Don't forget to check out www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for an archive of the domain name news for the last three months. And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** ICANN July magazine out http://icann.org/en/magazine/archive/magazine-200807-en.html Legal update: Domain name gold rush on the horizon http://www.deacons.com.au/legal-services/technology-media-telecommunications/legal-updates/legal-update.cfm?objid=6512 Web seminar: Internet liberalization: opportunities and challenges for IP owners http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/web-seminar-internet-liberalization-opportunities-and-challenges-for-ip-owners.html LACTLD Appoints Erick Iriarte Ahon General Manager http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/22/lactld-appoints-erick-iriarte-ahon-general-manager/ me: Thousands rush for personalised e-mail addresses http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4385223.ece Immediate Demand For .Me Goes Sky High! [news release] https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/news/release_view.asp?news_item_id=176&app_hdr= To disclose or not to disclose? Disclosing security problems is a good idea, says Bill Thompson, except when it isn't http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7520035.stm Details of Major Internet Flaw Posted by Accident [IDG] http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148722/details_of_major_internet_flaw_posted_by_accident.html Hundreds of Websites Outed for Illegally Selling Steroids http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=159475 Family lose Narnia web name fight http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7522240.stm Author's estate wins battle of Narnia domain name http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4386949.ece Much-maligned feature being added to IPv6 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072108-ipv6nat.htm nz: Dengate Thrush to chair Carriers' Forum group-ICANN chair to help guide IP interconnect policy http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/466FC3432130017ACC25748E00764344 Broadband users overtake dial-up in Australia http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24064868-15306,00.html ABS figures show fourfold jump in Internet connections http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;732016969 Internet access at home in Australia [report] http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs§.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Chapter10002008 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** us: Groups urge FCC to keep the Internet open [IDG] The U.S. Federal Communications Commission needs to take steps to keep the Internet free of interference from broadband providers, such as the slowing of peer-to-peer traffic and the tracking of subscribers' Web habits, several witnesses told the FCC at a hearing yesterday. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110446 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** ICANN July magazine out The July edition of the ICANN magazine is out, emailed to subscribers and available for review online. The current issues includes a full policy rundown for the month, board decisions and discussions, summary of the Paris meeting and public comment period bonanza. http://icann.org/en/magazine/archive/magazine-200807-en.html Legal update: Domain name gold rush on the horizon ... It is worth noting, however, that a very real impediment to the introduction of any new rules will be securing industry and public support for the proposed new rules, as well as approval from each country?s internet regulatory authority. In the past, for example, an attempt to introduce .xxx as a new gTLD for the adult entertainment industry was rejected following a spirited moral debate. Finally, it is also proposed that the present domain name system be expanded from the current 37 characters to include non-Latin characters, which would potentially expand the reach of the internet to millions of users who do not recognise Latin-based languages. http://www.deacons.com.au/legal-services/technology-media-telecommunications/legal-updates/legal-update.cfm?objid=6512 http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5486 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/22/legal-update-domain-name-gold-rush-on-the-horizon/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/legal-update-domain-name-gold-rush-on-the-horizon.html Web seminar: Internet liberalization: opportunities and challenges for IP owners Managing IP will host a free web seminar, in association with Melbourne IT Digital Brand Services covering Internet liberalization: opportunities and challenges for IP owners http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/web-seminar-internet-liberalization-opportunities-and-challenges-for-ip-owners.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/21/internet-liberalization-opportunities-and-challenges-for-ip-owners/ ICANN Seeks Fix for Registry Failure ICANN creating contingency plan for registry failure: We?ve seen domain registrars, such as RegisterFly, lose their accreditation. But what happens when a domain registry that manages an entire top level domain (TLD) goes out of business? http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/21/icann-seeks-fix-for-registry-failure/ Icann eases on domain names Icann has relaxed the rules on internet domain names, which may eventually allow the creation of millions of unique web addresses based on common words, brands, company names, cities or even proper names, Gulf News has reported. http://www.ameinfo.com/164077.html Kids at Risk: Report Identifies 150 Websites Selling Anabolic Steroids [news release] 'Pumped Up on the Internet' calls for action from ICANN, US-based domain: LegitScript.com, an online pharmacy verification service, and KnujOn.com, an Internet spam and criminality watchdog, have released an investigative report that identifies 156 websites engaged in the illicit sale of anabolic steroids. http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/07-21-2008/0004852098&EDATE= http://www.sunherald.com/prnewswire/story/693364.html Internet Ad Execs Conflicted Over Proposed Top-Level Domain Name Changes On June 26 in Paris, Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, approved expanding Web address extensions, or "top-level domains," to include generic words and names in international scripts. http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1487308/internet_ad_execs_conflicted_over_proposed_toplevel_domain_name_changes/ .anything is the next big challenge Probably, you have already heard of the ICANN?s decision to dramatically relax the rules on top-level domain names and thus allowing billion of new web addresses to become available over time. The decision was met controversially: ones viewed it as a landmark while others were not very impressed. http://www.domaininformer.com/news/editors/080722anythingisthenextbigchallenge.html ICANN Opens Public Comment Period on Czech Arbitration Court Proposed Pilot Projects ICANN has received a request from the Czech Arbitration Court (CAC) to run two pilot projects related to its implementation of UDRP. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-22jul08-en.htm ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** LACTLD Appoints Erick Iriarte Ahon General Manager LACTLD, the association for ccTLD managers in the Latin American and Caribbean region, has appointed Erick Iriarte Ahon to theposition of their General Manager. http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/lactld-appoints-erick-iriarte-ahon-general-manager.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/22/lactld-appoints-erick-iriarte-ahon-general-manager/ me: Thousands rush for personalised e-mail addresses An international rush for personalised e-mail addresses has seen more than 50,000 people register under the new .me domain name in just two days. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article4385223.ece Immediate Demand For .Me Goes Sky High! [news release] Go Daddy received a Super Bowl-like spike in traffic and domain registrations - only it didn't have anything to do with commercials or Go Daddy Girls. It was all about the .ME domain. In the first 24 hours of registration, Go Daddy successfully registered more than 20,000 .ME names, making it the most successful new domain launch in Go Daddy's history. https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/news/release_view.asp?news_item_id=176&app_hdr= GoDaddy on .ME: ?The Most Successful New Domain Launch in History? Talk about bravado. Four days after launching the .me domain extension and inciting a virtual riot among customers, GoDaddy is toting the success of what it calls ?the most successful new domain launch in GoDaddy?s history.? The basis for that claim? More than 20,000 .Me domain names were registered in the first 24 hours of availability, according to the company. http://mashable.com/2008/07/21/godaddy-dotme-launch/ .ME in Demand, says Go Daddy Go Daddy announced on Monday it has seen a "Super Bowl-like" spike in traffic and domain registrations since .me became available to the general public on July 17. http://www.thewhir.com/marketwatch/072108_ME_in_Demand_says_Go_Daddy.cfm ?One Web? Vision Suggests .Mobi is a Short-Term Fix Earlier this month Ron Jackson posted about an interesting session at Search Engine Strategies? San Jose Show, taking place August 18-22. The session, titled ?Mobile SEO: Death of the ?.mobi??, suggests that web developers shouldn?t create a mobile version of their web sites. Instead, they should make their ?one web? site work across traditional and mobile platforms. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/21/one-web-vision-suggests-mobi-is-a-short-term-fix/ .org first top level domain to adopt DNS security protocol ICANN has unanimously approved a request by the Public Interest Registry (which handles .org domains) to become the first generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) to switch to the DNS security protocol DNSSEC. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080722-org-first-top-level-domain-to-adopt-dns-security-protocol.html .ORG Becomes First Generic Top Level Domain to Start DNSSEC Implementation-Calls on ICANN for Speedy Adoption to Sign the Root [news release] A request by .ORG, The Public Interest Registry to bolster Internet security via the implementation of Domain Name Security Extensions (DNSSEC) was unanimously approved by the board of ICANN at the recent Paris meeting. As the first generic Top Level Domain authorized to implement DNSSEC, .ORG also is preparing an education and adoption plan within the Internet infrastructure community. http://pir.org/index.php?db=content/News&tbl=Press&id=9 RegistryPro Confirms Melbourne IT to Join .Pro TLD Relaunch RegistryPro ... announced ... that Melbourne IT ... has agreed to participate in the highly-anticipated .Pro TLD relaunch on September 8, 2008. "As one of the world's leading domain name registrars, Melbourne IT occupies a unique position in the industry," said Catherine Sigmar, general manager of RegistryPro. "We are delighted to enter into this agreement and see it as a significant step toward realizing our goals for the .Pro TLD." http://registry.pro/pressreleasses/2008/0716.html Changes to .tr Registration Requirements Changes have occurred to the eligibility requirements for .tr domain names. The new changes are as follows: http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/21/changes-to-tr-registration-requirements/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/changes-to-.tr-registration-requirements.html Dot-travel provider to step up promotion push Tralliance Corporation plans to step up its activity in the UK to raise the profile of the dot-travel top level domain name in the coming weeks. http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2008/07/22/1550/Dot-travel+provider+to+step+up+promotion+push.html ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** To disclose or not to disclose? Disclosing security problems is a good idea, says Bill Thompson, except when it isn't In the last few weeks we've seen two very different approaches to the full disclosure of security flaws in large-scale computer systems. Problems in the domain name system have been kept quiet long enough for vendors to find and fix their software, while details of how to hack Transport for London's Oyster card will soon be available to anyone with a laptop computer and a desire to break the law. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7520035.stm http://www.circleid.com/posts/87229_shouting_bug_crowded_internet/ Cybersecurity Will Take A Big Bite of the US Budget President Bush's single largest request for funds and "most important initiative" in the fiscal 2009 intelligence budget is for the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, a little publicized but massive program whose details "remain vague and thus open to question," according to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001641.html Details of Major Internet Flaw Posted by Accident [IDG] A computer security company on Monday inadvertently published details of a major flaw in the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) several weeks before they were due to be disclosed. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148722/details_of_major_internet_flaw_posted_by_accident.html http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110418 http://techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=102199 http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/22/Details_of_major_Internet_flaw_posted_by_accident_1.html With DNS flaw now public, attack code imminent [IDG] One day after a security company accidentally posted details of a serious flaw in the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS), hackers are saying that software that exploits this flaw is sure to pop up soon. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110521 http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1609328304 http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/scrt/7097C6CECB82D400CC25748F0014CBFA http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/07/23/Attack_code_imminent_for_DNS_flaw_1.html Aussies play down DNS disaster One large Australian organisation and a local computer security advisor have played down the importance of a security flaw in the global Domain Name System (DNS) that has led to panic in some security circles around the globe. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Aussies-play-down-DNS-disaster/0,130061744,339290813,00.htm Is Kaminsky's DNS flaw public? Thirteen days after Dan Kaminsky asked his fellow security researchers not to speculate on the details of his DNS flaw, a fellow Black Hat researcher published his own speculation, and apparently got it right. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-9996316-83.html Researcher attempts to unravel Kaminsky DNS flaw A security researcher has come up with an attack method he believes could be used to exploit the DNS flaw that was recently patched in a co-ordinated, multi-vendor effort. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39451074,00.htm Kerfuffle erupts as DNS flaw described Well-known security researcher Halvar Flake rediscovered the flaw in the domain-name system announced by a coalition of software makers and infrastructure providers earlier this month, posting a description of the issue on his Web site on Monday. http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/779 Hundreds of Websites Outed for Illegally Selling Steroids Several hundred Websites sponsored by U.S. Internet domain registrars, including the popular GoDaddy, are selling steroids illegally, according to two online fraud watchdog organizations. They have been discovered by two Internet anti-fraud groups. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=159475 Registrars turn blind eye to sites selling illegal steroids Next time you see websites brazenly pushing anabolic steroids, thank GoDaddy, Dynadot and a half-dozen other US-based registrars, which allow them to operate even though they're illegal, claims a new report. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/21/registrars_cater_to_steroids_sellers/ Georgian president suffers cyberattack The Web site of the Georgian president was the subject of a distributed-denial-of-service attack over the weekend. The attack, which is believed by some experts to have been politically motivated, began on Saturday, according to a blog post by Steven Adair, a Shadowserver security volunteer. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39450414,00.htm http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62044000,00.htm http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Georgian-president-suffers-cyberattack/0,130061744,339290743,00.htm CNNIC Establishes Anti-Phishing Alliance A number of Chinese banks and securities organizations, e-commerce sites, domain name registrars and service providers have joined forces to establish the "China Anti-Phishing Alliance". http://www.marbridgeconsulting.com/marbridgedaily/2008-07-23/article/18094/cnnic_establish_anti_phishing_alliance ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Family lose Narnia web name fight An Edinburgh couple have lost a battle with the estate of Chronicles of Narnia author CS Lewis over a web domain name. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7522240.stm Author's estate wins battle of Narnia domain name A couple who bought a web domain name as a birthday present for their 11-year-old son have lost a battle with the estate of C.S. Lewis to keep it. Richard and Gillian Saville-Smith, from Edinburgh, paid ?70 for the name www.narnia.mobi in September 2006 so that their son Comrie, who is a fan of C.S. Lewis, could use it as an e-mail address. The author's estate lodged a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organisation, which ruled yesterday that the domain name should be transferred. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4386949.ece Edinburgh couple lose Narnia website battle An Edinburgh couple who bought a Narnia website name for their son's birthday have lost their David and Goliath-style battle against one of the biggest law firms in the world. http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2407823.0.Edinburgh_couple_lose_Narnia_website_battle.php uk: Couple's Narnia website verdict due A couple who bought a Narnia website name for their son's birthday are expected to find out if they have won their David and Goliath-style battle against one of the biggest law firms in the world. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/couples+narnia+website+verdict+due/2349687 Company Goes After Fired.com in UDRP Here?s a UDRP case that will get domainers ?fired? up. A company that filed for a trademark on the term ?fired? in 2004 has filed a UDRP against the owner of Fired.com to try to get the domain name. The case commenced yesterday at National Arbitration Forum. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/23/company-goes-after-firedcom-in-udrp/ Businesses on cyberwatch-Protecting a company's name on the Internet is an ongoing battle Companies have used the Internet to varying degrees for more than a decade. And for almost as long, they?ve had to worry about a barrage of Internet threats, each having the potential to cripple a company?s operations, cost it millions of dollars or even lead to business failure. Protecting a company?s name or brand is crucial, and part of that is protecting domain names for the company?s Web site. http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/othercities/dallas/stories/2008/07/21/focus1.html Floyd Mayweather Extends Winning Streak to 40-0 Former welterweight champion boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr., a.k.a. ?Money Mayweather?, has won a domain name dispute for MoneyMayweather.com. Mayweather was 39-0 in the ring during his career, and carried his winning ways to arbitration. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/22/floyd-mayweather-extends-winning-streak-to-40-0/ ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Much-maligned feature being added to IPv6 In a high-tech twist of irony, the Internet engineering community is adding a feature to IPv6 that the upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol was supposed to eliminate. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072108-ipv6nat.htm IPv6 to Get Much-Maligned Feature One of the design goals for IPv6 was that it would rid the Internet of network address translation (NAT), gateways that match increasingly scarce public IPv4 addresses with private IPv4 addresses used inside corporations, government agencies and other organizations. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148754/ipv6_to_get_muchmaligned_feature.html IPv6 insecurity is a clear and present danger INTERNET PROTOCOL version 6 (IPv6) is placing many systems at risk of attack because networking software has IPv6 enabled but users don't know it, warns a security researcher. http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/07/21/ipv6-insecurity-clear-present After staunch resistance, NAT may come to IPv6 after all Problem: the Internet is running out of addresses. Clean solution: create more addresses by increasing the address length from 32 to 128 bits. Messy solution: have multiple systems share a single 32-bit address through Network Address Translation (NAT). After years of applying the messy NAT solution, it looks like we're going to run out of 32-bit IPv4 addresses within the next three years or so anyway, so those who want to connect to the Internet after 2011 or 2012 will probably have to use IPv6. But everyone else will still be on IPv4, so we need some way for IPv6 users to talk to IPv4 users. Could the much-maligned NAT be the solution? http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080722-after-staunch-resistance-nat-may-come-to-ipv6-after-all.html Comcast pitches IPv6 strategy to standards body The country's largest ISP is proposing a solution called Dual-Stack Lite, which it says is backwards compatible with IPv4 and can be deployed incrementally as the carrier upgrades its networks to IPv6 but uses a combination of tunneling and NAT to allow customers with IPv4-only devices and IPv6 addresses to access IPv4 and IPv6 content. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110401 http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;305448229 Comcast pitches IPv6 strategy to standards body Comcast has developed an innovative approach for gradually migrating its customers to the next-generation Internet, and the ISP is promoting this approach to the Internet's leading standards body. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072108-comcast-ipv6.html NATs necessary for IPv6, says IETF chair We posed a few questions to Russ Housley, chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force, about why the standards body is developing network address translations for IPv6 when IPv6 was supposed to eliminate the need for NATs on the Internet. Here's what Housley had to say. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072109-nat-housley-qna.html NTT Donates IPv6 Bandwidth to Open Source Contributing to open source typically conjures images of working on a project's code. But offering bandwidth is another critical way the movement can benefit. That's the approach taken by NTT America, a Tier 1 carrier and a division of Japan-based NTT Communications, which is now helping open source by donating IPv6 transit (define) to the Internet Systems Consortium (ISC). http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/netsys/article.php/3760416/NTT+Donates+IPv6+Bandwidth+to+Open+Source.htm Beijing Olympics Putting IPv6 To The Test While the 2008 Beijing Olympics might be good for China's image in the world, they will definitely be great for the IPv6 standard. China is relying on the IPV6 technology to transmit real time footage of all Olympic events to live TV broadcasting systems and video streaming over the Internet. http://www.crn.com/networking/209600055 ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** Ex-Microsoft exec found guilty of embezzlement explains herself [Network World] Carolyn Gudmundson, a former Microsoft manager who has admitted stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company, wrote a letter of explanation and apology, reports a post in Todd Bishop's blog. The story is a sad one of a high-paid, high-flying executive gone awry. Gudmundson has admitted to falsifying expense reports for domain names purchased on her corporate credit card. She admits to submitting the same receipts repeatedly for reimbursement. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;767650881 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;767650881 nz: Dengate Thrush to chair Carriers' Forum group-ICANN chair to help guide IP interconnect policy Peter Dengate Thrush will chair the Telecommunications Carriers' Forum?s working party on IP interconnection. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/466FC3432130017ACC25748E00764344 ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** .au Domain Name Auction Site Commences With changes to the .au ccTLD policy that now allow for transfers of domain names and subsequently trading in domain names, Netfleet.com.au have commenced an online domain trading site for auctions and sales of .au domain names. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=5485 http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/22/au-domain-name-auction-site-commences/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/.au-domain-name-auction-site-commences.html Another Australian Online Domain Auction Site Launches NameSeek is the second domain name auction site specialising in sales of .au domain names to be announced since policies for the .au namespace were liberalised on June 1 following Netfleet.com.au. http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/23/nameseek-another-australian-online-domain-auction-site-launches/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/nameseek-another-australian-online-domain-auction-site-launches.html LinkedIn retrieves Australian domain US-based business social networking company LinkedIn has taken action to retrieve the Australian version of its internet address from local digital marketing agency Clear Blue Day. http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/LinkedIn-retrieves-Australian-domain/0,130061791,339290755,00.htm http://www.builderau.com.au/news/soa/LinkedIn-retrieves-Australian-domain/0,339028227,339290755,00.htm LinkedIn's New Purchase of .au ccTLD Shows Increase In Australian TLD Popularity Builder.au reports that LinkedIn, the social networking site for professionals, has joined an increasing number of companies that have sought to register their trademarks on the Australian (.au) ccTLD. Several months ago LinkedIn contacted Australian marketing firm Clear Blue Day, the previous registrant of linkedin.com.au, and requested that Clear turn over the domain name. Instead, Clear negotiated a deal whereby they received an advertising campaign on LinkedIn?s website in exchange for the domain name. http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2008/07/linkedins-new-p.html If Google should falter, how many others will follow? Nothing says "recession" like a bit of a dip in the rate of growth of Google's profits, which is what we saw this week. The search engine company has built up such a mythical presence in the minds of the old media, most spend their evenings behind the sofa shivering with primal fear, waiting to be disaggregated by the jolly primary coloured beast. But there are a couple of things to remember - Google's results this quarter represented a slowing in the rate of growth rather than a full-throttle reversal of fortune, and it were slightly impaired by the effect of interest payments on its purchase of DoubleClick's online advertising business. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/21/google.mediabusiness Slowdown in Online Advertising Hits Yahoo With the slowing economy taking a toll on the online advertising business, Yahoo said Tuesday that its revenue in the second quarter grew a sluggish 6 percent from the same period a year earlier as net income dropped by 19 percent. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/23/technology/23yahoo.html Yahoo profit falls almost 19% [Bloomberg News, Reuters] Yahoo reported a drop in net profit of almost 19 percent Tuesday and net revenue short of lowered Wall Street expectations, as it faced a weakening economy and the distraction of Microsoft's pursuit. http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/22/business/yahoo.php Moniker.com Announces Domain Name Inventory for the Upcoming Online Auction at Affiliate Summit 2008 in Boston [news release] Moniker, an Oversee.net company and provider of Domain Asset Management? services, today announced the availability of premium domain names for purchase via its exclusive online domain name auction produced in association with the Affiliate Summit 2008 East, the largest event for affiliate marketers. The online auction will start on Sunday, August 10 and continue through Thursday, August 21. http://domainnews.com/en/general/moniker.com-announces-domain-name-inventory-for-the-upcoming-online-auction-at-affiliate-summit-2008.html http://domainpulse.com/2008/07/23/monikercom-announces-domain-name-inventory-for-the-upcoming-online-auction-at-affiliate-summit-2008-in-boston/ Moniker Sends Silent Auctions to SnapNames Move will increase audience for silent auction domains. Moniker announced that it will now use the SnapNames platform for auctioning domains in its silent auctions. Previously, silent auctions were held on Moniker?s online platform which required a separate login and access code. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/23/moniker-sends-silent-auctions-to-snapnames/ Discover.Asia Reach US$112,111 as Hot-or-Not Contest Excitement Continues [news release] DotAsia Organisation announced today that auction for Discover.Asia closed at US$112,111 and now has a commanding lead over ?sex.asia? on the Top 10 auctions list. The .Asia Sunrise and Landrush auction process is approaching its final stretch, while the .Asia Hot-or-Not Domains Appraisal Contest continues on think.asia. Grand Prize winner for US$10,000 will be crowned when auctions are expected to be completed later in August http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/07/23/discoverasia-reach-us112111-as-hot-or-not-contest-excitement-continues/ http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/discover.asia-reach-us-112-111-as-hot-or-not-contest-excitement-continues.html Expiring .TV Call Letter Domain Names Not So ?Highly-Prized? While Andy Purdy called the auctions of the 4-letter .tv domains that use the call letters of U.S. TV stations ?highly-prized?, it seems that his speculation was a bit of hype. http://www.domainnamenews.com/alternate-extensions/expiring-tv-call-letter-domain-names-not-so-highly-prized/1750 Rick Schwartz sells Property.com to Foreclosure.com ?Domain King? Rick Schwartz has sold ?property.com? to foreclosure.com. Rick purchased the domain for $750,000 USD less than 3 years ago. Details of the deal have not been disclosed at this point and it is not known if ?properties.com? was included in the deal. http://www.domainnamenews.com/domain-sales/rick-schwartz-sells-propertycom-to-foreclosurecom/1799 Revolution.org Sells for $120,000 Domain brokerage Sedo has sold Revolution.org for a whopping $120,000. According to NameBio.com, the only .org domains to have sold for more are Date.org ($150,349), Sexe.org ($151,400), and Engineering.org ($198,000). http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/21/revolutionorg-sells-for-120000/ Bido.com Sells Dickinson for $12,000 Upstart domain auction house Bido has sold Dickinson.com for $12,000, a record for the site. http://domainnamewire.com/2008/07/22/bidocom-sells-dickinson-for-12000/ ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Global internet users reach 1.4 billion A quarter of the global population will regularly use the internet during 2008, according to IDC's Digital Marketplace Model and Forecast. The figure of 1.4 billion people is set to jump to 1.9 billion over the next four years, bringing internet access to roughly 30 per cent of the world's population. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222120/quarter-world-regular-internet-users Google knocks Microsoft off top of Britain's biggest brands The internet search engine Google has been named as Britain's top "superbrand", after it beat Microsoft for the premier spot, according to a YouGov survey published today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jul/21/google.google Broadband users overtake dial-up in Australia Broadband has for the first time outstripped dial-up as the main gateway to the internet for households, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said. In 2006-07, 43 per cent of Australian homes had a broadband connection compared with 20 per cent with dial-up during the same period. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,24064868-15306,00.html ABS figures show fourfold jump in Internet connections Broadband surpassed dial-up for the first time last year, with twice as many homes connected via broadband than via dial-up, according to recent figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;732016969 Internet access at home in Australia [report] Abstract: The Internet has become increasingly important in recent years as a way of accessing information, communicating and buying goods and services. A growing proportion of Australians have access to the Internet at home. The rate of access has quadrupled in recent years, from 16% of Australian households in 1998 to 64% in 2006?07. The rate of Broadband Internet uptake has also increased. This article examines geographical and socioeconomic factors that determine who has access to the Internet and who is missing out. http://abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs§.nsf/Lookup/4102.0Chapter10002008 ********************** SOCIAL NETWORKING ********************** au: Networking sites to raise missing persons awareness Internet networking websites including Facebook and MySpace will be used this year to promote National Missing Persons Week. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/22/2311396.htm ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Smaller PCs Cause Worry for Industry The personal computer industry is poised to sell tens of millions of small, energy-efficient Internet-centric devices. Curiously, some of the biggest companies in the business consider this bad news. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/21/technology/21pc.html In the US, Phone Giants Fight to Keep Subscribers With millions of people snapping up the iPhone, AT&T, the exclusive carrier for the popular phone, should be quite pleased with the stream of revenue it can expect from customers. But AT&T, the biggest telecommunications company in the United States, has a problem: analysts say consumers are dropping traditional landlines faster than expected. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/23/technology/23phone.html ********************** SPAM ********************** 'Spam King' Robert Soloway gets nearly four years in prison U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ended the reign of the so-called "Spam King," who earned his title by sending out millions of unwanted e-mails, by sentencing the Seattle man to nearly fours years in prison on Tuesday. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/371772_spamking23.html ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Cybersecurity Will Take A Big Bite of the US Budget President Bush's single largest request for funds and "most important initiative" in the fiscal 2009 intelligence budget is for the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, a little publicized but massive program whose details "remain vague and thus open to question," according to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/20/AR2008072001641.html American Airlines drops trademark lawsuit against Google American Airlines Inc. has dropped its trademark-infringement lawsuit against Google Inc. that claimed the Internet company used the airline's trademark to trigger paid advertisements for other companies. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110478 American Airlines and Google settle lawsuit [AP] American Airlines has dropped its lawsuit against Google Inc. over its search engine directing some users to advertisements for the airline's competitors. http://news.smh.com.au/technology/american-airlines-and-google-settle-lawsuit-20080722-3iz9.html http://news.theage.com.au/technology/american-airlines-and-google-settle-lawsuit-20080722-3iz9.html Facebook challenges German rival The German company that is the subject of an intellectual property lawsuit from social networking firm Facebook has said the case is without merit. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7516821.stm German site sued by Facebook says claims without merit The German company sued by Facebook for running a "knockoff" of the social networking Web site said on Sunday it asked a German court to declare that Facebook's claims are without merit. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKN2034220420080721 eBay not responsible for policing counterfeits, says US court A US court has said that eBay cannot be held liable by jewellery store Tiffany & Co for direct or contributory trade mark infringement, a ruling which contradicts a French court?s recent holding in a similar dispute http://managingip.com/Article/1975998/eBay-not-responsible-for-policing-counterfeits-says-US-court.html us: Efforts to rein in online fight videos The images played out in shocking detail this spring: a group of Florida teens beating a girl and videotaping it to allegedly post online at YouTube and MySpace. Some of them face felony charges and the possibility of life in prison. http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2008/07/22/efforts-to-rein-in-online-fight-videos/ ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Privacy on the Web: Is It a Losing Battle? Visit the Amazon.com site to buy a book online and your welcome page will include recommendations for other books you might enjoy, including the latest from your favorite authors, all based on your history of purchases. Most customers appreciate these suggestions, much the way they would recommendations by a local librarian. http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=11067 uk: 'Spying' requests exceed 500,000 More than 500,000 official "spying" requests for private communications data such as telephone records were made last year, a report says. Police, security services and other public bodies made requests for billing details and other information. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7520371.stm The F.T.C.?s Bully Pulpit on Privacy I recently had a chance to sit down with Lydia B. Parnes, the director of the Federal Trade Commission?s bureau of consumer protection. She is the top government regulator who looks after Internet advertising and privacy issues, among many other concerns. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/21/the-ftcs-bully-pulpit-on-privacy/ Momentum builds for U.S. privacy policy, but passage of a privacy law is unlikely until 2009 [IDG] Privacy advocates in Washington have been busy in recent months. Groups such as the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) have sounded alarms on several privacy-related issues before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110483 ISP responds to lawmaker concerns about ad tracking [IDG] Embarq Corp., an Internet service provider based in Overland, Kan., has suspended its test of a targeted advertising service that tracks subscribers' Web habits as a way to deliver relevant ads. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110481 http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148766/isp_responds_to_lawmaker_concerns_about_ad_tracking.html http://nytimes.com/idg/IDG_852573C4006938808525748E0055CC93.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Piracy: Look for the silver lining "Merchant and pirate were for a long period one and the same person,? wrote Friedrich Nietzsche. ?Even today mercantile morality is really nothing but a refinement of piratical morality.? Companies, of course, would strongly disagree with this suggestion. Piracy is generally bad for business. It can undermine sales of legitimate products, deprive a company of its valuable intellectual property and tarnish its brand. Commercial piracy may not be as horrific as the seaborne version off the Horn of Africa. But stealing other people?s R&D, artistic endeavour or even journalism is still theft. http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11750492 Internet piracy: Thanks, me hearties - Media firms find that statistics on internet piracy can be rather useful Global sales of recorded music fell by 8% in 2007, according to figures released in June by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, a trade group. It blamed 70% of the decline on ?file-sharing? software, which allows internet users to exchange music and video without paying for it. Industry groups have sued thousands of users of such software, and have supported legislation to criminalise it. But file-sharing has so far proved impossible to stop. And it is not all bad news for the industry, because it can provide helpful insights into music-lovers? interests. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11751035 UK net firms in music pirates deal Six of the UK's biggest net providers are believed to be backing a government plan to tackle music piracy online. The plan commits the firms to working towards a "significant reduction" in the illegal sharing of music. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7522334.stm Net TV technology seeks testers Testers are being sought for technology that may help TV migrate to the net. The P2P Next project has created a trial, or beta, version of software that can stream video across a file-sharing network. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7517114.stm BSkyB to launch online subscription music service Pay-TV firm BSkyB is to launch an online subscription music service and has signed the world's largest music group Universal as its first partner, in a deal that could challenge Apple. http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKWLA666520080722 BSkyB and Universal to launch digital music service BSkyB is to break into the digital music market with a new business, launched in conjunction with Universal Music, that aims to take on Apple's iTunes in the UK. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/22/bskyb.digitalmedia ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** Chinese Websites Shamed On CIIIRC's Blacklist The China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Centre has released its "No.1 Report", which exposes the illegal spread of risque information of some Chinese websites and combines the names of those websites onto a blacklist. http://www.chinatechnews.com/2008/07/23/7046-chinese-websites-shamed-on-ciiircs-blacklist/ ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ US Government strikes out on COPA?ruled unconstitutional again A federal court once again struck down the 1998 Child Online Protection Act (COPA) today, ruling it unconstitutional, overbroad, and vague. It has been 10 years since the law's introduction and it has yet to be enforced thanks to the courts ruling repeatedly against it, despite the government's continued appeals. http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080722-government-strikes-out-on-copa-ruled-unconstitutional-again.html COPA anti-Net porn law: Down but not out The U.S. Department of Justice has been fighting an extended legal battle since 1998 to enforce a federal law that targets Web sites deemed "harmful to minors." On Tuesday, it lost again. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-9997314-38.html US Appeals Court Strikes Down Federal Internet Porn Law [Dow Jones] In the latest setback to congressional efforts to police pornography on the Internet, a federal appeals court has invalidated the federal Child Online Protection Act, a law designed to keep children from viewing sexually explicit material on the Web. http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080722\ACQDJON200807221438DOWJONESDJONLINE000565.htm Online Safety, Privacy Tops Parents' Concerns The survey of 1,035 adults, as well as 260 pairs of parents and teens, highlighted how little parents know about their teens' activities online. http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/client/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209400624 N.Y. AG pushes Comcast to block child-porn access [AP] New York's attorney general notified Comcast Corp. on Monday that the state will take legal action if the company - the nation's second-largest Internet service provider - doesn't agree to eliminate access to child pornography. http://www.thestate.com/technology-wire/story/467061.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/21/national/a120558D19.DTL New York Threatens Comcast Over Child Porn New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has threatened legal action against Comcast if it doesn't move quickly to block known child porn sites. http://news.digitaltrends.com/news-article/17350/new-york-threatens-comcast-over-child-porn US ISPs sign nationwide deal to ban child porn The majority of internet service providers in the US have signed a pact to ban child pornography from being viewed online. All cable providers in the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) have vowed to block sites listed as carrying child pornography held by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2222066/isps-sign-nationwide-deal-ban Kenyan Parents Must Act Now to Control Cyber Culture Among Children The pendulum of opinion on the impact of computers and the Internet on children will always swing. Is the technology good or bad for our kids? Should the State control access or should it be left to parental guidance and "filter" software? http://allafrica.com/stories/200807210093.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** au: Watchdog sniffs at mobile excess usage fees The rise of fast web browsing on 3G mobiles such as the iPhone has prompted the competition regulator to investigate whether carriers are misleading consumers into a trap of high excess usage fees. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/07/21/1216492331116.html http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/07/21/1216492331116.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* World at the fingertips of NZ's young and lucky geek The Whitianga computer whiz kid who masterminded an international network of computer hacking has become something of a local hero, flooded with international job offers and celebrated by fellow geeks. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/feature/story.cfm?c_id=1501832&objectid=10522457 nz: The cyber star left to shine There's little sign that Owen Walker, the teenager, even exists in his home town of Whitianga. Ask around the small seaside township about the 19-year-old hacker involved in a multi-million-dollar internet cyber-crime, and it's as though Walker lived in a separate world. Effectively he did. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10522449 Icahn and allies get 3 Yahoo board seats Yahoo, the Internet portal, has averted a bruising proxy contest with the billionaire investor Carl Icahn, by agreeing to appoint him and two others to its board, which the company will expand from 9 to 11. http://nytimes.com/2008/07/22/technology/22yahoo.html http://iht.com/articles/2008/07/21/business/yahoo.php Carl Icahn joins Yahoo board Dissident investor Carl Icahn has forced his way onto the Yahoo board, along with two of his alternative slate of directors, after agreeing to drop his proxy battle to oust the internet company's existing board. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/21/yahoo.mediabusiness Activist Carl Icahn wins Yahoo! seats in boardroom battle Yahoo! today settled its acrimonious battle with billionaire activist investor Carl Icahn, who will join the US internet search giant as a director. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article4372809.ece Yahoo, Icahn reach deal on board members [IDG] Yahoo Inc. has reached an agreement to end a proxy fight with investor Carl Icahn, who will take a seat on the company's board after the annual stockholders' meeting, Yahoo said on Monday. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9110381 Yahoo makes agreement with Icahn Yahoo has reached an agreement with the activist investor Carl Icahn that will stop him trying to replace its board. Mr Icahn was annoyed that Yahoo had resisted Microsoft's attempts to take it over. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7517511.stm Yahoo, Icahn Reach Deal on Board Yahoo Inc. announced today that it has agreed to give up three seats on its board to billionaire investor Carl Icahn, in a pact intended to head off a high stakes battle for control of the giant Internet company. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/21/AR2008072100640.html ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Wireless telecoms: Culture clash-As ?third generation? (3G) networks proliferate, the focus shifts to 4G What would the technology industry be without standards wars? Like a city without sex, some might argue. But not all fights are winner-take-all battles like the one between VHS and Betamax in videotapes, or Blu-ray and HD DVD in high-definition video discs. Sometimes there need not be a loser, and the din of battle may drown out the real issues?as in the fight between WiMAX and LTE. http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11751174 eu: Mobile firms get more time on data roaming Mobile network operators have another few months' grace on the question of roaming data prices, before the decision about regulation is made, the European telecoms commissioner says. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/mobile-firms-get-more-time-on-data-roaming-872917.html WiMAX at sea, the journey begins [IDG] Ships that call on Singapore can now use WiMAX instead of satellite to connect to the Internet. Already 70% complete, Singapore's maritime WiMAX network will eventually extend 15 kilometers offshore, covering its southern coastline and port -- one of the world's busiest with 140,000 ship calls every year. The government-led project, called WisePort, is run by local operator QMax Communications and uses the same version of WiMAX found in South Korea, called WiBro, that uses the 2.3GHz spectrum band. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/072108-wimax-at-sea-the-journey.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 Start at the new Yahoo!7 for a better online experience. www.yahoo7.com.auReceived on Wed Jul 23 2008 - 18:05:45 UTC
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