auDA Domain Name News - May 15
15/May/2008
auDA Domain Name News is compiled by David Goldstein on auDA's behalf. The views expressed in the news items linked from auDA's website (Linked Documents), do not necessarily reflect the views of auDA. auDA does not warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information contained in the Linked Documents, and assumes no liability to any person for any reliance placed upon any information contained in the Linked Documents.
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GOVERNANCE
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Do We Need Two Internets? by Bill Thompson
Jonathan Zittrain's recent book, The Future of the Internet -- And How to Stop It, has spurred a lot of discussion both online and offline, with blog posts lauding his insights or criticising his over-apocalyptic imagination. The book itself makes fascinating reading for those who have watched the network grow from its roots in the research community into today's global channel for communications, commerce and cultural expression... One of the reasons that Zittrain puts forward for the growing popularity of closed or, as he prefers 'tethered', devices, is that they are less vulnerable to hacking, security flaws, malware and all the other perils that face any internet-enabled system.
www.circleid.com/posts/do_we_need_two_internets/
Book review: Keeping door open for Internet innovation
Jonathan Zittrain's book "The Future of the Internet -- and How to Stop It" prescribes a set of remedies to keep the Web open and vital. If asked to pick a favorite piece of consumer technology, who wouldn't choose an iPod over a personal computer? It does the thing it is designed to do -- play digital music -- very well. It's not like the PC, which may be endlessly adaptable but is not optimized for any single use, is difficult for the nontechnical person to control, and may be exposed to spam, viruses and cyber-criminals.
www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-books12-2008may12,0,5523274.story
us: A surfeit of network neutrality legislation
Largely due to the continued dumb statements and actions of a few apparently PR-challenged carriers, the network neutrality issue is alive and well in the United States. Since any issue like this seems to create a legislative void that must be filled, we now have at least two network neutrality related bills for Congress to consider. If one liked legislation-based solutions, merging these bills and tossing out a bit of Federal Communications Commission make-work would not be too bad, but there would still be some questions left unanswered.
www.networkworld.com/columnists/2008/051308-bradner.html
Internet father speaks up for municipal networks [IDG]
Municipal broadband networks could help boost the availability of high-speed Internet access and even help to ensure Net neutrality in the US, said Vint Cerf, vice president and chief Internet evangelist at Google.
techworld.com/networking/news/index.cfm?newsID=101463
computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9084992
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DOMAIN NAMES
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- ICANN
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The U.S. Congress and "free speech principles on the Internet" [cough] by Milton Mueller
A subcommittee of the U.S. Congress on Telecommunications and the Internet has expressed opposition to any move by the Commerce Department to alter its unilateral oversight of ICANN. The letter comes in response to growing lobbying, from ICANN and others, regarding the future of Commerce oversight and ICANN's independence. Representative Edward J. Markey, the supposedly liberal Democrat from Massachusetts who chairs the Subcommittee, was joined by rightwing conservative Charles Pickering and 14 other members of the committee in the May 6 statement. The members expressed their opposition to “any change that threatens the important U.S. role in promoting U.S. commercial and free speech principles on the Internet,” and implied that free speech principles would be threatened if NTIA “abandoned” its role “now or in the near future.”
blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/5/11/3685901.html
CEOs warned: Wake up to cyberthreats [Video]
Paul Twomey, chief executive of ICANN and member of the British-North American Committee, advises chief executives of the risks to business from cyber-espionage and how to deal with them.
news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39415295,00.htm
CEOs underestimating security risks: ICANN president launches new best practice guide for business leaders
Business leaders are grossly underestimating their firms' reliance on the Internet and the risks of web-based threats, according to Paul Twomey, president of internet oversight body ICANN.
www.techcentral.ie/article.aspx?id=12063
Algorithm Helps ICANN Manage Top-level Domains
At the request of ICANN, Paul E. Black, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed an algorithm that may guide applicants in proposing new top-level domains. As new top-level domains are added to the familiar .com, .info, and .net, the algorithm checks whether the newly proposed name is confusingly similar to existing ones by looking for visual likenesses in its appearance. Having visually distinct top-level domain names may help avoid confusion in navigating the ever-expanding Internet and combat fraud, by reducing the potential to create malicious look-alikes: .C0M with a zero instead of .COM, for instance.
ddj.com/web-development/207603282
ICANN recommendations could significantly increase new generic top-level domain names [p.10]
There was a time when companies only concerned themselves with the “.coms” and “.nets” of the world as part of their trade-mark and domain name strategies. But now, with specialized generic top-level domain names (gTLDs) like “.travel” and “.pro,” it may be time for companies to re-examine their domain name portfolios. Indeed, with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) moving forward with the potentially dramatic expansion of gTLDs, this re-examination may become more pressing.
www.mccarthy.ca/pubs/TLQ_Vol4_Issue1_E_OnlineFile.pdf
Stamping out domain tasting
The sharp increase in speculation over domain names is causing a backlash. As every CIO knows, a company's domain name is a treasure, but havoc can be caused by typo-squatters--those who create and register websites with misspelled variations of company names.
www.fiercecio.com/story/stamping-out-domain-tasting/2008-05-12
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- ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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A Place for African ccTLDs
With the .ASIA domain landrush in late February of this year and the 2006 launch of the .EU extension, there begs room for speculation if a .AFRICA extension will ever be created. The odds are not in favor of it based on the current economic and humanitarian crises troubling the African continent. Don’t be caught putting all your eggs in one basket any time soon.
www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1722
asia: Helping firms occupy more 'Yellow Pages'
Edmon Chung is a firm believer in auctions. Well, not any kind of auction. The CEO of DotAsia, the registry operator of the '.Asia' generic top-level domain (gTLD), reasons that having an open auction for domain names that have more than one application attract potential owners with genuine interest.
www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62041277,00.htm
Clock is ticking on .me domain names
Trademark-holders have until May 20 to register their company and product names under the new .me domain, which is being marketed as a generic top-level domain by the country of Montenegro.
www.networkworld.com/news/2008/051308-me-domain.html
www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1325950843
www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1325950843
Apple files for .me domains
Apple has filed multiple domain name registrations for the .me domain offered by Montenegro. The .me registry says it has received thousands of domain name registrations in the first week of availability. Applicants include tech industry leaders such as Apple -which registered apple.me, ipod.me and itunes.me - as well as Microsoft, Skype and Digg. Other multinationals that have registered .me names include MTV and BMW.
www.macworld.co.uk/business/news/index.cfm?newsid=21323
Shorter .my domain names
Malaysian individuals and companies can now opt for the shorter “.my” website addresses — instead of the traditional “.com.my,” says Mynic Bhd.
star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2008/5/13/technology/1186496&sec=technology
Possible now to have .my without the .com
Malaysian Web site owners can now choose to end their URL addresses with ".my" only, instead of ".com.my".
www.zdnetasia.com/blogs/msiaexplorer/0,3800011234,63003653,00.htm
ICANN Unanimously Approves RegistryPro Proposal to Expand .Pro [news release]
Registry.pro logoRegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .Pro TLD, has received approval from ICANN to greatly expand the scope and availability of the .Pro TLD. The newly ratified terms of service increases the number of professionals who are eligible for the TLD, extends the availability globally, and streamlines the registration process.
www.domainpulse.com/2008/05/14/icann-unanimously-approves-registrypro-proposal-to-expand-pro/
www.domainnews.com/en/general/icann-unanimously-approves-registrypro-proposal-to-expand-.pro.html
RegistryPro Expands the .Pro Domain
The .pro domain ... will be loosening its restrictions, according to an announcement from the registry's operator.
www.thewhir.com/marketwatch/051408_RegistryPro_Expands_the_Pro_Domain.cfm
More professionals to be allowed .pro domains
The organisation behind .pro has received approval to make the top-level domain available to a wider range of users.
news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39417170,00.htm
sco: MSPs consider Scots web domain plan
Moves to create a Scottish web domain are being discussed by MSPs. The politicians will consider a public petition to replace the familiar "co.uk" internet address with ".sco".
www.carricktoday.co.uk/latest-scottish-news/MSPs-consider-Scots-web-domain.4075530.jp
www.guideandgazette.co.uk/latest-scottish-news/MSPs-consider-Scots-web-domain.4075530.jp
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- DNS SECURITY
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Nato allies agree to cyber defence unit
Seven Nato members signed a deal today to provide staff and funds for a new research centre designed to boost the alliance's defences against cyber-terrorism.
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/14/nato
Estonian cyber defence hub set up
Seven Nato nations have backed a new cyber defence centre in Estonia, which last year blamed Russia for weeks of attacks on its internet structure. Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania, Italy and Spain will staff and fund the hub in the Estonian capital Tallinn.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7401260.stm
NATO nations back cyber defence centre
Seven NATO nations gave their backing on Wednesday to a new cyber defence centre in Estonia, the ex-Soviet state which last year faced weeks of attacks on its Internet structure after a row with Russia.
uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKL149828020080514
Stung by cyber warfare, Estonia, NATO allies to sign deal on cyber defense center [AP]
Estonia and six NATO allies will sign a deal this week to provide staff and funds for a new research center designed to boost the alliance's defenses against cyber terrorism.
news.smh.com.au/technology/stung-by-cyber-warfare-estonia-nato-allies-to-sign-deal-on-cyber-defense-center-20080514-2dwx.html
news.theage.com.au/technology/stung-by-cyber-warfare-estonia-nato-allies-to-sign-deal-on-cyber-defense-center-20080514-2dwx.html
The State of Cyber-Security: Forbes special report
We live in what the economist Fritz Machlup called in 1962 an "information society." Data and information fuel corporate competition, separate the haves and have-nots and even define political power. Bits and bytes have truly become a battleground.
www.forbes.com/technology/2008/05/14/security-privacy-cyberspace-tech-security08-cx_ag_0514security_land.html
When Cyber Terrorism Becomes State Censorship
One year ago, hundreds of thousands of bogus requests for information poured into Estonia's data networks, knocking government, media and banking Web sites offline. Local officials were quick to point fingers at the Russian government, declaring its country the first victim of cyber warfare. Now, a year of analysis has shown that it was nothing so straightforward.
www.forbes.com/technology/2008/05/14/cyberattacks-terrorism-estonia-tech-security08-cx_ag_0514attacks.html
Where The Web Is Weak
Tolstoy wrote that happy families are all alike, while every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Something like the opposite might be said for Web sites. Many of the Web's millions of insecure pages can be hacked with just one or two tricks. But patching the bugs in each of those vulnerable sites requires a unique solution.
www.forbes.com/technology/2008/05/14/web-hacking-google-tech-security08-cx_ag_0514webhack.html
uk: Computer Misuse Act changes are delayed further
Denial of service attacks will not be criminalised in England and Wales for another six months despite measures lying unused in existing laws since 2006. Changes to the Computer Misuse Act will not be activated until October.
out-law.com/page-9109
Preparing for cyber warfare: US Air Force floats botnet plan
Back in the Cold War era, the military's plans for developing the next generation of war-fighting capabilities were always a closely guarded secret; programs for developing cutting-edge bombs and missiles were highly classified, and you certainly didn't need the public's permission to invent new ways to roast the enemy. But in the Internet era, the technical realities associated with carrying out cyber warfare on a largely civilian network infrastructure dictate that if you build a massive military botnet aimed at shutting down enemy networks with distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, then you can expect that the public will find out what you're up to sooner or later. And they may not be all that happy about it.
arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080512-preparing-for-cyber-warfare-us-air-force-floats-botnet-plan.html
Hackers hijack a half-million sites in latest attack
More than half a million Web sites have been compromised in a new round of attacks that hacked domains in order to infect unsuspecting users' PCs with a variety of malware, a security researcher said today.
www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;18994984
Are Botnets Run by Spy Agencies?
A recent story today about discussions for an official defense Botnet in the USA prompted me to post a question I've been asking for the last year. Are some of the world's botnets secretly run by intelligence agencies, and if not, why not? Some estimates suggest that up to 1/3 of PCs are secretly part of a botnet. The main use of botnets is sending spam, but they are also used for DDOS extortion attacks and presumably other nasty things like identity theft.
www.circleid.com/posts/botnets_spy_agencies/
us: OMB to agencies: Lock down those DNS servers
The Office of Management and Budget will soon require agencies to configure their Doman Name System (DNS) servers to the security specifications set by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/46262-1.html
Non-tech criminals can now rent-a-botnet
Online fraudsters that aren't highly skilled in the arts of cyber crime can now rent a service that offers an all-in-one hosting server with a built-in Zeus trojan administration panel and infecting tools, allowing them to create their own botnet.
www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;502221889
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- DOMAIN DISPUTES
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us: Call Girl Goes After Girls Gone Wild For Cybersquatting
Ashley Alexandra Dupre, the reported mistress of former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer, has filed a $10 million lawsuit against MRA Holdings, producers of the popular Girls Gone Wild videos. Among the many allegations, the filing cites violations of the Lanham Act including cybersquatting domain names. Other Lanham violations include profiting from trademark infringement, false designation of origin, false represenation and false description of goods.
www.domainnamenews.com/miscellaneous/call-girl-goes-after-girls-gone-wild-for-cybersquatting/1576
California Court of Appeal stays the taking of ahrc.com
In a dramatic, last minute ruling, a California Court of Appeal has stayed the takeover of AHRC.com. In a terse order, the Court of Appeal stayed the trial court's order to takeover AHRC.com pending further briefing. Network Solutions was scheduled to turnover AHRC.com to the law firm of Peters and Freedman and Palacio del Mar Homeowners Association within a few hours.
ahrc.com/new/index.php/src/news/sub/article/action/ShowMedia/id/4469
Jurisdiction Over Foreign Cyber Squatters: In AtlasCopco v. AtlasCopcoiran.com
In AtlasCopco v. AtlasCopcoiran.com, et al. a Virginia District court held that under section 1125(d)(2)(A) of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), a court can exercise authority over an entity, rather an individual. They can assert this type of jurisdictional standard, known as rem jurisdiction, to cyber squatters located in foreign countries as long as the plaintiff can confirm the following:
www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1724
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- IPv4/IPv6
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One small step: Google officially supports IPv6
According to a post on the Official Google Blog, the search company is "pleased to let you know that Google search is also available over IPv6."
arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080514-one-small-step-google-officially-supports-ipv6.html
Looking towards IPv6
We care a lot about the health of the Internet. Recently, we've become increasingly concerned that IPv4 addresses — the numbers that computers use to connect to the Internet — are running out. Current projections place IPv4 address space exhaustion somewhere in late 2011, and while technologies such as Network Address Translation (NAT) can offer temporary respite, they complicate the Internet's architecture, pose barriers to the development of new applications, and run contrary to network openness principles.
googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/looking-towards-ipv6.html
Google sets sights on IPv6
Google announced Wednesday on its official blog that Google search is now available over an IPv6 connection. What?
www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9943822-7.html
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- MISCELLANEOUS
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VeriSign wins patent for Internet typo redirection [AP]
The company that runs many of the Internet's core directory systems has won a patent for its controversial service that helps Internet users find sites even when they mistype addresses.
news.smh.com.au/technology/verisign-wins-patent-for-internet-typo-redirection-20080515-2eg8.html
news.theage.com.au/technology/verisign-wins-patent-for-internet-typo-redirection-20080515-2eg8.html
MYOB moves into domains, hosting
Accounting software vendor MYOB has launched an online services business offering domain registration and Web hosting services.
www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1599277168
Australian chosen to head WIPO
Australian patent lawyer Francis Gurry won a tight ballot overnight to take over later this year as head of the United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO).
www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/14/2243938.htm
Website Magazine Ranks “Domain Registrars”
Website Magazine is a great free resource for domainers looking to develop their domains. But don’t turn to the publication for good advice on domain names.
domainnamewire.com/2008/05/13/website-magazine-ranks-domain-registrars/
How GoDaddy Domain Name Backorders Work
Before GoDaddy launched its domain name aftermarket TDNAM, I used to backorder a number of domains from the registrar. They were fairly good at grabbing expired domains, especially non-.coms. But then the company started sending its own expired domains to auction at TNDAM, which seems to conflict with placing a backorder.
domainnamewire.com/2008/05/14/how-godaddy-domain-name-backorders-work/
What’s in a domain name? NIST has an answer
Everyone knows how frustrating — and embarrassing — it can be to mistype a URL into your browser. (Remember the snickering you used to hear if you went to “whitehouse.com” instead of “whitehouse.gov”? The .com address is now a political news site, by the way.) The Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) plans to launch a new round of proposals later this year for generic top-level Internet domains and is looking for a way to help avoid confusion and fraud as the number of domains increases.
www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/46261-1.html
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- DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Think a gallon of gas is pricey? GasPrices.com to be auctioned starting at $200k: Other domain names offered for sale: Koran.com, Israel.com, Jackpot.com and BlueRay.com
If it takes a killer Web domain name to create a profitable Web site, then online entrepreneurs might want to peek at the latest round of topical domain names being offered at auction by online vendor Moniker Online Services LLC.
computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9085600
www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1740509340
www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1740509340
thestandard.com/news/2008/05/14/gasprices-com-be-auctioned-starting-200k
Inside Your Domain Portfolio
Perhaps you’ve been managing a domain portfolio for years or maybe you’re just getting started with your plans to build a portfolio. We’ve seen a lot of changes in the domain industry over the last year, some positive, some challenging. Whether you’re an old pro or just beginning, this spring is a great time to take inventory and make sure your domain business is on the right track for success this year and beyond.
www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1728
Sedo's New Brokerage Application: Have you ever wanted to buy or sell a domain or a portfolio
Have you ever wanted to buy or sell a domain or a portfolio of domains but just didn’t have the time to market it, manage and negotiate the best possible price? With Sedo’s new brokerage application tool, you can now request this premium service for the opportunity to work with an experienced Sedo domain broker, to help sell or acquire the domains you really want. To increase the communication between you and your broker; Sedo has also implemented a comment tool and status update to make sure that our clients are kept up to date and notified throughout the process.
www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=1726
Howzat! Premium “Cricket” Domain Names Up for Grabs
A list of 50 domain names, described by the owners as having the ability to “control cricket in the future around the World” when developed into websites are up for sale.
www.domainpulse.com/2008/05/14/howzat-premium-cricket-domain-names-up-for-grabs/
www.domainnews.com/en/general/howzat-premium-cricket-domain-names-up-for-grabs.html
Moniker Unveils Additional Domain Names Available at Upcoming T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East Event in Orlando
Moniker.com, an Oversee.net company and provider of Domain Asset Management(R) services, today announced the availability of additional premium domain names for purchase via a live and online domain name auction at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East conference in Orlando.
www.domainpulse.com/2008/05/14/moniker-unveils-additional-domain-names-available-at-upcoming-traffic-east-event-in-orlando/
www.domainnews.com/en/general/moniker-unveils-additional-domain-names-available-at-upcoming-t.r.a.f.f.i.c.-east-event-in-orlando.html
Prescription for Success: Domains Made Dr. Kevin Ham Incredibly Wealthy But He Says His Life's Work Has Just Begun
Dr. Kevin Ham - everyone in this industry knows the name but only a handful of people really know the man. When you run a domain business that reportedly generates well over $1 million a week from various domain-related ventures and a portfolio of approximately 300,000 names, it is easy for the statistics to overshadow the human being behind them. Especially when that person is as humble and self-effacing as the 37-year-old Canadian doctor from Vancouver.
dnjournal.com/cover/2008/may.htm
au: Fairfax in internet search advertising joint venture
Fairfax Media is hoping to snare a slice of the burgeoning internet search market by acting as a middleman between the search engine companies and small advertisers.
business.theage.com.au/fairfax-in-internet-search-advertising-joint-venture-20080514-2ecz.html
business.smh.com.au/fairfax-in-internet-search-advertising-joint-venture-20080514-2ecz.html
Frank Schilling’s Defensive Patent
On April 24, 2006, domain name portfolio owner Frank Schilling filed a patent application for “Generic top-level domain re-routing system” with the help of attorney John Berryhill. This patent, if granted, could end up being very important to the domain name industry.
domainnamewire.com/2008/05/14/frank-schillings-defensive-patent/
Surviving the ‘Dot-Crunch’
It’s a funny thing how domainers always expect their stank to rise…and continue rising. Funny because if you’ve been in this business long enough you’ve likely weathered, or not, a few industry tempests and cycles. We’re hardened sailors who have seen tough squalls and lived to tell the tale.
www.domainnamenews.com/featured/surviving-the-%e2%80%98dot-crunch%e2%80%99/1573
Is Harmony.com Worth $5 Million?
Shortly after Fund.com raked in $10 million, reportedly a record-breaker for a straight domain price, Jay Westerdal, the 30-year-old CEO of Name Intelligence, Inc., put up Harmony.com at the starting bid of $5 million, a sale that went live officially today.
www.webpronews.com/topnews/2008/05/12/is-harmonycom-worth-5-million
TRAFFIC Does Disney
Domain name conference lands at Disney World next week.
domainnamewire.com/2008/05/12/traffic-does-disney/
Google China Formally Launches New Ad Product
Google China has formally released its new online advertisement product Google AdSense for Chinese small and medium enterprises.
www.chinatechnews.com/2008/05/15/6745-google-china-formally-launches-new-ad-product/
