Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news. And see my website - http://GoldsteinReport.com/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** New gTLDs ? Final Reports Available on Competition and Pricing http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-06jun09-en.htm Public Comment: Proposed City Top-Level Domain (CTLD) Constituency http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-05jun09-en.htm Whois Accuracy Study Launches http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-05jun09-en.htm Lawmakers: Keep ICANN oversight with US [IDG] http://www.pcworld.com/article/166145/.html New Domain Names In The Future? Call It a Definite.maybe http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2009/06/new_domain_names_in_the_future.html Verizon Urges Caution In Expanding Names Of Web Site Domains [Dow Jones - sub req'd for WSJ] http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090604-711793.html http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200906041259DOWJONESDJONLINE000844_FORTUNE5.htm Internet Group Skewered By Lawmakers http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/06/internet-group-skewered-by-hou.php New Top Level Internet Domains - To Be Or Not To Be? http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/06/06/new-top-level-internet-domains-to-be-or-not-to-be/ OK to sue VeriSign, appeals court rules http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/06/BUQI181P2R.DTL Ninth Circuit Breathes New Life Into Antitrust Action Against VeriSign http://bnablog.bna.com/techlaw/2009/06/ninth-circuit-breathes-new-life-into-antitrust-action-against-verisign.html Dan Warner Sails From Dark Blue Sea http://www.domainnamenews.com/ppc-industry/dark-blue-sea-coo-dan-warner/5285 ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - ICANN ********************** New gTLDs ? Final Reports Available on Competition and Pricing ICANN posted today two reports relating to the introduction of new gTLDs, both by Dr. Dennis Carlton: http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-06jun09-en.htm Public Comment: Proposed City Top-Level Domain (CTLD) Constituency The ongoing GNSO Improvements process has created significant community interest in the formation of new GNSO constituencies and several groups have stepped forward to begin the process of forming a new GNSO constituency. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-05jun09-en.htm Whois Accuracy Study Launches ICANN in coordination with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago ("NORC") has undertaken a study of domain name Whois contact data accuracy. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-05jun09-en.htm Public Comment: Fast Track Implementation (3rd Revision) One more paper is being included in the Fast Track Implementation package, Cost Analysis of IDN ccTLDs: Focus on Program Development and Processing Costs [PDF, 148K]. This paper provides cost analyses of the IDN ccTLDs including the costs to process a request for a new IDN ccTLD as well as the development costs associated with IDN policy and the Fast Track process. Ongoing support costs for TLDs are covered in the EAG paper published last week. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-31may09-en.htm Call for Expressions of Interest for 2010 Nominating Committee Chair ICANN is immediately seeking expressions of interest for the 2010 Nominating Committee (NomCom) Chair. http://icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-3-05jun09-en.htm Congressional Hearing on ICANN A Congressional Hearing is taking place in Washington this morning concerning ICANN and the conclusion of the Joint Project Agreement (JPA) that ICANN has with the US government. http://blog.icann.org/2009/06/congressional-hearing-on-icann/ Agenda for the AC/SO joint meeting in Sydney Starting in Cairo in November 2008, the chairs of the different supporting organizations (SOs) and advisory committees (ACs) have held a joint meeting. http://blog.icann.org/2009/06/acso-sydney/ Lawmakers: Keep ICANN oversight with US [IDG] Several U.S. lawmakers and an executive with the world's largest domain-name registrar called on the U.S. government to maintain oversight of ICANN after a major agreement between the two expires in September. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133972 http://www.pcworld.com/article/166145/.html http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/B35ED4A14A3585FFCC2575CB0073BBB7 http://www.cio.com.au/article/306363/ http://techworld.com.au/article/306363/ http://computerworld.com.au/article/306363/ http://www.infoworld.com/t/networking/lawmakers-keep-icann-oversight-us-295 http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/33F6917907D51DAACC2575CB00764B12 http://www.thestandard.com/news/2009/06/04/lawmakers-keep-icann-oversight-us http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/060409-lawmakers-keep-icann-oversight-with.html http://www.computingsa.co.za/article.aspx?id=1012953 http://www.computerworlduk.com/management/online/e-business/news/index.cfm?newsid=15100 New Domain Names In The Future? Call It a Definite.maybe The non-profit corporation responsible for overseeing the Web's domain-naming rules came to the Hill today, partly to push forward an agenda that it's time to expand the type of Web addresses beyond the familiar ".com" and ".org." But don't expect to be able to register "your.name" as a Web address anytime soon. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2009/06/new_domain_names_in_the_future.html Verizon Urges Caution In Expanding Names Of Web Site Domains [Dow Jones - sub req'd for WSJ] Verizon Communications Inc. Thursday told a House panel that Web site domains shouldn't be expanded to include things like dot.green or dot.phone until it is certain there is a market demand for the names and the Internet is secure and stable. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090604-711793.html http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200906041259DOWJONESDJONLINE000844_FORTUNE5.htm http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=446182 ICANN makes new "tribunal" proposal by Brenden Kuerbis On Jun 1, timed for the NTIA proceeding and Thursday's hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, ICANN released a report of the President's Strategy Commission (PSC), "Improving Institutional Confidence: The Way Forward," that discusses some of the new accountability measures PSC has been considering, and makes some specific proposals. Three of note: http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/6/3/4209505.html Internet Group Skewered By Lawmakers A chorus of House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee members today called for an extension of the U.S. government's formal oversight agreement with the nonprofit that administers the Internet domain name system, citing concerns about the 11-year-old organization's transparency, accountability, budget processes, and stakeholder affairs. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/06/internet-group-skewered-by-hou.php Agencies will team up with ICANN to raise Web security The National Telecommunications and Information Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology announced Wednesday that they will work with ICANN, a nonprofit group that administers the Internet addressing system, to enhance Web security and stability in the face of increasing global threats. http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090604_5533.php Lawmakers Press ICANN Chief on Accountability Members of a House panel grilled the head of the organization responsible for assigning Internet names today, airing complaints about the group's lack of accountability and its efforts to combat cyber-squatting. http://www.internetnews.com/government/article.php/3823536 New Top Level Internet Domains - To Be Or Not To Be? Now even trademark owners and large businesses do not really agree on the planned extension of the internet domain name system to include hundreds of new TLDs like .com. http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2009/06/06/new-top-level-internet-domains-to-be-or-not-to-be/ USA fears unfriendly nation might take control of ICANN after agreement expires America needs to keep its oversight of ICANN, thinks Christine Jones, general counsel and corporate secretary for The Go Daddy Group, a huge registrar based in Scottsdale, Arizona. A number of lawmakers also called upon the US authorities to maintain oversight of the corporation after the agreement between the government and ICANN expires in September this year. http://www.ecommerce-journal.com/news/15997_usa_fears_unfriendly_nation_might_take_control_of_icann_after_agreement_expires Congressional ICANN Oversight Hearing Has A Bipartisan Theme ? It?s Too Soon To End U.S. Oversight On Thursday, June 4th the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet held an oversight hearing on ?Issues Concerning ICANN?. http://www.internetcommerce.org/node/190 IRT Issues Final Report ? Christmas in June Down Under? The Implementation Recommendation Team (IRT) created by ICANN?s Board to allow its Intellectual Property Constituency to propose ?solutions? for whatever trademark threat they believe is posed by new gTLDs has issued its final report. http://www.internetcommerce.org/node/189 Congress Beats Up ICANN (Part 1) - Members of the House rip into ICANN over pricing, transparency, and security. It wasn?t pretty. For better than two hours today, members of the House Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet took turns ripping into ICANN and its President/CEO Paul Twomey. If nothing else, ICANN?s experience on Capitol Hill today will give it all the more reason to try to get out of U.S. oversight. In addition to discussing the Joint Project Agreement, members also discussed the introduction of new TLD names. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/06/04/congress-beats-up-icann-part-1/ Congress Beats Up ICANN (Part 2) - Twomey gets his turn to talk; Verizon shows concerns about new TLDs. In the first part of Domain Name Wire?s coverage of today?s congressional hearings on ICANN I summarized some of the committee members? opening remarks. Now let?s turn to the witnesses? opening remarks. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/06/04/congress-beat-up-icann-part-2/ Congress Beats Up ICANN (Part 3) - Question and answer period at hearing gets testy In part 1 of our coverage of today?s U.S. House of Representatives hearing on ICANN, DNW covered committee member?s opening remarks. Part two covered witnesses? opening testimony. The real fireworks started when the committee members asked questions of the witnesses. Committee chairman Rick Boucher (D-Virginia) started the questioning by following up on Verizon?s comments about cybersquatting. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/06/04/congress-beats-up-icann-part-3/ Technology Policy Institute To Speak at ICANN Hearings Thomas Lenard of Technology Policy Institute and co-author of a recent study about ICANN?s structure will provide testimony at today?s congressional hearings on ICANN. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/06/04/technology-policy-institute-to-speak-at-icann-hearings/ Dennis Carlton Agrees with Dennis Carlton About New Domain Names Surprise! When you pay the same person to evaluate critical comments about his original work, he decides that his original work was correct. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/06/07/dennis-carlton-agrees-with-dennis-carlton-about-new-domain-names/ ICANN Hearing Focuses on Security In a lengthy hearing held Thursday, members of a House panel criticized the CEO of ICANN, the group that oversees the assigning of domain names, for the organization's lack of accountability and its efforts to combat cyber-squatting. http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/060409_ICANN_Hearing_Focuses_on_Security Verizon Testifies To Congress Against the New gTLD?s The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Verizon, testified in front of the House Energy and Commerce Internet Subcommitteepanel, which is holding hearings on ICANN, that new gTLD?s shouldn?t be allowed unless there is a proven market demand for the names and the Internet is secure and stable. http://www.thedomains.com/2009/06/04/verizion-testifies-to-congress-against-the-new-gtlds/ Go Daddy Joins White House Call For Stronger Internet Security There?s nothing more important to most Americans than the nation?s security and a strong economy. The key to both ? agree President Barack Obama and Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons ? is a safe and secure Internet. That?s why Go Daddy, a global leader in the Internet industry, testified today in front of a Congressional subcommittee about the critical need for a continued relationship between the U. S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and ICANN. https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/news/release_view.asp?news%5Fitem%5Fid=247&se=%2B&app%5Fhdr= Commerce Department to Work with ICANN and VeriSign to Enhance the Security and Stability of the Internet?s Domain Name and Addressing System The U.S. Department of Commerce?s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today that the two agencies are working with ICANN and VeriSign on an initiative to enhance the security and stability of the Internet. http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/06/04/commerce-department-to-work-with-icann-and-verisign-to-enhance-the-security-and-stability-of-the-internet%E2%80%99s-domain-name-and-addressing-system/ Go Daddy and White House Call for Better Internet Security There's nothing more important to most Americans than the nation's security and a strong economy. The key to both -- agree President Barack Obama and Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons -- is a safe and secure Internet. http://www.webhostdir.com/news/showNews.aspx?ID=33060 IRT Final Report Ignores End User Concerns Remember the draft IRT report? Well they've published the final version after supposedly taking into consideration comments and feedback. However you'd be forgiven for thinking that their view on the feedback process was ever so slightly biased. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2009/05/31/irt-final-report-ignores-end-user-concerns/ Everyone is copying the domain name system Read a story somewhere that Facebook will soon allow users to register their own "vanity URLs". From what I understand, anyone with a Facebook account will be able to request a correspond Facebook.com URL, with a key word of their choosing. So I could have facebook.com/stephane for example. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/282/everyone-is-copying-the-domain-name-system.php A deluge of ICANN documents and reports Several major documents have been published by ICANN in the last few days. There's an analysis of the second Draft Applicant Guidebook comment period and corresponding changes made by ICANN staff to the DAG v2. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/281/a-deluge-of-icann-documents-and-reports.php US govt, Icann, VeriSign to work on net security [sub req'd] The US Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have agreed to work with ICANN. http://www.telecompaper.com/news/ Congress Finally Calls ICANN Out On It?s Finances Florida Republican Cliff Stearns (a fellow Gator) called ICANN out on its finances , noting that the last balance sheet the nonprofit group showed a $7 million surplus. http://www.thedomains.com/2009/06/04/congress-finally-calls-icann-out-on-its-finances/ ICANN To Work With NTIA, NIST, Verisign On Interim Solution To Core Internet Security Issue ICANN will work with the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and VeriSign on the goal of an operationally Signed Root Zone as soon as feasible in 2009. http://www.darkreading.com/security/government/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217701894 ICANN JPA nears end, but legislators concerned The expiration of the Joint Project Agreement that allows the U.S. Commerce Dept. accountability over ICANN--a situation that many people around the world find unfair--is scheduled for this September. http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/icann-jpa-nears-end-legislators-concerned/2009-06-07 Will ICANN Drop Its Most Revolutionary Idea? ICANN, the Internet naming authority, is up against the wall. It may simply drop its greatest revolutionary idea of offering a brand new type of designer domain name to accommodate the cyberrealities of the widely expanded Internet of tomorrow. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/67245.html ICANN to Work with US Gov and VeriSign on Interim Solution to Core Internet Security Issue ICANN will work with the U.S. Department of Commerce?s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and VeriSign on the goal of an operationally Signed Root Zone as soon as feasible in 2009. http://www.namesmash.com/?p=292 Interview: Karla Valente, ICANN New gTLD Program Director Karla Valente is the New gTLD Program Director for ICANN and veteran of the domain business. She recently sat down with us to discuss New gTLDS, IDNs and Women in DNS. http://www.namesmash.com/?p=288 Cyber crime headache for banks to worsen Australian banks are facing an even greater threat from cyber criminals following plans by ICANN, the internet's domain name system manager, to dramatically expand the number of TLDs ('.com', '.gov' etc) beyond the current 21 generic names. http://www.brokernews.com.au/contents/news/cyber-crime-headache-for-banks-to-worsen/35507 ********************** - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS ********************** CIRA Announcement: CIRA elicits feedback on the WHOIS Disclosure Policy The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) will be conducting a public consultation on the WHOIS disclosure policy, beginning June 4, 2009. The new policy, launched in June 2008, protects the privacy of individual Registrants by restricting personal information, including registrant name, home address, phone number and email address, from the public. http://www.cira.ca/feedback-WHOIS/ International influence of Chinese website increases China's Internet identifier-- .CN has become the country code Top-Level Domains (TLDs) name with the largest number of registration in the world. This is what reporters learned on the first China Domain Name Seminar held in Beijing today. The scale of relevant industries for the domain name has exceeded 4.2 billion yuan with employment of over 100 thousand people. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90883/6672766.html AFNIC makes an initial assessment two months on from the EPP launch As part of its aim to constantly simplify and streamline procedures, AFNIC implemented a new operational interface on 30 March 2009 for its registrars, accompanied by new administrative and technical rules. http://www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/221/afnic-makes-an-initial-assessment-two-months-on-from-the-epp-launch IEDR Attempts Transparency The IEDR, the body that is responsible for .ie domains (Ireland), is currently consulting with its resellers about introducing a greater level of transparency. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2009/06/02/iedr-attempts-transparency/ IQ Domain For Iraq? The nation of Iraq may make a leap into the Internet community with the extension .iq. Iraqi chairman of The National Communications & Media Commission (Siyamend Othmend) said the domain name would allow Iraqis to ?stake a virtual flag? in the world of the Web. http://www.ozelwebtasarim.com/index.php/web-haberleri/14930-iq-domain-for-iraq Welcome to the dotNYC Neighborhood On a Wednesday evening in early May, a group of residents from Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn gathered at a meeting hall in the East Village to brainstorm how New York?s more than 300 neighborhoods could exist on the Internet. http://nyfi.observer.com/tech/77/welcome-dotnyc-neighborhood Rome aims for a Dot Roma CityTLDs are fast becoming a major new type of TLD as is shown by the announcement that Italian capital Rome wants a .ROMA and that 5 CityTLD initiatives have petitioned ICANN for the creation of their own constituency. http://domainesinfo.fr/english/283/rome-aims-for-a-dot-roma.php New .rs domain registration prices The Serbian National Register of Internet Domain Names (RNIDS) would like to inform the general public that .rs domain registration prices for registrants are reduced as of today, 1 June 2009. RNIDS has reduced domain prices by approximately 10 percent. http://rnids.rs/en/node/67?lang=en ********************** - DNS SECURITY ********************** Crypto project to lock down net security VeriSign will administer encryption for the internet's Domain Name System, according to the organisation that oversees the fundamental internet address system. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39660347,00.htm Lawmakers question whether DHS cybersecurity role will be undercut by White House appointment Just days after President Obama announced his plan to appoint a new White House cybersecurity coordinator, lawmakers are questioning the impact the move might have on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's role in cybersecurity. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133992 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/060509-lawmakers-question-whether-dhs-cybersecurity.html ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Austrian Supreme Court rules domain name containing another person's trademark does not infringe trademark owner's rights The Austrian Supreme Court has ruled that a domain name containing another person's trademark does not infringe on the trademark owner's rights as such (17 Ob 2/09g), in a case in which the domain name was made of the words "unhappy-users-of" preceded by a trademark (aquapol-unzufriedene.at). There was clearly no risk of confusion, the court said. http://domaine.blogspot.com/2009/06/austrian-supreme-court-has-ruled-that.html us: South Dakota college sues porn site over name [AP] National American University, which has campuses in several states, is suing a pornography site, claiming trademark violations and cyber piracy for its use of Naughty American University and the acronym NAU. http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2009/06/04/business/216biz10nau.txt ********************** - IPv4/IPv6 ********************** Not much planning for IPv6 migration Humans and electronic devices have some things in common. Like humans, the devices do have their own identities and talk to each other, albeit in the language of binary digits. The only difference is that humans share names, but the devices can?t. http://www.thehindu.com/2009/06/07/stories/2009060760161300.htm ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** OK to sue VeriSign, appeals court rules The Bay Area company that holds exclusive rights to the registry of dot-com domain names can be sued under antitrust laws for allegedly conspiring to set prices above market rates by several dollars per consumer, and hundreds of millions of dollars overall, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/06/BUQI181P2R.DTL Appeals court puts VeriSign and ICANN back on the antitrust hook by Brenden Kuerbis One of the better side stories of yesterday's Congressional hearing on ICANN concerned Congressman Dingell's 5-minute intervention (see ~1:49:00 into the video) during witness questioning. In addition to raising the expected inquires into the expiration of the JPA, he also asked the witnesses their opinions concerning the 2006 ICANN-VeriSign negotiation of the .com contract. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2009/6/5/4211910.html Appeals Court Revives the CFIT Anti-Trust Suit Against VeriSign by John Levine Back in 2005 an organization called the Coalition for Internet Transparency (CFIT) burst upon the scene at the Vancouver ICANN meeting, and filed an anti-trust suit against VeriSign for their monopoly control of the .COM registry and of the market in expiring .COM domains. They didn't do very well in the trial court, which granted Verisign's motion to dismiss the case. But yesterday the Ninth Circuit reversed the trial court and put the suit back on track. http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090605_appeals_court_revives_cfit_anti_trust_suit_against_verisign/ ICA Brief Is Decisive Factor in CFIT's Successful Win Appeal Against VeriSign on .Com Pricing A judge for the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's decision on Friday after hearing the appeal from plaintiff Coalition for ICANN Transparency (CFIT) and considering an amicus (friend of the court) brief submitted by the Internet Commerce Association (ICA. The district court had ruled against plaintiff in the original proceeding, finding that CFIT had failed to state a valid antitrust claim against VeriSign in relation to its role as registry for .COM domain names. http://www.internetcommerce.org/node/191 Ninth Circuit Breathes New Life Into Antitrust Action Against VeriSign The Ninth Circuit today reversed the district court's dismissal of antitrust claims against registry operator Verisign Inc., holding that the Coalition for ICANN Transparency had alleged viable causes of action for predatory pricing in the .com top-level domain and for attempted monopolization of the market for expiring domain names. http://bnablog.bna.com/techlaw/2009/06/ninth-circuit-breathes-new-life-into-antitrust-action-against-verisign.html VeriSign Gets Walloped in Court, .Com Domain Prices Could Fall The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reversed a lower court decision throwing out an antitrust lawsuit by Coalition for ICANN Transparency (CFIT) against VeriSign. This means an antitrust lawsuit against VeriSign can go forward, which may eventually mean lower .com domain name registration prices. http://domainnamewire.com/2009/06/05/verisign-gets-walloped-in-court-com-domain-prices-could-fall/ SF Court Reinstates Lawsuit Against VeriSign A federal appeals court in San Francisco on Friday reinstated an antitrust lawsuit filed against a Mountain View company that operates the registry of ".com" domain names on the Internet. http://cbs5.com/local/verisign.antitrust.lawsuit.2.1033619.html Appeals court reinstates antitrust case against VeriSign A federal appeals court Friday reinstated a lawsuit against Mountain View-based VeriSign that alleges the company violated antitrust laws through its grip on the .com and .net domain name registration system. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_12528570 http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/06/06/4214605.htm India: Brands ? Registration, Anti-Counterfeiting And Online Issues I. PROLOGUE: Perfidious imitation of a brand by traders to sell their own products and services, generally understood as counterfeiting or piracy, can have a detrimental and even serious effect on not only the profitability of a company but also to public health and safety. Pirated or counterfeit products, which more often than not are substandard, effect the goodwill and reputation of rights holders, expose consumers to safety and health hazards and have a deleterious impact on Government revenues. http://mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=80836 The Dot Coms Are Booming Again (Domain Registrations, That Is) VeriSign has just put out its quarterly report on the web domain industry stating that there are now just about 183 million domain names in existence. http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/06/04/the-dot-coms-are-booming-again-domain-registrations-that-is/ Unique web domain total tops 180 million The total number of unique domain names on the internet has reached more than 180 million, according to recent figures from VeriSign. http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2243510/web-domain-total-tops-180 http://www.itnews.com.au/News/NewsStory.aspx?story=104884 Is the Domain Name Biz Recession Proof? The domain name business is still adding new registrations even in the midst of the worst recession in at least 50 years. http://www.internetnews.com/ec-news/article.php/3823776 ARIN: New Policy Implemented (Transfers) A new version of the ARIN Number Resource Policy Manual (NRPM) has been published to the ARIN website. NRPM version 2009.3 contains the implementation for the following policy: https://www.arin.net/announcements/2009/20090601_nrpm.html Kashmiri Engaged In Cyber-Fight Against Anti-Islam Sites A Dubai-based Kashmiri engineer has launched a cyber and legal campaign against websites targeting the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) with unfounded derogatory and slanderous content. ... Mushtaq, whose drive is supported by a number of high-profile professionals from several fields, has sought the assistance of the cyber crime section of the British police apart from contacting international organizations like WIPO, ICANN and Nominet UK in his fight against reviling of the Prophet (pbuh). http://www.kashmirobserver.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1763:kashmiri-engaged-in-cyber-fight-against-anti-prophet-sites&catid=3:regional-news&Itemid=4 ********************** - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET ********************** Diamond Rings are a Domainer?s Best Friend at Rick Latona T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs Auction While it was a live auction at the inaugural T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs meeting held in Amsterdam, it was a .com name that snared the highest price at Rick Latona?s auction on Thursday. http://www.domainnews.com/en/diamond-rings-are-a-domainers-best-friend-at-rick-latona-t.r.a.f.f.i.c.-cctlds-auction.html http://www.domainpulse.com/2009/06/05/diamond-rings-rick-latona-traffic-cctlds-auction/ Shows.com Leads the Cast on This Week's DN Journal Top 20 Domain Sales Chart Sales from the two live domain auctions at last month's T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley conference started closing in large numbers this week to dominate our latest weekly Top 20 sales chart. Shows.com brought down the house with a $102,000 sale made in RickLatona.com's live sale at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Three of this week's top four sales come from the Latona auction and they accounted for six chart entries overall. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2009/06-02-09.htm RickLatona.com's live domain auction The final business event at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. ccTLDs conference, RickLatona.com's live domain auction, is underway as I write this from the front row of the auction venue at the NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel in Amsterdam. We have already seen one blockbuster sale, DiamondRings.com at ?162,000 ($230,179 at today's exchange rate). In a solid ccTLD sale, Houses.co.uk just went for ?51,000 ($72,429). There is a very good crowd in the room that includes domain investors from all over the world. http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/06-04-09.htm Dan Warner Sails From Dark Blue Sea Dan Warner, one of the most public faces of Dark Blue Sea has left his position as COO of DBS (parent company of Fabulous.com). Warner had been with DBS for over 7 years. http://www.domainnamenews.com/ppc-industry/dark-blue-sea-coo-dan-warner/5285 ********************** RESEARCH PAPERS ********************** Clean Feed: Australia?s Internet Filtering Proposal by Alana Maurushat & Renee Watt [UNSW Law Research Paper] Abstract: This article examines the Australian Federal government's proposal on internet filtering. Technical, policy and legal frameworks are discussed. A comprehensive comparative chart is provided looking at other countries which already have internet filtering in place. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1412013 ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** YouTube drives video viewing to record month [IDG] People in the U.S. viewed a record 16.8 billion videos online in April, a 16% increase over March, due in large part to a "surge" in usage at YouTube, according to comScore. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133995 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/article/306397/ Americans Viewed a Record 16.8 Billion Videos Online in April Driven Largely by Surge in Viewership at YouTube [news release] comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, today released April 2009 data from the comScore Video Metrix service, showing that U.S. Internet users viewed 16.8 billion online videos during the month, representing an increase of 16 percent versus March. A significant increase in video viewing at YouTube during April contributed to the month?s sizeable gains. http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2009/6/Americans_Viewed_a_Record_16.8_Billion_Videos_Online_in_April us: Internet use triples in decade; broadband surges It's official: The Internet is a part of daily life. According to a new report by the Census Bureau, Internet use tripled from 1997 to 2007. Sixty-two percent of U.S. households used the Internet from home; 18% did that in 1997. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-06-03-internet-use-broadband_N.htm Just a few on Twitter do all the tweeting: study A tiny fraction of those who use the fast-growing social network phenomenon Twitter generate nearly all the content, a Harvard study shows. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE55381J20090604 http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-40101620090605 Google Says It's Actually Quite Small Three times in the past month, government agencies have targeted Google for antitrust reviews. An outstanding private lawsuit alleges that Google tried to kill a business-to-business search engine with predatory pricing. And during the waning months of the Bush administration, soon-to-be Obama antitrust chief Christine Varney declared that Google "has acquired a monopoly in Internet online advertising." Last month she asserted that the Bush administration had been too lax in combating monopolistic behavior and that the Obama Justice Department would no longer "stand on the sidelines." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/06/AR2009060600056.html ********************** NEW TECHNOLOGIES ********************** Google makes a new wave and transforms the browser Once upon a time, web pages were just text, written in something called "Hypertext Mark-Up Language" or HTML. This is a code that makes much use of angle brackets, quotation marks and forward slashes. When your computer requested a web page from a site, the site sent back the text file then your web browser program parsed the angle brackets and the other gobbledegook in order to render it for displaying on your screen. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jun/07/media-business-google-wave Debating the power of Google's Wave We've had about a week to absorb the Google's pitch for Wave, its new experimental communication platform, and about a day to try the actual early "sandbox" build of the service. See our hands-on review. But there's more to talk about with Wave. It's not just an app, it's an important evolution in the philosophy of written communication. http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10256471-2.html ************************************************ CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION ************************************************ Half of Kiwi parents snoop on their kids? email, website history More than half of parents snoop on their kids? email or check their history of visited websites, according to a survey of 1000 New Zealanders by Colmar Brunton, carried out for Symantec. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/half-kiwi-parents-snoop-their-kids-email-website-history-103211 us: Crawford: Beware Of Web Rhetoric Susan Crawford, special assistant to President Obama for science, technology and innovation policy, warned a federal advisory committee on Internet child safety on Thursday to be wary of several pitfalls as they begin their work. "Be reluctant to engage in overstated or overheated rhetoric. This issue makes tempers run high," Crawford told the inaugural meeting of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Online Safety and Technology Working Group. http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2009/06/crawford-beware-overheated-rhe.php us: Internet safety seminar held at St. Bernard School To better protect themselves and children from the dangers of the internet, parents and teachers attended a presentation at St. Bernard's elementary school Wednesday night. http://amherstburgecho.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1596343 us: Federal panel takes a fresh look at kids' Internet safety Last year, Congress passed the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act,which called for yet another committee to study Internet safety. By statute, the Online Safety and Technology Working Group is made up of representatives of the business community, public interest groups and federal agencies. I'm on the committee as co-director of the nonprofit ConnectSafely.org. http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_12522370 us: Fremont prosecutor to crack down on sexting Fremont County's prosecuting attorney says she intends to prosecute cases of cell phone "sexting" to the maximum. http://rexburgstandardjournal.com/articles/2009/06/05/news/30.txt ca: Deciding when to be a cyber-parent Julianne Doctor doesn't bother sneaking around cyberspace to see what her teenage daughter Hayley is doing. Instead, in the cyber-parenting version of having all the kids welcome to hang out in your rec room, Doctor wanders in and out of her daughter's cyberspaces and knows who she is hanging around with and what they're up to. http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=8c9a9f66-d9e7-44c7-94cd-df9699d71326 http://www.vancouversun.com/Life/Cyber+stalking+cases+have+parents+examining+children+online+activities/1668168/story.html jp: New Service from OCN Provides Children with Safer Internet [news release] NTT Communications (NTT Com) announced today that customers of NTT Com?s "OCN" Internet access service can take advantage of a new offering to make home computers and the Internet safer for their children. http://www.ntt.com/aboutus_e/news/data/20090528.html ********************** ONLINE TV & MUSIC ********************** Swedish Pirate Party wins seat [AFP] A Swedish party that wants to legalise internet filesharing and beef up web privacy scored a big victory by winning a European parliament seat, results showed. http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/08/2592010.htm http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2481864/ http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-technology/swedish-pirate-party-enters-eu-parliament-partial-results-20090608-c04c.html http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-technology/swedish-pirate-party-enters-eu-parliament-partial-results-20090608-c04c.html Swedish Pirate Party headed to European Parliament The final returns are still being counted, but Sweden's Pirate Party (Piratpartiet) has secured at least one seat in today's elections for the European Parliament. According to Sweden's election authority, the Pirate Party has crossed the four percent threshold needed for a seat and currently has 7.1 percent of the vote. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/swedish-pirate-party-headed-to-european-parliament.ars Illegal downloads and dodgy figures You are killing our creative industries. "Downloading costs billions," said the Sun. "MORE than 7 million Brits use illegal downloading sites that cost the economy billions of pounds, government advisers said today. Researchers found more than a million people using a download site in ONE day and estimated that in a year they would use ?120bn worth of material." http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/05/ben-goldacre-bad-science-music-downloads 'Slow lane' for British copyright thieves The government has all but ruled out using a "three strikes" law to tackle persistent net pirates. Using warnings and disconnection to tackle pirates was thought to be in the final Digital Britain report due to be published on 16 June. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8083866.stm The pirates will always win, says Carphone's Dunstone Trying to stop people sharing copyrighted material over the internet is a game of cat and mouse in which the pirates will always win and calls for internet service providers to halt illegal file sharing are "naive", according to the boss of Carphone Warehouse. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jun/05/dunstone-carphone-warehouse-results-pirates Online Video: How Big Is It, Really? A lack of standard measurement has led to conflicting reports about online video viewership Online video watching?is it massive or is it overblown? These days, it's almost a political question. Traditional television distributors assure us that 99% of video is watched on a television screen, and a massive observational study concluded that people say they watch more online video than they actually do in order to sound "new and cool." Consumers "cord-cutting" their cable subscriptions en masse? That's a "myth." http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2009/tc2009064_863184.htm ********************** MOBILE/WIRELESS ********************** Doctors warn of 'mobile phone elbow' First there was a risk of repetitive strain injury from texting, and now doctors have warned that chatting for extended periods of time can leave you with a new ailment ? mobile phone elbow. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/5439991/Doctors-warn-of-mobile-phone-elbow.html Father of the cell phone pushes wireless communications to new heights Unless you work in the telecoms industry, you are unlikely to have heard of Marty Cooper. He is hardly a household name. But his influence has been felt across the world, because he is the engineer who took the cellular technology used in the carphones of the 1970s and decided that phones ought to be small enough to be portable. His determination led to the first prototype, in 1973, and then to the first commercial mobile phone in 1983. ?Marty is the most influential person no one has ever heard of,? says Robert McDowell, a commissioner with the Federal Communications Commission, America?s telecoms regulator. http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13725793 Sensors and sensitivity - Data collection: Mobile phones provide new ways to gather information, both manually and automatically, over wide areas If your mobile phone could talk, it could reveal a great deal. Obviously it would know many of your innermost secrets, being privy to your calls and text messages, and possibly your e-mail and diary, too. It also knows where you have been, how you get to work, where you like to go for lunch, what time you got home, and where you like to go at the weekend. Now imagine being able to aggregate this sort of information from large numbers of phones. It would be possible to determine and analyse how people move around cities, how social groups interact, how quickly traffic is moving and even how diseases might spread. The world?s 4 billion mobile phones could be turned into sensors on a global data-collection network. http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13725679 ********************** SPAM ********************** ACMA signs MOU with New Zealand to help fight spam [news release] The Australian Communications and Media Authority has joined forces with the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs in the fight against spam by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish channels of communication that will allow both agencies to move quickly in response to the challenges and demands of the ever-changing spam environment. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_311742 ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** au: Simple ways to stay smart and secure online [news release] Australians are being encouraged to take some simple steps to improve their online security as part of National E-security Awareness Week. http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2009/051 au: Conroy urges nation to change passwords [AAP] Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has urged Australian computer users to change their passwords to a minimum of eight characters, as part of the inaugural "change your password day". http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Conroy-urges-nation-to-change-passwords/0,130061744,339296801,00.htm au: CommBank cyber scam hits phone and SMS The relentless barrage of scam attempts aimed at Commonwealth Bank customers has transcended email, with the sophisticated Eastern European cyber criminals now targeting people via telephone and SMS. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2009/06/05/1243708605803.html http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/biztech/2009/06/05/1243708605803.html US shuts down ?criminal? internet provider The US Federal Trade Commission for the first time has sued and immediately shut down an internet service provider it accused of being a haven for a wide range of criminal activity, including child pornography and the electronic theft of personal banking data. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cd0dbabe-5157-11de-84c3-00144feabdc0.html us: FTC Sues, Shuts Down N. Calif. Web Hosting Firm In an unprecedented move, the Federal Trade Commission has taken legal steps to shut down a Web hosting provider in Northern California that the agency says was directly involved in managing massive global spam operations. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/06/ftc_sues_shuts_down_n_calif_we.html FTC Shuts Down Notorious Rogue Internet Service Provider, 3FN Service Specializes in Hosting Spam-Spewing Botnets, Phishing Web sites, Child Pornography, and Other Illegal, Malicious Web Content [news release] A rogue Internet Service Provider that recruits, knowingly hosts, and actively participates in the distribution of spam, child pornography, and other harmful electronic content has been shut down by a district court judge at the request of the Federal Trade Commission. The ISP?s upstream providers and data centers have disconnected its servers from the Internet. http://ftc.gov/opa/2009/06/3fn.shtm Court shuts down 'rogue' ISP after FTC complaint [IDG] A federal judge has ordered the closure of an Internet service provider after the U.S. Federal Trade Commission complained that the company recruits and hosts spammers, child pornographers and other criminals. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9133966 http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/060409-court-shuts-down-rogue-isp.html Federal Trade Commission shuts down rogue ISP The Internet might just have gotten a little safer. The Federal Trade Commission announced Thursday that it had Pricewert LLC shut down by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division. http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10257588-83.html us: FTC Shuts Down Rogue ISP The FTC has taken the rare action of taking down Northern California Internet Service Provider Pricewert LLC (also doing business as 3FN and APS Telecom), charging it with hosting criminal sites engaged in the distribution of spam, child pornography, spyware and malware as well as the operation of botnet command and control servers. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2348256,00.asp FTC forces hive of scum and villainy ISP offline The Federal Trade Commission has shut down an ISP that it claims is playing host to botnets, spammers, phishing websites, and even child porn. The company behind the ISP, Pricewert LLC, apparently does business under a variety of names, but the FTC claims that it "actively" recruits criminals in order to carry out illegal and malicious activity online. As a results, the FTC was able to obtain a temporary restraining order shutting down Pricewert, with a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for June 15. http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/ftc-forces-hive-of-scum-and-villainy-isp-offline.ars ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Germany, Google Still in Conflict Over Street View Data [IDG] Germany and Google remain at an impasse over how long certain data should be retained by the company for its Street View imagery. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/166198/.html ********************** CENSORSHIP ********************** 10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger With a military government that severely restricts Internet access and imprisons people for years for posting critical material, Burma is the worst place in the world to be a blogger, the Committee to Protect Journalists says in a new report. CPJ?s ?10 Worst Countries to be a Blogger? also identifies a number of countries in the Middle East and Asia where Internet penetration has blossomed and government repression has grown in response. http://cpj.org/reports/2009/04/10-worst-countries-to-be-a-blogger.php China Squeezes PC Makers - Beijing Is Set to Require Web Filter That Would Block Government-Censored Sites [sub req'd] China plans to require that all personal computers sold in the country as of July 1 be shipped with software that blocks access to certain Web sites, a move that could give government censors unprecedented control over how Chinese users access the Internet. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124440211524192081.html China seen requiring PCs to block sites China's government wants all PCs sold in the country from July 1 to be loaded with software that blocks certain websites, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE5570DP20090608 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/07/AR2009060702699.html Wikipedia blocks access from Church of Scientology in L.A. The Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia has blocked all contributions from computers at the Church of Scientology's Los Angeles headquarters to stop users there from revising articles to reflect a pro-Scientology viewpoint. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wikipedia-scientology5-2009jun05,0,2485995.story Australian Mac site asked to take down iPhone rumor Australian site MacTalk posted a notice a couple weeks ago from Vodafone Australia and its iPhone supplier, Brightpoint, saying that the 16GB iPhone was being discontinued (declared "end of life," in retail speak)--a move that was hardly surprising, given the rumors flying about imminent new models. Now, MacTalk has received a cease-and-desist order about the story, mere days ahead of the Apple keynote in San Francisco. http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/060509-australian-mac-site-asked-to.html ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** US Telecoms Win Dismissal of Wiretap Suits A federal judge on Wednesday threw out more than three dozen lawsuits claiming that the nation?s major telecommunications companies had illegally assisted in the wiretapping without warrants program approved by President George W. Bush after the 2001 terrorist attacks. http://nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04nsa.html Internet tax working its way down the tubes to Louisiana Louisiana residents may find themselves paying an extra fee on top of their regular Internet costs if the state's House of Representatives has its way. The House voted 81 to 9 in favor of the 15-cent monthly levy Thursday, with the bill's sponsors arguing that the money would go towards fighting Internet-related crimes in the state. The bill now moves to the state's Senate for a vote, though it faces opposition from Republican Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal. http://arstechnica.com/telecom/news/2009/06/internet-tax-working-its-way-down-the-tubes-to-louisiana.ars ********************************* MISCELLANEOUS ********************************* Google NZ's missing millions [The Dominion Post] Google New Zealand posted a loss of NZ$12,000 in 2008 despite more than doubling its revenues to $3.4 million. http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/2480288/ German public broadcasters bullied over Web content Commercial media in Germany has successfully bullied public broadcasters into reducing their online offerings on the premise that it constitutes unfair competition. Two public broadcasters have announced that they plan to reduce their online offerings in response to widespread criticism, thereby reinforcing traditional media's notion that their way is the only way to do business. http://arstechnica.com/web/news/2009/06/german-papers-bully-public-broadcasters-over-web-content.ars ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Telstra split-up key to NBN viability, says Optus The federal Government's $43billion national broadband network will be economically unviable unless Telstra is structurally separated, arch-rival Optus says. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,25594083-5018015,00.html Optus suggests splitting Telstra The Federal Government's proposed national broadband network (NBN) can be commercially viable, but only if Telstra Corp separates its wholesale and retail businesses, arch rival Optus says. http://business.theage.com.au/business/optus-suggests-splitting-telstra-20090605-bynd.html ACCC draws copper line The competition watchdog has moved to address uncertainty over regulation of Telstra's copper network ahead of construction of Labor's $43 billion national broadband network. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25590511-15306,00.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2009 --------- David Goldstein email: goldstein_david§yahoo.com.au web: http://davidgoldstein.tel/ http://goldsteinreport.com/ phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - office/home mail: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA "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 Need a Holiday? Win a $10,000 Holiday of your choice. Enter now.http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylc=X3oDMTJxN2x2ZmNpBF9zAzIwMjM2MTY2MTMEdG1fZG1lY2gDVGV4dCBMaW5rBHRtX2xuawNVMTEwMzk3NwR0bV9uZXQDWWFob28hBHRtX3BvcwN0YWdsaW5lBHRtX3BwdHkDYXVueg--/SIG=14600t3ni/**http%3A//au.rd.yahoo.com/mail/tagline/creativeholidays/*http%3A//au.docs.yahoo.com/homepageset/%3Fp1=other%26p2=au%26p3=mailtaglineReceived on Sun Jun 07 2009 - 22:25:13 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:10 UTC