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 May 8 edition of the news includes:
Public Comment Period Now Open for Domain Tasting Motion | CEOs
underestimating security risks: Icann president launches new best
practice guide for business leaders | Russian Plan to Foil
Cybersquatters Backed | Unicaresoft loses MSNLock case against
Microsoft | Domainers Can't Have It Both Ways: Until Blatant
Cybersquatters Are Exterminated, All Domainers Will Suffer | Google
trademark move sparks outrage


And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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Public Comment Period Now Open for Domain Tasting Motion | CEOs underestimating security risks: Icann president launches new best practice guide for business leaders | Russian Plan to Foil Cybersquatters Backed | Unicaresoft loses MSNLock case against Microsoft | Domainers Can't Have It Both Ways: Until Blatant Cybersquatters Are Exterminated, All Domainers Will Suffer | Google trademark move sparks outrage


The Future of the Internet - And How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1125949

Internet in danger of losing innovation
http://www.networkworld.com/chat/archive/2008/042908-zittrain-chat-innovation.html

A simple way to avoid being the next Star Wars Kid by Jonathan Zittrain
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3866927.ece

A Killer Product: Will closed devices like Apple's iPhone murder the Web?
http://www.newsweek.com/id/135150

ICANN One Step Closer to Outlawing Domain Tasting: Public comment invited on proposal
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4812

Spain to reach a million domains this summer
http://domainesinfo.fr/english/196/spain-to-reach-a-million-domains-this-summer.php

How to Get Started as a Domainer: 28 Tips, Techniques and Resources
http://www.avivadirectory.com/domain/?p=3

Google alters policy on linked adverts
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3864147.ece

The Real Threat to Google
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/The-Real-Threat-to-Google-62791.html

Google adwords fuel new URL attack
http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=12161


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GOVERNANCE
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The Future of the Internet - And How to Stop It by Jonathan Zittrain
Abstract: This book explores the past, present, and future of the Internet. It explains why some crucial, commonplace ingredients of the Net such as the generic, reprogrammable PC are likely soon to be replaced, not just complemented, by a new range of information appliances and corresponding Web 2.0 platforms that create new gatekeepers and new opportunities for regulation. It says that this future is, on balance, undesirable, even as the market is bringing it about, and it makes recommendations about how to avoid this future.
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1125949

Internet in danger of losing innovation
The death of the PC and the rise of the iPhone and other devices pose grave danger, expert says: Jonathan Zittrain is an internationally known cyberlaw scholar and technologist with a giant resume. He is Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at Oxford Internet Institute and also teaches at Harvard. Zittrain is co-founder of the Chilling Effects Web site (a watchdog site) and holds patents on wireless and network devices. Zittrain has been making headlines with his latest book, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It, in which he argues that closed-systems devices like the iPhone are potentially harmful. In a chat, Zittrain explained how he feels about the iPhone and the dangers posed to the Internet as a whole.
http://www.networkworld.com/chat/archive/2008/042908-zittrain-chat-innovation.html
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1557104514

A simple way to avoid being the next Star Wars Kid by Jonathan Zittrain
Embarrassing images can find their way onto the web all too easily, ruining the lives of the people depicted, but a ?privacy tag? could prevent it: Fifteen years ago, the world wide web was the playground of boffins. Its design reflected the open ethos of those users: it had no central managers, no main menu and no investment in content ? indeed, no business plan whatsoever. Instead, its framers assumed that people would put their own material online, and users would then surf from one site to another, following links on the pages.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article3866927.ece

A Killer Product: Will closed devices like Apple's iPhone murder the Web?
If you say that the iPhone is the greatest invention of your lifetime, few would bat an eye. If you stay up all night playing Halo 3 like some deranged supermarathoner bent on blasting strangers a continent away on your Xbox Live, few would question your sanity. But dare to claim that devices like the iPhone and the Xbox are killing the Internet as we know it, you'd be laughed out of town. But this is the central argument of a new book, "The Future of the Internet--and How to Stop It.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/135150

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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ICANN One Step Closer to Outlawing Domain Tasting: Public comment invited on proposal
ICANN's GNSO Council approved by a super majority vote a motion to discourage use of the current "add grace period" (AGP), where domains can be returned within five days without cost, for "domain tasting" purposes. The motion is pending Board approval
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=4812
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/icann-one-stop-closer-to-outlawing-domain-tasting-public-comment-invited.html

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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No more tasting for .biz and .info domains
ICANN has approved measures intended to reduce the levels of "domain tasting" within the .biz and .info domain registries.
http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=5&title=No%20more%20tasting%20for%20.biz%20and%20.info%20domains&year=2008&month=05

Brazil to open domain for individuals
On May 1, 2008, .COM.BR will be opened up to individuals. Up until then, priori rights holders may carry out priority registrations to protect those rights.
http://domainesinfo.fr/english/198/brazil-to-open-domain-for-individuals.php

ca: New CIRA Whois Policy Strikes Balance Between Privacy and Access by Michael Geist
My weekly technology law column focuses this week on the new CIRA whois policy that is scheduled to take effect on June 10, 2008. The whois issue has attracted little public attention, yet it has been the subject of heated debate within the domain name community for many years. It revolves around the whois database, a publicly accessible, searchable list of domain name registrant information (as in ?who is? the registrant of a particular domain name).
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2897/135/
http://www.circleid.com/posts/85210_cira_whois_policy_privacy_access/

CIRA Board of Directors Election - Call for Nominations [news release]
On May 1 the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) announced the start of its 2008 Board of Directors Election with a call for nominations for Director candidates.
http://cira.ca/en/media-room/news/elections/nom_committee.html

The shame of dot CA
Oh, dot-ca. This week, the gatekeepers of the Canadian parts of the Internet celebrated a faintly telling milestone: the registration of the one millionth domain name that ends in ?.ca.? They had a banquet and everything. Internet celebrities flew in from across the country to be there. These probably weren't the Internet celebrities you know ? nobody, to the best of my knowledge, set off Diet Coke-and-Mentos rockets ? but rather the types who hooked Canada up to the Internet in the first place.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080501.wgtwebseven0501/BNStory/Technology/home

The CZ.NIC Association to Organize an Internet and Internet Technology Conference [news release]
On Tuesday 20 May there is a conference scheduled to take place in Meet Factory in Prague Sm?chov titled Internet a technologie 08 (Internet and Technology 08). This meeting of Czech and foreign experts is organized by CZ.NIC, the administrator of the .CZ domain registry. Speeches and discussions will focus on current topics from the world of the Internet, such as diacritics in domain names (IDN), the IPv6 protocol, or a new system for securing domain registries (DNSSEC). Presentations in the conclusion of the conference will include a speech of Jir? Peterka, independent consultant and publicist, Irena Wintrov? from the Mediaresearch agency, or Ondrej Filip, managing director of CZ.NIC.
http://www.nic.cz/page/450/the-cz.nic-association-to-organize-an-internet-and-internet-technology-conference/

Cancer patient fights for England domain
A cancer patient was so impressed by his NHS treatment he has been inspired to spread his English pride via the internet.
http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news/article-6300-cancer-patient-fights-for-england-domain/

Spain to reach a million domains this summer
Spain now has 925,000 domains and should reach the physchologically important million this summer.
http://domainesinfo.fr/english/196/spain-to-reach-a-million-domains-this-summer.php

The AFNIC salutes the launch of the public consultation on the selection criterias of the registration offices in charge of the French Internet domains [news release]
The Decree of February 6th 2007 presents the principle of an invitation to tender around the French Internet domains management. Are concerned the domains .fr (France), .gf (French Guiana), .gp (Guadeloupe), .mq (Martinique), .pm (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), .re (Reunion Island), .tf (French Southern and Antarctic Lands), .wf (Wallis and Futuna), .yt (Mayotte), as well as future domains .bl (Saint Barthelemy) and .mf (Saint Martin).
http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/general/CP20080428_en

it: Secondary nameserver service dismissal
We would like to inform you that, as previously announced during the last few months to the Maintainers, the secondary nameserver service provided by the Registry on the servers dns2.nic.it and dns3.nic.it, will be dismissed on June 3rd, 2008.
http://www.nic.it/en/novita/comunicazioni.html

Montenegrn Sunrise period begins tomorrow, May 1st
All interested legal entities from Montenegro can apply for registratrion of .me domain trought ME-net accredited registrar.
http://www.nic.me/index.php?page=12&news=80

dotMobi Requests Proposals for find.mobi [news release]
dotMobi announced that it is accepting proposals for find.mobi, a consumer-facing mobile search tool.
http://mtld.mobi/node/1027

.pr (Puerto Rico) IDNs now available
Puerto Rico .pr domain names are now available with internationalised characters in the following languages French, German, Portuguese and Spanish.
http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=2&title=.pr%20%28Puerto%20Rico%29%20IDNs%20now%20available&year=2008&month=05

se: Internet, the Swedes and the World - conference [news release]
Tuesday, May 6 16.00-17.30 Folkets Hus, Barnhusgatan 10-12, Stockholm The seminar is held in English! The first generation to have grown up with the Internet has reached lawful age. They have access to everything - and use the Internet for everything. They download, network, communicate online, shop and blog. The first Internet generation builds web communities, and many of them contribute to the content on the web. In a couple of years they will be our decision makers, our people in the government and Parliament, holding leading positions in local and national branches of the government and leading our biggest companies.
http://iis.se/about/press?id=141

.su (Soviet Union) IDNs coming soon
The Russia registry is allowing IDN's for .su from 28 April 2008.
http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=3&title=.su%20%28Soviet%20Union%29%20IDNs%20coming%20soon&year=2008&month=05

uk: Nominet critic wins boardroom seat
Nominet members have elected one of its leadership's sharpest critics to the board in a divisive election that some feared could jeopardise the not-for-profit UK domain registry's future in its current form.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/02/nominet_election_result_2008/

uk: NOMinet Renewals research
We are working with a company called 2Europe on a market research project. This involves approaching a small sample of our registrars by telephone to understand current renewal practices and how we could help registrars to increase their renewal rates.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5031

uk: Nominet 2008 AGM report
We are pleased to report the outcomes of our AGM held on 30 April 2008. A formal poll was held, using weighted voting, for the election of non-executive directors. Jim Davies and Gordon Dick were elected to serve on the Board of Nominet UK for a period of two years. 440 members voted, 15.84% of the electorate and 4,632,944 votes were cast, 60.17% of the total number of votes.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=5041

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Estonia's cyberattacks: Lessons learned, a year on
The idea that attacks on computer systems could provide an alternative method of spreading terror and disruption has been a concern for governments since IT systems began to proliferate.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39408158,00.htm

Botnet attacks military systems
Security researchers have discovered a complex spamming scheme that hijacks users' PCs in order to attempt to send junk mail via university and military systems.
http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=12148
http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/05/02/Botnet-attacks-military-systems_1.html
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1723233483;fp;2;fpid;1

DDoS attacks knocked Radio Free Europe off the Web
Several Radio Free Europe Web sites were knocked off the Internet a week ago in a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that the news organization's spokesman compared to attempts decades ago by the Soviet Union to jam the U.S.-funded group's radio signals.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9082258

ee: Cyber attackers strike again
Days before the May 9th Russian Victory Day celebrations, members of the 10th parliament of Estonia were hit with a flurry of cyber attacks from Russia.
http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/20391/

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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us: Cybersquatting crisis-pregnancy centers
By now most of us are familiar with crisis pregnancy centers, which masquerade as women's health clinics but do not provide abortions, contraception, or other medical care. Apparently they're also misleading women online. Recently a faux-clinic in Wisconsin purchased a URL that was nearly identical to the URL for the website of Family Planning Health Services, the local women's health clinic -- so women who unwittingly typed in the wrong address were redirected to the anti-choice site.
http://feministing.com/archives/009110.html

US court orders online advertiser to use 'negative keywords'
A US court has ordered a company to use 'negative keywords' to avoid being associated with another firm's trade mark. The innovative order was one of a series of measures ordered by the judge. ... Orion Bancorp took the case over the domain name orionresidentialfinance.com, but took a general trade mark case rather than a specific domain name case to WIPO's dispute resolution service.
http://out-law.com/page-9094

IP attorneys warn of smarter cybersquatters
Intellectual property (IP) attorneys have warned that online fraudsters are becoming more intelligent in their approach, it has been revealed. Las Vegas Business Press (LVBP) reports that deliberate misspellings - termed typosquatting - are becoming more prevalent among domain registrations.
http://www.melbourneitcbs.com/news.php?article=6&title=IP%20attorneys%20warn%20of%20smarter%20cybersquatters&year=2008&month=05

Infy may be forced to change name in France
Indian IT giant, Infosys, may be forced to call it something else in France, as a court there has found its use of this name infringing upon the trademark as well as business and corporate identities of another firm 'Infosys France'. ... The ruling further said that the Indian company could not use the name "Infosys" in France as a trademark, corporate name, trade name and domain name "with immediate effect."
http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=36738

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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How to Prepare for the Coming Changes in the Internet
Everyone seems to believe that to move to IPv6, you must first dump IPv4, the current standard used by most of the Internet. John Day, author of Patterns in Network Architecture, thinks otherwise. Here he tells you how to move forward by changing only those things that actually need changing.
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Knowledge-Center/How-to-Prepare-for-the-Coming-Changes-in-the-Internet/

RIPE NCC Member Update Issue 13: April 2008
The latest edition of the RIPE NCC Member Update includes: RIPE Community Resolution on IPv4 Depletion and Deployment of IPv6; RIPE NCC Government Liaison Activities; RIPE NCC Makes Increased Number of IPv6 Allocations and Certification of Internet Number Resources.
http://ripe.net/membership/newsletter/

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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How to Get Started as a Domainer: 28 Tips, Techniques and Resources
How does a salary of $10,000 per day sound to you? Webmaster and marketing extraordinaire Marcus Frind reportedly pulls in $10,000 per day in Google AdSense from his dating website PlentyofFish.com. But that?s chump change compared to the $100,000 per day that domainer Yun Ye was pulling in before he sold his domain portfolio for about $164M in 2004 and subsequently disappeared under the radar.
http://www.avivadirectory.com/domain/?p=3

Business.com's winding road [Fortune]
Internet whiz Jake Winebaum talks for the first time about building, selling and leaving one of the priciest names in Web real estate: A huge media meltdown that hasn't drawn much notice from the peanut gallery has been the stock trajectory of publicly-traded Yellow Pages companies, led by former high-flier R.H. Donnelly.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/01/technology/businesscom.fortune/

Google alters policy on linked adverts
Competition between advertisers has always been intense but a change being implemented by Google will give companies the chance to hijack each other?s brands online. From Monday, it will become possible for J Sainsbury to place an advertisement that appears anytime someone in Britain types Tesco as a search term, as Google ends its policy of trademark protection in the UK.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article3864147.ece

The Real Threat to Google
Google's biggest threat may not be Microsoft or Yahoo. No, one of the most formidable challenges facing Google is likely sitting in your pocket or purse. It's your cell phone, and it will put added pressure on Google and other Internet companies to revamp the way they handle online marketing.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/The-Real-Threat-to-Google-62791.html

Google adwords fuel new URL attack
Google adwords account holders are being targeted by criminals out to trick them into handing over credit card information using a clever URL spoof that has gained popularity in recent weeks.
http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=12161
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;355984877;fp;2;fpid;1

Could America.com Break Domain Name Sale Record?
America.com is going up for auction shortly and it is anticipated it will get one of the highest prices ever for a domain name.
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/05/04/could-americacom-break-domain-name-sale-record/
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/could-america.com-break-domain-name-sale-record.html

Report: Yahoo getting serious about Google ad deal
Yahoo could announce a deal within a week to carry Google search ads, potentially including a nonexclusive arrangement to allay antitrust concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9933895-7.html

Blockbusters Take a Breather But Three Dozen Five-Figure Deals Dot This Week's Domain Sales Report
No completed six-figure or higher sales were reported this week but there were three dozen solid five-figure sales. While we wait to see if the recent auction for Pizza.com (ending at $2.6 million) successfully closes, the door was left open for a lot of mid-range domains to take the spotlight.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales04-29-08.htm

.NL Auction Sneak Peak!
Join Sedo for our much anticipated .NL auction, being held from May 2nd 4pm (EST) until May 9th at approximately 4pm (EST). As the worth of the .NL...
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1719

Is Google Driving Down the Value of Domain Names?
Robin Cannon in Search Engine Journal asks the somewhat puzzling question, ?Is Google Trumping The URL?? Apparently more and more people use Google to find websites than type in the URL in the address bar of their browser.
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/05/03/is-google-driving-down-the-value-of-domain-names

Canadian Domain Auction Update
As previously reported, Pool has started a one premium domain at a time auction format. The first domain it auctioned was cafe.ca. Unfortunately, this domain did not sell, as it did not meet the reserve price. The next domain they are auctioning is slots.ca, which is also an extremely good domain.
http://www.domainbits.com/canada-auctions/

Two Upcoming Afternic Improvements
Marketplaces such as Afternic and eBay serve their members by making purchases and sales easy and reliable. Successful, easy transactions depend on a trustworthy environment. Accordingly, we are always looking to find ways to improve Afternic?s listings and memberships to best serve the community.
http://afternicdlsblog.com/2008/05/04/two-upcoming-afternic-improvements/

DomainMagnate.com presents an interview with Jeff from DomainBits.com 
Hi Michael! Thanks for the interview. I?m in my late 30s, and live in Ottawa, Canada, with my wife and 4-year old son. My wife and I work together from home - on domaining as well as marketing and running our websites. I also write the blog DomainBits and write for DomainNews. I really like domaining as I like to do things my way, and domaining has no paths that you need to follow - you create your own path and your own success. Staying in my pyjamas all day, being around for my son when he?s not in school, and making good money are all good perks too!
http://www.domainmagnate.com/2008/04/30/interview-with-domainbits-by-domainmagnate/

When Will Pizza.com Dough Arrive?
People outside the domain world were surprised to see that Pizza.com sold for $2.6 million a few weeks ago. But those of us in the domain industry have been on edge ever since. We have one question: will the deal actually close?
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/05/02/when-will-pizzacom-dough-arrive/

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RESEARCH PAPERS
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Identity Theft and the Gullible Computer User: What Sun Tzu in The Art of War Might Teach by Joseph Savirimuthu [Journal of International Commercial Law and Technology]
Abstract: Securing trust is now a priority. Identity theft, phishing and pharming have exposed shortcomings in the criminal law. The online environment is now seen as the playground of criminals. Online criminal activities pose significant social and economic costs. Apparently, the Fraud Act 2006 is the instrument that will now neutralise the threats posed by phishers and identity thieves. This concept paper is an attempt to chart a less tenuous path of claim and counterclaim that often rears its head when the subject turns to personal Internet security. Accordingly, the paper aims to initiate a debate on how we can begin to think about information security and the role of law against the growing threats posed by identity thieves and phishing. I draw on the insights of Sun Tzu in The Art of War as way of understanding how best we can manage and reduce complexity. The debates have all too often focussed on liability rules and legal reform. The resulting
 impasse can be overcome if the problem is first of all properly characterised. A balanced policy debate requires an understanding of two key matters - ?trivergence? and the gullible computer user. The hypothesis is that before we can think about regulatory tools to curb practices like phishing an identity theft we need a better understanding of the interactions between data, devices and networks.
http://jiclt.com/index.php/JICLT/article/view/65

Explaining International Broadband Leadership [Special Report]
A report examining broadband promotion policies in 9 nations finds that while we shouldn?t look to other nations for silver bullets or assume that practices in one nation will automatically work in another, U.S. policymakers can and should learn from broadband ?best practices? in other nations. Emulating the right policies here will enable the U.S. to increase our broadband performance faster than in the absence of proactive policies. Based on the findings from other nations, the report proposes 11 policy recommendations to spur both deployment of more ubiquitous and faster networks and adoption of broadband by consumers.
http://www.itif.org/index.php?id=142
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1128203