Domain Auction Cleaner. http://www.domainnamenews.com/tools/handy-tool-for-hunting-domains/1411 ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Is the internet a viable threat to representative democracy? by David M. Thompson Abstract: The Internet, despite its relatively recent advent, is critical to millions of Americans? way of life. Although the Internet arguably opens new opportunities for citizens to become more directly involved in their government, some scholars fear this direct involvement poses a risk to one of the Constitution?s most precious ideals: representative democracy. This iBrief explores whether the constitutional notion of representation is vulnerable to the Internet?s capacity to open new vistas for a more direct democracy by analyzing statistics and theories about why voters in the United States do or do not vote and by examining the inherent qualities of the Internet itself. This iBrief concludes that the Constitution will adapt to the Internet and the Internet to the Constitution, such that even if there are advances in direct democracy, representative democracy will not be unduly threatened. http://www.law.duke.edu/journals/dltr/articles/2008DLTR0001.html Wikipedia: More Than Just a Footnote for Lawsuits by David M. Kelly and Anna C. Bonny Since its inception in 2001, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia has grown to be the largest encyclopedia ever assembled. Currently ranked among the world?s top ten most-visited websites, Wikipedia boasts 6.8 million registered users and 8.29 million articles worldwide. Wikipedia has even made its way into numerous U.S. judicial opinions. More than 100 judicial rulings have cited Wikipedia, including 13 circuit courts of appeal. Use of Wikipedia by courts, however, has not been without controversy. Due to concerns about the ability of anonymous users to edit Wikipedia entries, some courts have questioned Wikipedia?s reliability and subsequent admissibility. Two recent trademark cases, though recognizing Wikipedia?s shortcomings, have distinguished these earlier cases, and considered Wikipedia entries where the non-offering party has had an opportunity to rebut the evidence. http://www.finnegan.com/publications/news-popup.cfm?id=2306&type=article Information Technology and the Gender Digital Divide in Africa: The Case of Ethiopia by WONDWOSEN TESHOME B. & MAG JERUSALEM NEGASH W. [Icfai Journal of Information Technology] Abstract: This paper examines the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and the gender digital divide in Africa by analyzing the situation in Ethiopia as a case study. The progress of the ICT in Africa is very slow when compared to Europe, North America and Asia. Ethiopia is characterized by poor telecommunication infrastructure and Internet access is confined only to cities. Therefore, one of the future challenges of the country is to expand ICT in the rural areas and tackle the gender digital divide. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1079248 Regulating Cyberstalking by Subhajit Basu & Richard Jones Abstract: Through the use of examples of cyber stalking the paper will consider the nature of regulation required in relation to this behaviour in cyberspace. The paper will consider the differences between off line and cyber stalking, and review how these differences affect the regulation of such activities. The paper will review the boundaries between public and private law, between national and international law and between state law and self regulation, and consider whether the traditional positivist methodology of law, within these boundaries offers an adequate intellectual framework in which to consider the nature and form of regulation in cyberspace. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/jilt/2007_2/basu_jones Internet Law ? Communications Decency Act ? Texas District Court Extends ? 230 Immunity To Social Networking Sites ? Doe v. MySpace, Inc., 474 F. Supp. 2d 843 (W.D.Tex. 2007). With well over ten million users under the age of eighteen, social networking powerhouse MySpace.com (MySpace) has been facing pressure to implement additional safety measures to protect its underage users from sexual predators. Recently, in Doe v. MySpace, Inc., the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas held that the interactive website was not liable for failing to prevent an adult MySpace member from contacting and sexually assaulting a minor user. While the court?s holding rightly absolved MySpace of legal responsibilities, its conferral of immunity under ? 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) effectively grants social-networking websites blanket immunity against all negligence claims. Though ? 230 is essential to the continued growth and development of the Internet, such a broad application of its immunity provisions goes significantly beyond the legislative intent and frustrates congressional attempts to bring this area of the law up to speed with the modern World Wide Web. http://www.harvardlawreview.org/issues/121/jan08/recentcases/doe_v_myspace.pdf ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Firefox nears 30% market share in Europe Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox browser finished 2007 with nearly 30% of the European browser market, a French Web metrics company reported today. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9060002 http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;775685232;fp;2;fpid;1 Firefox Gains Share In Europe Mozilla Firefox gained nearly 5% of the European Web browser market last year, ending 2007 with a 28% share, a Web metrics firm reported Tuesday. http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205921333 uk: Ofcom seeks lower charges for texting in Europe The cost of sending a text message and accessing the mobile internet looks as if it will fall dramatically for business travellers and holidaymakers who use their phones and mobile devices abroad. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/30/mobilephones.news Andrew Keen on New Media: It won't be the internet wot won it as old media set the pace in US poll What has been the greatest shock so far in the American election? Barack Obama's meteoric Iowan rise? Hillary Clinton's tearful comeback in New Hampshire? John McCain's resurrection in South Carolina? No. The biggest surprise thus far has been the relative insignificance of the internet in determining the outcome of the election. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/andrew-keen-on-new-media-774800.html Cable cuts force re-routing of Internet traffic around the world Two fiber-optic underwater cables that were damaged yesterday in the Mediterranean Sea near Egypt have resulted in Internet traffic delays for some U.S. users trying to link to India and the Middle East. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9060463 Faulty cable blacks out internet for millions Tens of millions of internet users across the Middle East and Asia have been left without access to the web after a technical fault cut millions of connections. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/31/internet.blackout.asia Web disrupted 'across Mid-East' Internet services have been disrupted in large parts of the Middle East and India following damage to two undersea cables in the Mediterranean. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7218008.stm Undersea cables cut, disrupting Net Internet and telephone communications remained disturbed Thursday in the Middle East and the world's back office, India, after two undersea cables were damaged. http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/31/technology/net.php Porn to spice up cell phones [Reuters] Size matters in pornography, except when it comes to tiny mobile phone screens, the next frontier for erotica. If the adult entertainment industry has its way, Americans will soon get a choice of free porn on cell phones--or at least some photographs of good-looking girls in bikinis. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN3030000720080130 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10489867 http://www.news.com/2100-1026_3-6228443.html http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=206100601 Study: U.S. broadband goal nearly reached [AP] In 2004, President Bush pledged that all Americans should have affordable access to high-speed Internet service by 2007. A report to be released Thursday by the administration says it has succeeded - mostly. "Networked Nation: Broadband in America" is an upbeat assessment of the administration's efforts to spur growth and competition in the high-speed Internet market. Critics said the report's conclusion is too rosy. http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/302146.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/01/30/national/w151745S46.DTL http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/NEWS/801310428 Google's Schmidt bullish on mobile web ads [Reuters] The arrival of a truly mobile web, offering a new generation of location-based advertising, is set to unleash a "huge revolution", Google chief executive Eric Schmidt said on Friday. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39292443,00.htm Study Shows eBay Buyers Save Billions of Dollars [Reuters] Buyers save billions of dollars each year bidding on eBay auctions, according to a new study that quantifies the benefits online consumers enjoy over and above what is derived by sellers, or eBay itself. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN2742167120080128 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141874-c,auctionsites/article.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6227935.html Wisdom of the Web - importance of blogs in business travel It may be a little late to the game, but business travel is now the subject of a variety of blogs. ... According to Forrester Research, in the second quarter of 2007, 21 percent of business travelers who use the Internet read blogs, not just ones about business travel, but also those involving sports, business, finance and other topics. ?This indicates that organizing a portal for business travel blogs, especially with good content, means the site has potential,? said Henry H. Harteveldt, travel analyst for Forrester, a research firm. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/business/29blog.html Australia getting more broadband for its buck Australian broadband users are getting more out of their Internet connections although prices have remained static, a report from the Internet Industry Association (IIA) has found. "What our most recent survey found was that the prices haven't changed but the capacities of people's connections are increasing," Peter Coroneos, chief executive of the Internet Industry Association (IIA), said. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Australia-getting-more-broadband-for-its-buck/0,130061791,339285510,00.htm Net user costs static but data quotas increase [news release] Australian Net users are getting more internet use for the same money, according to research conducted for the Internet Industry Association. Its most recent quarterly edition of the Spectrum / IIA Broadband Index tracks how competition developed through 2007. The average cost per gigabyte has dropped as plans have become more competitive. The average cost of data was $80/gigabyte at start 2007 but fell to $52/gigabyte by Q4 2007. http://iia.net.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=609&Itemid=32 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** Disney adds fantasy lands Walt Disney Co. is no stranger to fantasy worlds, transporting audiences -- whether to a cottage in the woods with a young princess in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" or to the Great Barrier Reef aboard the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage ride at Disneyland. Now, Disney is spinning its tales in the newest mass medium -- online virtual worlds, where children adopt cartoonish avatars and play games. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-virtualdisney28jan28,1,6067584.story Could social networking sites save the music industry? If a songbird sings in the forest and no one is there to hear it, is it really music? Not if you're a teenager. Especially among 15- to 25-year-olds, people seem to need their peers to validate their musical tastes, making the Internet a perfect medium for the intersection of MP3s and mob psychology. http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/30/technology/PTEND31.php ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** au: Aboriginal archive offers new DRM A new method of digital rights management (DRM) which relies on a user's profile has been pioneered by Aboriginal Australians. The Mukurtu Wumpurrarni-kari Archive has been developed by a community based in Australia's Northern Territory. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7214240.stm U.S. tops new tech usage ranking [Reuters] The United States, Sweden and Japan topped a new ranking that measures how well countries use telecommunications technologies -- networks, cell phones and computers -- to boost their social and economic prosperity. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKL2957064020080130 Tech usage rankings released - but NZ ignored The United States, Sweden and Japan topped a new ranking that measures how well countries use telecommunications technologies - networks, cell phones and computers - to boost their social and economic prosperity. Australia came in seventh, but New Zealand was not even considered. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10489837 Quarter of US iPhones 'unlocked' More than a quarter of US iPhones have been "unlocked" to work on rival networks, a study says. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7214873.stm Apple loses out as one iPhone in four is unlocked More than a million iPhones were unlocked last year, costing Apple as much as $500 million in lost revenue, according to research http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3270872.ece ********************** SPAM ********************** us: Three plead guilty in Nigerian spam scheme [IDG] Three people have pleaded guilty to charges related to spam that promised U.S. victims millions of dollars from an estate and a lottery, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Wednesday. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9060340 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/30/Three-plead-guilty-Nigerian-spam-scheme_1.html FTC settles with advertiser for spam campaign An online advertiser that drove traffic to its Web sites by sending out spam with misleading subject lines has agreed to settle a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FTC) complaint charging that it failed to tell consumers they had to spend money to receive so-called free products, the FTC announced Wednesday. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9060278 Spam over Internet Telephone (SPIT) Jim Lynch, MD at Voiceflex, says we all get spam in our inbox but helped by the numerous spam filters the majority of the 90% of emails which are spam are stopped before clogging up your already full inboxes. "But can you imagine the phone continually ringing only to find a message being played selling the latest spam fad. It would quickly become annoying and then change to intolerable. http://cbmagazine.co.uk/News_Article_JS.cfm?X=0&Y=0&YearViewed=&Newsmonth=&EndDay=&NoNews=0&NewsID=4721 ********************** DIGITAL DIVIDE ********************** ADB gives 25 million dollars to bring Internet to rural Nepal [AFP] The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Wednesday it would provide a grant of US$25 million to bring the Internet and other forms of information technology to remote areas of Nepal. http://news.theage.com.au/adb-gives-25-million-us-dollars-to-bring-internet-to-rural-nepal/20080130-1p1c.html http://news.smh.com.au/adb-gives-25-million-us-dollars-to-bring-internet-to-rural-nepal/20080130-1p1c.html http://www.todayonline.com/articles/235035.asp ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Researchers Expose 'Stupid Phisher Tricks' That slick phishing email posing as your bank -- identical logo and all -- may not be as sophisticated as it looks: Many phishers behind these schemes are actually careless, and even clueless, about protecting the data they steal. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=144489 Ledger's death exploited by cybercriminals The death of actor Heath Ledger has prompted cybercriminals to trick unsuspecting fans into downloading malware via infected Web sites, a security company has warned. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Actor-s-death-exploited-by-cybercriminals/0,130061744,339285449,00.htm The ex-KGB man stalking the cybercriminals Not many software company bosses would have the chutzpah to distribute bright red T-shirts portraying themselves as a latter-day Che Guevara. Not many would take 50 journalists to dinner at a traditional Moscow restaurant and end up doing Cossack dances, or whirling around the ethnically costumed and somewhat embarrassed blonde singer from the balalaika band. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/31/eugene.kaspersky The hidden war on Australia NEWS.com.au takes you inside the secretive online world of Islamic extremists with a special report on how they are using the latest technology to drive propaganda campaigns, cheering Australian troop deaths and mocking our political leaders. http://www.news.com.au/online-jihad ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Chinese Dissident?s Arrest Hints at Olympic Crackdown When state security agents burst into his apartment last month, Hu Jia was chatting on Skype, the Internet-based telephone system. Mr. Hu?s computer was his most potent tool. He disseminated information about human rights cases, peasant protests and other politically touchy topics even though he often lived under de facto house arrest. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/world/asia/30dissident.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/29/asia/29dissident.php Popular blogger arrested in Myanmar: opposition [AFP] A popular Myanmar blogger who belongs to Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party has been arrested in Yangon, apparently for violating the nation's tough Internet controls, a party spokesman said Wednesday. http://news.smh.com.au/popular-blogger-arrested-in-myanmar-opposition/20080130-1p22.html http://news.theage.com.au/popular-blogger-arrested-in-myanmar-opposition/20080130-1p22.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ uk: Cyber bully?s sex hoax led friend to try to kill himself A teenager tried to kill himself after finding out that the boy he had fallen in love with over the internet was a fictitious character created by his best friend, a court heard. The 16-year-old boy swallowed 60 painkilling tablets after discovering that he was the victim of a hoax. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article3272992.ece us: Facebook, MySpace join NY AG in pushing e-safety bill [IDG] The Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act targets Internet predators using social-networking sites to stalk victims http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/01/29/NY-AG-pushes-e-safety-bill-Facebook-MySpace-back-it_1.html us: Cyberbullying Vs. Free Speech CBS News Technology Analyst Larry Magid Wonders If It's An Epidemic Or An Overreaction: The case of Megan Meier screams out for justice. But to be truly served, justice must based on rationality, not just revenge and emotion. It was disclosed in November that the 14-year-old Missouri girl committed suicide after an adult neighbor - the mother of one of Megan?s friends - allegedly carried out a cruel hoax. That mother, Lori Drew, reportedly set up a fake MySpace profile that appeared to belong to a hot-looking teenage boy named Josh Evans. The fake ?Josh? initially befriended Megan but later cruelly told her he didn?t want to be friends with her. Megan, who had a history of taking antidepressant medication, responded by hanging herself. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/30/scitech/pcanswer/main3768945.shtml Cyberbullying In Focus A Look At What Cyberbullying Is, And How To Prevent It http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/24/fyi/main2394475.shtml ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** us: New laws to target cyber bullying A United States Senator is seeking tough penalties against people who use the internet for bullying. He's been inspired by the case of a 13-year-old girl in Missouri, who committed suicide after being harassed on a popular internet networking site. http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2150425.htm us: Experts urge tough penalties for cyber-bullying A US Senator is seeking tough punishment for people who use the internet for bullying. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/31/2150647.htm us: N.Y. legislation targets Internet predators New York sex offenders would be required to reveal their online aliases to the state under legislation that aims to protect users of MySpace, FaceBook and other Web hangouts from Internet predators. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22903731/ N.Y. lawmakers want sex offenders' email addresses [Reuters] New York lawmakers proposed legislation on Tuesday that would provide new protection from convicted sex offenders hanging out on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKSAT00233320080130 us: Teen's suicide after Internet bullying inspires Missouri effort to change harassment laws [AP] The death of a 13-year-old girl who committed suicide after becoming the victim of an Internet ruse has inspired a legislative effort to make it a felony for adults to harass children. http://news.smh.com.au/teens-suicide-after-internet-bullying-inspires-missouri-effort-to-change-harassment-laws/20071117-1axp.html http://news.theage.com.au/teens-suicide-after-internet-bullying-inspires-missouri-effort-to-change-harassment-laws/20071117-1axp.html us: Mo. Senate committee unveils cyber bullying bill A bill aimed at preventing cyberbullying that was spurred by the suicide of a 13-year-old Dardenne Prairie girl was unveiled Monday evening at a Senate committee hearing. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/8C82D89C15646570862573DF00151CF1?OpenDocument us: GOP Unable to Force Vote on Bush Surveillance Bill The Senate yesterday left the fate of a new electronic surveillance law backed by the Bush administration up in the air, as a Republican-led effort to cut off a Democrat-led debate and proceed to a vote on the bill failed, mostly along party lines. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/28/AR2008012802557.html ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** U2 manager proposes novel piracy crackdown Saying that Internet and technology companies have for too long had a "free ride on music," the veteran manager of the band U2 on Monday urged them to start "sharing their enormous revenue" with singers and songwriters. http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/28/business/piracy.php Silicon Valley's hippy values 'killing music industry' U2's manager yesterday called on artists to join him in forcing the "hippy" technology and internet executives he blames for the collapse of the music industry to help save it. ... "I suggest we shift the focus of moral pressure away from the individual P2P [peer to peer] thief and on to the multibillion dollar industries that benefit from these tiny crimes," he said. http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2248544,00.html U2 manager 'wants end to piracy' The manager of rock band U2 has urged ISPs to help end illegal music downloads, according to The Hollywood Reporter. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7215226.stm Music industry finds the solution to its pirate troubles - give everything away In the bars on the Croisette, champagne flows less freely this year, and corporate credit cards are wielded with unusual restraint. Music executives massing in Cannes for their annual conference this week are worried about piracy and about falling sales. But they believe they may have found a secret weapon in the battle - giving away all of their songs for free. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/28/piracy.digitalmedia Mainstream music industry realizes the value of 'free' The mainstream music industry is coming to recognize a price for digital songs that might be good enough to compete with the underground exchange of tunes on the Internet: free. http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/27/technology/music.php Countries can choose whether or not to force disclosure of file-sharers The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled today that EU law does not force the disclosure of internet users' details in file-sharing cases. The judgment will be a blow to record labels but could also put ISPs in the UK at a commercial disadvantage, a copyright expert has said. http://out-law.com/page-8836 EU supremes: ISPs don't always have to finger filesharers The European supreme court has ruled that lower authorities are not compelled to order disclosure of file-sharers' identities by ISPs in civil lawsuits. The decision will hamper the efforts of rights-holder bodies to clamp down on digital copying through the courts. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/29/eu_supreme_civil_isp_filesharing_case_law/ EU court says file sharers don't have to be named [Reuters] European Union countries can refuse to disclose names of file sharers on the internet in civil cases, the EU's top court said in a blow to copyright holders trying to fight digital piracy. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/30/2149425.htm European court strikes blow against music industry fishing [IDG] In a blow against the music industry, the European Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday that E.U. countries don't have to require Internet service providers to reveal subscriber data for use in civil cases. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9059838 EU Court Rules File-Sharers Must Remain Faceless In a blow to the music industry's worldwide campaign to crack down on copyright infringement, a European court has ruled that Internet service providers cannot turn over the identities of alleged file-sharers. http://ecommercetimes.com/story/EU-Court-Rules-File-Sharers-Must-Remain-Faceless-61433.html Kazaa User Appeals Feds' Novel Use of Child Porn Law to Supreme Court Criminal defense lawyers say they will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review a novel legal approach the government has begun using to win stiff mandatory prison terms for those who've downloaded child pornography from file-sharing sites. http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2008/01/kid_porn How Tiered Internet Pricing Could Actually Facilitate P2P by Brough Turner Time Warner Cable?s planned experiment with tiered charging for Internet access has generated a flurry of coverage in the blogsphere, but no new insights (at least that I?ve seen). http://www.circleid.com/posts/81289_tiered_internet_pricing_p2p/ Pirate Bay hit with legal action Four men who run one of the most popular file-sharing sites in the world have been charged with conspiracy to break copyright law in Sweden. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7219802.stm Swedes charge 4 in music and film sharing Swedish prosecutors on Thursday charged four men with facilitating copyright infringement via torrent downloads in connection with a Web site called Pirate Bay, the entertainment industry's No. 1 target in the fight against the unauthorized digital copying of films and music. http://iht.com/articles/2008/01/31/business/pirate.php Swedish prosecutors close in on The Pirate Bay Swedish prosecutors have until Thursday to file charges against The Pirate Bay, one of the most widely used search engines for locating music and movies on the Internet. The deadline was set by a Swedish court last year after The Pirate Bay asked the authorities to return servers seized in a raid, said Peter Sunde, one of The Pirate Bay's operators, on Monday. http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;549282210;fp;2;fpid;1 Sweden to charge Pirate Bay in copyright case [Reuters] Sweden plans this week to charge the people running Pirate Bay, one of the world's most visited Web sites, with being accessories in breaking copyright law. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKL2723733820080128 http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141875-c,audio/article.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6227965.html Website?s boasts of 25m free songs were just not connected with the truth It was billed as the ?second coming? for the music industry, but it turned out that the offer of an unlimited supply of songs downloaded free turned out to be little more than a sham. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3267255.ece Music file-share site Qtrax forced into humiliating U-turn A website which promised to give music lovers the world's first legal file-sharing service was forced into a humiliating climbdown today after it emerged that the company had not secured the backing of the record industry. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3264556.ece Labels deny deals on file sharing Three major record labels have denied signing deals allowing their music to feature on a new file-sharing service offering unlimited free downloads. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7213112.stm UK iTunes rival to hit US and Europe A London-based rival to Apple's iTunes music store has unveiled plans to expand into the US and Europe after securing ?4.25m in funding. 7Digital, one of the first digital music stores on the market when it launched four years ago, has attracted investment from Sutton Place Managers, the venture capital fund in which Mark Getty is a partner, and existing investor Balderton Capital. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/28/digitalmedia.mediabusiness ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Yahoo's global reach still exceeds its grasp Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sramana Mitra captured a common sentiment in the title of a blog post last week: "Yahoo, Please Put Up a Fight." As its growth slows, Yahoo Inc. has taken steps to reorganize its management structure, narrow its focus and jettison some underperforming businesses. But it's still being outmatched in search advertising dollars by Google Inc. and in user growth by social networks such as Facebook Inc., which are rapidly gaining members and advertisers. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-yahoo28jan28,1,3581499.story Yahoo! Earnings Up, Stock Down Yahoo! finally had something to "yahoo" about on Tuesday as it reported fourth-quarter earnings that beat analysts by $0.04 cents per share. The struggling Internet giant reported earnings of $0.15 per share, compared to estimates of $0.11. Yahoo! also said it will cut 1,000 jobs from its workforce of 11,400 and expects to take a charge of up to $25 million in the first quarter. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/01/29/yahoo-earnings-google-tech-enter-cx_wt_0129yhearn.html Yahoo's 4th-quarter profit drops 23% Facing rising competition and shareholder unrest, Yahoo Inc. on Tuesday took steps to reverse its flagging fortunes, including its first layoffs since 2001. The company plans to cut 1,000 jobs, or 7% of its workforce. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-yahoo30jan30,1,501293.story Yahoo to Cut 1,000 Jobs, and Warns on Growth After announcing a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profits Tuesday, Yahoo issued a disappointing outlook for this year, suggesting that investors would have to wait until 2009 for a turnaround. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/technology/30yahoo.html Why Google only tells you what you already know by Farhad Manjoo ... The book examines a question that's long captivated me, a child of the Internet: Is digital technology advancing truth in the world, or is it distorting it? By truth, I mean what we call sets of observable, objective, empirical "facts." You might argue -- and many do -- that wide access to information has the capacity to create a more knowledgeable, more tolerant, more rational society. http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/01/29/search_anchoring/ ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Google Eyes Free Spectrum The ongoing auction of choice, 700 megahertz radio spectrum by the Federal Communications Commission is a game for high rollers, including telco giants and Google. One company will likely pay more than $4.6 billion for the rights to that realm. Through that space, the auction winner--and competitor--could eventually beam all kinds of signals, including voice, digital video, data, to your toaster. But there is a cheaper way to get data through the airwaves. Just ask Google. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/01/30/spectrum-auction-google-tech-wire-cx_ew_0130auction.html ********************** VoIP ********************** au: ACMA report finds SMEs have keen interest in VoIP Research released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) estimates 92 per cent of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and 74 per cent of the farming community are connected to the Internet. The ACMA research also found that 93 per cent of SMEs and 85 per cent of farms in Australia report using a mobile phone. http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;226576474 http://www.arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;226576474;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;226576474;fp;2;fpid;1 Small and medium enterprises and the farming sector ?keen adopters? of communications technology [news release] Research released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority shows that Australia?s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the rural sector are reasonably connected online and on the phone, with 92 per cent of SMEs and 74 per cent of farms having an internet connection, and 93 per cent and 85 per cent respectively reporting the use of a mobile phone. ?The research suggests that SMEs and the farm sector are keen adopters of communications technology to assist in managing their businesses,? said Chris Chapman, ACMA Chairman. ?Both sectors also indicated that the internet had a significant impact on transforming their business practices and improving processes.? http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310936 ********************************** ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN ********************************** au: Father jailed for trying to seduce girl with sleazy internet show A FATHER-of-three who sent live sexual footage of himself over the internet to seduce a young girl - in reality an undercover police officer - has been jailed for 18 months. http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23126765-2682,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2008 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address. www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mailReceived on Mon Feb 04 2008 - 03:59:00 UTC
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