auDA Domain Name News - 1 March
01/Mar/2010
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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US government rescinds 'leave internet alone' policy: Strickling speaking, the Naughties are dead by Kieren McCarthy
The US government’s policy of leaving the Internet alone is over, according to Obama’s top official at the Department of Commerce.
www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/27/internet_3_dot_0_policy/
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DOMAIN NAMES
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- ICANN
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Are you hosting a gathering of stakeholders that will remotely participate in the Nairobi meeting?
The staff have been informed that there are groups of stakeholders getting together to meet and remotely participate in the Nairobi meeting. Since we thought it would interest many in the community to know of these gatherings, a nd because we want to ensure that groups like this are able to make the most of the group remote participation experience, we’d like to find out if there are similar meetings we haven’t heard about.
blog.icann.org/2010/02/are-you-hosting-a-gathering-of-stakeholders-to-participate-remotely-in-the-nairobi-meeting/
Survey Shows Brands Don’t Register Defensively in New gTLDs
Summary: A survey of the domain registration behavior of Fortune 100 companies reveals that they have not registered many of their trademarks in recently created generic top-level domains (gTLDs). A sample of 1043 brands were registered in less than 30% of the eight new open gTLDs created after 2001. If historical registration data is a guide, brands are unlikely to undertake many defensive domain name registrations in the proposed new gTLDs, and furthermore are unlikely to be the victims of cybersquatting.
www.mindsandmachines.com/2010/02/survey-shows-brands-dont-register-defensively-in-new-gtlds/
Accountability wins! Independent Review Panel upholds ICM Registry - .XXX is alive. by Milton Mueller
In a historic decision, ICANN's Independent Review Process has dealt ICANN's past leadership a severe rebuke. The three judge panel upheld ICM Registry's claim that ICANN treated its application for a .xxx top level domain in an unfair and discriminatory manner. The panelists ruled that the ICANN Board had decided on June 1, 2005 that the .XXX sTLD application met the required sponsorship criteria, and that its "reconsideration of that finding was not consistent with the application of neutral, objective and fair documented policy." If one understands what was at stake in this case, one realizes that this "defeat" for ICANN's past President and Board Chair (and the Bush Administration) is actually a great victory for ICANN as an institution.
blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2010/2/20/4461417.html
Watch out: .xxx is coming to an Internet near you soon
So I think there is a real chance that the Internet extension .xxx will appear on the Internet some time this year. Of course, you really can never know since overseeing body ICANN is a complex beast, but following the first use of the organization’s Independent Review Process (IRP) and the resulting panel declaration, I don’t actually see that many obstacles in the path of .xxx: all the arguments have been had and pretty much rejected by a very distinguished set of judges. And of course the current chairman of ICANN was emphatically of the view that dot-xxx should have been approved at the time it was officially rejected back in 2007.
kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/23/watch-out-xxx-is-coming-to-an-internet-near-you-soon/
.XXX Registry to ICANN: “We Must Protect Our Rights”
Fresh off an independent review victory over ICANN, .XXX top level domain name applicant ICM Registry is asking ICANN to get the show on the road.
domainnamewire.com/2010/02/27/xxx-registry-to-icann-we-must-protect-our-rights/
Switching on the Light: Expression of Interest for New TLDs by Richard J Tindal
They say late converts are the most passionate believers. Until now I haven't supported the Expression of Interest (EOI) for new TLDs, the proposed mechanism to measure the number and type of likely applications. Not because it won't work (I think it'll work fine) but because I didn't think it was necessary. I've changed my mind. Here's why.
www.circleid.com/posts/switching_on_the_light_expression_of_interest_tlds/
Could .Jobs Get a Boost and Help Future gTLDs?
I read an article in the Sydney Morning Herald today about the former President of Monster.com, Bill Warren, who is now working as the Executive Director of DirectEmployers Association, an organization that intends to utilize a network of domain names across the .Jobs domain extension. The effort could give a boost to the .Jobs domain extension, which has been around for a while but hasn’t made inroads in consumer awareness.
www.elliotsblog.com/could-jobs-get-a-boost-and-help-future-gtlds-2847
Minds and Machines Launch New City TLD Site
Minds and Machines have launched a new site targetted at prospective candidates for "city TLDs". The site provides information on what they predict will be the application process for a city that wants to run their own domain space.
www.newtldguide.com/2010/01/minds-and-machines-launch-new-city-tld-site.html
ICANN's Domain name mediator loses fight with Air Canada
A Canadian official in charge of settling disputes for the worldwide agency that assigns Internet domain names has lost a personal grievance of his own against Air Canada after an argument over an in-flight meal.
www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Domain+name+mediator+loses+fight+with+Canada/2623651/story.html
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- ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Bulgaria Decides to Register Cyrillic Domain '.бг' ('.bg')
Bulgaria's official Cyrillic domain name suffix is to be ".бг" (BG). An application for registration has been submitted to the world body that regulates domain names.
www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=113583
www.novinite.com/newsletter/print.php?id=113583
VeriSign’s Plans for “.Com IDNs” Become Clearer
For years, domainers have been investing in Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) that use non-Latin characters. But these have all been IDN at the second level only, as there currently aren’t any top level domain names in non-Latin characters. So an internet user has to type the second level domain using one character set and then append “.com” to the end.
domainnamewire.com/2010/02/26/verisigns-plans-for-com-idns-become-clearer/
Domain br.de successfully registered
The registration procedure for the br.de domain is finalised, and assignment of the domain to a holder is complete.
www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialog/news/2532.html?cHash=bfed236ee6
Domain br.de will be made available for registration on 18 February 2010
Due to a temporary injunction issued against DENIC, the domain br.de was excluded from the release of two-character domains effected in autumn 2009.
www.denic.de/en/denic-in-dialog/news/2530.html?cHash=cb30518676
DENIC Releases BR.DE Domain Name
DENIC have allowed the registration of the two-letter domain name BR.DE. The domain was excluded from the release of two-character domains affected in autumn 2009. Upon DENIC’s objection, this temporary injunction was now rescinded. The domain name was subsequently registered at 15:00 on 18 February
www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/27/denic-releases-brde-domain-name/
President Clinton to Keynote at 25 Years of .Com Policy Impact Forum
VeriSign, the operator of.com, announced today that President Bill Clinton will deliver the opening keynote address at its Policy Impact Forum in Washington D.C. on March 16. This event is part of a larger industry-wide campaign led by VeriSign recognizing 25 years of Internet innovation.
https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=590585&releasejsp=custom_97
IE Domain Registry Makes Minor Change to Registration Process by Michele Neylon
The IEDR, which runs the registry for the .ie ccTLD, has announced an upcoming change to its registration processes.
www.isquattedyour.eu/2010/02/27/ie-domain-registry-makes-minor-change-to-regi/
Why I believe 1 and 2 character domains should be allowed in .INFO
I posted this to the ICANN comments. If you feel strongly one way or another about 1-2 character domains being released in .INFO, I encourage you to comment as well.
blog.jothan.com/icann/tld/domain/why-i-believe-1-and-2-character-domains-should-be-allowed-in-info/
no: Change in the domain name policy, 8 March 2010
The list of organization types that may register domain names within .no (appendix E) is due for an update. Pensjonskasser: "Pensjonskasser" are independent organizations in accordance with the requirements set in the .no domain name policy. The organization type "pensjonskasse" will therefore be added to appendix E.
www.norid.no/regelverk/forslag/2010-02-24/index.en.html
NASK report: new domain every 30 seconds
NASK has published a report which summarizes the situation in the market of Polish Internet domains in Poland in 2009. Last year ended with 1.63m registered .PL domains, a 25% growth compared to the end of 2008. In 2009, NASK recorded a growth in new domains, by more than 2,600 a day on average, which means one domain registered in Poland every 30 seconds.
www.nask.pl/newsID/id/606
Nominet Passes Governance Test With Flying Colours by Kieren McCarthy
The dot-uk registry Nominet has passed a crucial governance test with flying colours, voting yes on eight Board resolutions with more than 93 percent member support.
kierenmccarthy.com/2010/02/25/nominet-passes-governance-test-with-flying-colours/
www.circleid.com/posts/20100225_nominet_passes_governance_test_with_flying_colours/
uk: Nominet members vote for constitutional change
Nominet has voted to change its constitution in a bid to avoid heavy-handed regulation by the government. The .uk registry has billed the move as a defining moment for the UK domain name market.
www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2258553/nominet-changes-constitution
uk.news.yahoo.com/16/20100225/ttc-nominet-members-vote-for-constitutio-6315470.html
UK registry to implement DNS security protocol [IDG]
Nominet, the U.K.'s domain name registry, will begin implementing a security protocol on Monday designed to protect the DNS (Domain Name System).
www.networkworld.com/news/2010/022610-uk-registry-to-implement-dns.html
www.pcworld.com/article/190285/.html
www.itworld.com/internet/98053/uk-registry-implement-dns-security-protocol
uk: Nominet to get unelected board members
Nominet members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of a raft of measures designed to avoid the government taking control of the .uk registry.
www.theregister.co.uk/2010/02/25/nominet_egm/
UK Internet industry takes .uk forward
Members of Nominet, the national registry for .uk domain names, have voted to change the organisation's constitution in a defining moment for the UK domain market and the UK Internet industry. Each of the proposed changes was supported by over 90% of the member votes cast.
www.nominet.org.uk/news/releases/?contentId=7190
Extraordinary General Meeting results
We are pleased to announce that at our Extraordinary General Meeting yesterday our members voted to change our constitution. Each of the proposed changes was supported by over 90% of the member votes cast and so all resolutions were carried.
www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=7191
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- DNS SECURITY
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How US domain registrar helped Iranian cyber army hack Baidu [IDG]
A hacker who took down top Chinese search engine Baidu.com last month broke into its account with a U.S. domain name registrar by pretending to be from Baidu in an online chat with the registrar's tech help, according to a lawsuit filed by Baidu.
news.techworld.com/security/3213599/how-us-domain-registrar-helped-iranian-cyber-army-hack-baidu/
Domain Protection and Cyber Armies
When Baidu.com was hacked last month by the Iranian Cyber Army. They felt that Register.com was to blame. However, as one might imagine the situation is not black and white and is a good lesson in the importance of IP protection on-line.
www.namesmash.com/?p=476
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- MISCELLANEOUS
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AFNIC CEO elected as new CENTR Chair
Mathieu Weill, AFNIC’s CEO, has replaced Andrzej Bartosiewicz from the Polish registry NASK as CEO of CENTR as his two-year term was coming to an end.
www.domainpulse.com/2010/02/27/afnic-ceo-elected-as-new-centr-chair/
AFNIC CEO elected as new CENTR Chair
CENTR is the Council of European National Top Level Domain Registries, gathering more than 50 registries such as DENIC for Germany (.de), Nominet for the United Kingdom (.uk) or Switch for Switzerland (.ch).
www.afnic.fr/actu/nouvelles/242/afnic-ceo-elected-as-new-centr-chair
Be Heard! APNIC Community Consultation
Internet address management may be on the brink of change. The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) is studying the creation of an alternative International Internet Registry model to operate in parallel to the existing RIR model.
ripe.net/news/2010-be-heard.html
uk: Mandelson criticised for backing Google plan
Lord Mandelson has been accused of backing multinationals over British start-ups after the business secretary publicly endorsed a joint venture led by Google and BT to build small business websites for free.
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bfde9268-2245-11df-9a72-00144feab49a.html
au: Pamela's cheeky ad deemed a touch too much
A commercial featuring Pamela Anderson in a gold bikini rubbing against another scantily clad woman while being sprayed with a white liquid has "crossed the line" in bad taste and been banned from Australian television. The company responsible for the ad, Crazy Domains, which registers internet domain names, is fighting the decision. A spokesman for the Perth company said the ad was no worse than some music video clips.
www.theage.com.au/national/pamelas-cheeky-ad-deemed-a-touch-too-much-20100227-pa8z.html
www.smh.com.au/business/marketing/dressing-down-over-ad-that-goes-too-far-in-boardroom-20100227-pa43.html
www.brisbanetimes.com.au/technology/crazy-domains-to-fight-pammys-ad-ban-20100226-p8y3.html
How keyword domains can boost search strategy
Nora Nanayakkara, business development director at Sedo, says brands should think more about their website addresses to optimise search better.
www.marketingweek.co.uk/opinion/how-keyword-domains-can-boost-search-strategy/3010206.article
Good domain names 'can boost SEO'
Businesses could enhance their online marketing campaigns by choosing the right domain names for their websites, according to one expert.
www.directnews.co.uk/news/search-engine/seo-development/good-domain-names-can-boost-seo--$1361777.htm
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- DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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No Blockbusters But the Middle of the Market Boomed Over the Past Seven Days
No six-figure sales were reported over the past week but that dearth of deals at the high end of the market was offset by a flood of solid five-figure sales in the mid range. In fact we had almost enough of those to fill two Top 20 charts. In addition to the 20 domains that did make our weekly leader board, we logged 18 more five-figure sales.
dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2010/20100224.htm
SnapNames Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed
A lawsuit against Snapnames and parent company Oversee.net that was requesting class action status has been voluntarily dismissed.
domainnamewire.com/2010/02/27/snapnames-class-action-lawsuit-dismissed/
Sedo Announces Travel Domain Auction
Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace and monetization provider, today announced it will hold its Travel and Geographical domain-themed auction, featuring premium addresses with a broad selection of extensions. Large and small to medium-sized travel industry organizations alike and domain investors will have the opportunity to acquire some of the most desirable properties, including Belgium.com, VisitSpain.net, Tourism.biz, and Souvenirs.net. This Sedo auction will run from 9 a.m. EST on March 5, 2010 to 9 a.m. EST on March 12, 2010.
www.sedo.com/presse/presse.php?tracked=&partnerid=&language=e&id=303
New Domain Aftermarket Sites
In the last couple of months, I have learned about several new domain aftermarket sales websites. Most of the new sites haven’t been started by amateurs, but rather by professional domain investors who make their living in the domain space. Here are a few of the newer aftermarket websites:
www.elliotsblog.com/new-domain-aftermarket-sites-0383
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