auDA Domain Name News - 18 March
18/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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- ICANN
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ICANN Board Stays on Course for Launch of New gTLD Program
In closing ICANN's 37th international meeting in Nairobi, ICANN's Board chose to continue with the current implementation plans leading to launch of the New gTLD Program, rather than pursuing a proposal to institute a system of "Expressions of Interest" (EOI), a pre-registration process for those wishing to apply for a new generic top-level domain (gTLD).
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-15mar10-en.htm
ICANN CEO Urges East African Leaders to Make the Affordable Internet Access Available to All Their Citizens
The Chief Executive Officer of ICANN has urged African countries to expand the reach and affordability of the Internet in their respective countries to help improve the economic future of their citizens.
icann.org/en/news/releases/release-08mar10-en.pdf
ICANN Approves Trademark Clearinghouse
In closing ICANN’s 37th International meeting in Nairobi, ICANN’s Board of Directors adopted a pioneering package including an extensive database of trademarks for their protections on the Internet.
icann.org/en/news/releases/release-12mar10-en.pdf
New DNSSEC Signing Facilities Live at ICANN
ICANN's commitment to the deployment of DNSSEC continues with the launch of the Generic Signing Infrastructure (GSI).
icann.org/en/news/releases/release-17mar10-en.pdf
ICANN Accredited Registrar, Lead Networks, Placed Under the Responsibility of a Court Appointed Receiver
Bret Fausett, Of Counsel at Adorno Yoss Alvarado & Smith, was appointed receiver of ICANN-accredited registrar, Lead Networks, Pvt. Ltd., by the United States District Court for the Central District of California in the action entitled VERIZON CALIFORNIA INC., et al. v. LEAD NETWORKS DOMAINS PRIVATE LIMITED et al, Case No. CV-09-00613 ABC (CWx).
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-17mar10-en.htm
Affirmation of Commitments: Candidates for the Accountability and Transparency Review Team
ICANN received 25 candidatures following the Call for Applicants for volunteer Review Team Members on the Accountability and Transparency review. All applicants indicate the SO/AC they seek to represent.
icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-16mar10-en.htm
Soca calls on internet industry to badger Icann over cybercrime
The UK Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) has called on the internet and e-commerce industry to support its global initiative to combat cybercrime.
www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2010/03/16/240621/Soca-calls-on-internet-industry-to-badger-Icann-over.htm
Soca: we must stamp out DNS abuse
A leading figure in Soca’s e-crime directorate admitted today that the agency is hampered by a lack of resources and disparate legal frameworks, and outlined that engagement with industry bodies is crucial to success in preventing DNS crime.
www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2259605/soca-stamp-dns-abuse
Law Enforcement Push for Stricter Domain Name Rules [IDG]
Law enforcement officials in the U.K. and U.S. are pushing ICANN to put in place measures that would help reduce abuse of the domain name system.
www.computerworld.com.au/article/339960/law_enforcement_push_stricter_domain_name_rules
computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/security/law-enforcement-push-for-stricter-domain-name-rules
www.cio.com.au/article/339945/law_enforcement_push_stricter_domain_name_rules
Domain Name Meeting Urges Africa to End Internet Drought
A global Internet security firm has asked African leaders to make the Internet more accessible and affordable in order to promote social and economic development.
www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Domain name meeting urges Africa to end Internet Drought /-/2560/878452/-/d2suvb/-/index.html
allafrica.com/stories/201003150145.html
Minds + Machines Says Well Positioned Ahead of GTLD Process
Top Level Domain Holdings, the parent company for Minds + Machines has expressed its satisfaction with the outcomes of the ICANN meeting held in Nairobi last week.
www.domainpulse.com/2010/03/16/minds-machines-says-well-positioned-ahead-of-gtld-process/
www.domainnews.com/en/minds-+-machines-says-well-positioned-ahead-of-gtld-process.html
Update on ICANN Progress
Minds + Machines’ parent company, Top Level Domain Holdings, today sent out a press release summarizing our take on the recent ICANN Nairobi meeting from the TLDH perspective. The full text follows: On Friday, 12 March 2010, at a meeting in Nairobi of ICANN, ICANN’s Board of Directors clarified and progressed further the framework for the introduction of generic top level domains (“gTLDs”).
www.mindsandmachines.com/2010/03/update-on-icann-progress/
Registry – Registrar Integration Debate Far from Over for New TLDs
Last week I reported about an ICANN board resolution that called for “strict separation of entities offering registry services and those acting as registrars. No co-ownership will be allowed.”
domainnamewire.com/2010/03/15/registry-registrar-integration-debate-far-from-over-for-new-tlds/
ICANN Defers .XXX, Appeases Trademark Holders, in Nairobi Meeting
ICANN concluded its week-long meeting in Nairobi on Friday 12 March with a number of notable and controversial decisions. The board meeting, the traditional final happening at its meetings held three times per year around the world, voted to defer a decision on the .XXX Top Level Domain and to scrap the Expressions of Interest Proposal for new generic TLD applicants. However they did vote to create a Trademark Clearinghouse and Uniform Rapid Suspension System to protect trademark holder's rights in new gTLDs. But the decisions from the ICANN board were given a poor mark by Milton Mueller writing on the Internet Governance blog.
goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10634
www.domainpulse.com/2010/03/15/icann-xxx-trademark-holders-nairobi/
www.domainnews.com/en/icann-board-appeases-trademark-holders-defers-.xxx-in-nairobi-meeting.html
Controversial sex domain name decision delayed
The organisation that assigns internet domain names has delayed a decision on the controversial .xxx suffix. Icann had been meeting in Nairobi last week and was expected to vote on a decision on the domain for adult sites before their conference closed.
www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7450045/Controversial-sex-domain-name-decision-delayed.html
Icann creates trademark clearinghouse
Icann closed its latest international meeting with the announcement that it will create a database of internet trademarks, in a move designed to better protect them.
www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2259511/icann-creates-trademark
EoWhy? by Jothan Frakes
I have come to acceptance that the community proposal for Expressions of Interest in new gTLDs (EoI) was removed from consideration during ICANN's March 12th Board Meeting in Nairobi. It should have passed, but it got lobbied into oblivion by some in attendance at the Nairobi meeting. They deserve their say, those who oppose it, but quite frequently the arguments used fail logic once one reflects upon them, or contrast them against the facts.
www.circleid.com/posts/icann_expressions_of_interest_eowhy/
EOI Scrapped: New TLDs On Course
Last Friday, ICANN concluded its 37th Meeting with a meeting of the ICANN Board, during which the Board scrapped the Expressions of Interest or "EOI" proposal. In reading through the transcript of the discussion, it is evident that some of the members of the Board harbored reservations about the time line for the EOI, which was to progress concurrently with the implementation of the New TLD Program.
kaatzlaw.blogspot.com/2010/03/eoi-scrapped-new-tlds-on-course.html
You Get What You Negotiate for, Not What You Deserve
Last week's ICANN meeting will go down in history as one of the most successful.
www.businessdailyafrica.com/You get what you negotiate for not what you deserve /-/539444/881438/-/m1x5n/-/index.html
allafrica.com/stories/201003171191.html
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- ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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Africa: less than 1 million country domain sites - survey
The latest revelation that Africa has less than 1 million country domain websites is a sign that the continent still favours priorities such as poverty eradication, land redistribution, basic health care, clean water and education, among others, ahead of developing its technological capacities. Vika Mpisane, GM of .ZADNA, made the revelation during the presentation of .za market research survey yesterday, Tuesday, 16 March 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg.
www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/16/45762.html
Canon First Multinational to Publicly Announce Desire for GTLD
Canon, the global electronics company headquartered in Japan, has broken ranks with multinational companies around the world to publicly say they intend to apply for the .CANON generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) when ICANN begins accepting applications, possibly later this year.
goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10665
www.domainpulse.com/2010/03/17/canon-first-multinational-to-publicly-announce-desire-for-gtld/
Canon to begin acquisition of the ".canon" Top-Level Domain name
Canon Inc. announced today that it will begin the acquisition process for the top-level domain name ".canon," based on the new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) registration system.
www.canon.com/news/2010/mar16e.html
“Thin Brand Line” Breaks as Canon Announces Plans for .CANON
Until today’s announcement by Canon, no large brand had broken the “thin brand line” by revealing their plan to apply for their own new top-level domain. Now with Canon’s announcement, other major companies have been challenged to either announce their TLD plans or else state that they plan to forgo the chance to brand themselves at the top level of the domain name space.
www.mindsandmachines.com/2010/03/thin-brand-line-breaks-as-canon-announces-plans-for-canon/
Canon First in Line for Its Own Top-Level Domain, .canon
Canon announced Wednesday it intends to be the first company to say goodbye to .com and buy its own top-level domain, taking advantage of ICANN’s decision to broadly widen the number of top-level names. If — or rather when — this starts happening, web address conventions may never be the same.
www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/03/canon-domain/
VeriSign Marks 25 Years of .Com: President Clinton to Address Internet Policymakers, Industry Leaders Tuesday
VeriSign ... tomorrow will host a summit of Internet policymakers, industry leaders and other stakeholders in Washington, D.C., to kick off a celebration of the economic, social and cultural impact of .com. The popular domain marks its 25th anniversary today.
https://press.verisign.com/easyir/customrel.do?easyirid=AFC0FF0DB5C560D3&version=live&prid=596351&releasejsp=custom_97
Dotcom web address celebrates silver anniversary
The internet celebrates a landmark event on the 15 March - the 25th birthday of the day the first dotcom name was registered.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8567414.stm
VeriSign Celebrates 25 Years of .Com
VeriSign is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the registration of the first .COM domain name on 15 March by holding a summit of internet policymakers, industry leaders and other stakeholders in Washington, D.C. with President Clinton to address internet policymakers and industry leaders.
goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=10646
www.domainpulse.com/2010/03/16/verisign-celebrates-25-years-of-com/
President Clinton talks about the iPhone, newspapers, broadband
In a forum today marking the 25th anniversary of the first .com registration, former President Bill Clinton spoke about his favourite devices, the grim outlook for newspapers and the need for policies to improve Internet access.
www.computerworld.com/s/article/9171658/President_Clinton_talks_about_the_iPhone_newspapers_broadband
computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/newmedia/president-clinton-talks-about-the-iphone-newspapers-broadband
March 15, 1985: Dot-Com Revolution Starts With a Whimper
1985: Symbolics, a Massachusetts computer company, registers symbolics.com, the internet’s first domain name. The market for these unique addresses would not heat up for years, but this click heard ’round the world would eventually provide just about anyone a place in cyberspace to call their own.
www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/03/0315-symbolics-first-dotcom
The Internet Economy 25 Years After .com [news release]
ITIF is marking the 25th anniversary of the very first .com with a comprehensive report, "The Internet Economy 25 Years After .Com: Transforming Life and Commerce." The Internet revolution has just begun. The report is being issued 25 years to the day in 1985 when symbolics.com was registered as the first .com in the world. The report quantifies the dazzling growth and economic benefits of e-commerce, especially in the last decade since bubble collapse, and recommends ways to ensure a growing and vibrant Internet in the years to come.
itif.org/publications/internet-economy-25-years-after-com
Silver Anniversary For Dot Com
It was 25 years ago today that the first .com Internet address was assigned to symbolics.com, a Massachusetts firm. Since then, about 80 million .com Internet addresses have been registered, according to a new report released Monday from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/03/silver-anniversary-for-dot-com.php
hk: Domain name administration pact signed [news release]
The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer has signed a new designation agreement and memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation to enhance Internet domain names administration in Hong Kong.
www.news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/100317/html/100317en06001.htm
.Ngo Wants to Be a Secure .Org
A U.K. charity wants to create a secure .org top level domain name at .ngo.
domainnamewire.com/2010/03/14/ngo-wants-to-be-a-secure-org/
One-letter '.co.uk' domain names on the way
Domain names comprising just one or two letters will be made available in the UK from June, Nominet has revealed.
www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3217423
www.networkworld.com/news/2010/031610-one-letter-couk-domain-names-on.html
Nominet to release super-short domain names
A host of new, short domain names will be made available under the body responsible for domain names ending in .uk, Nominet. It plans to allow the registration of previously-banned domain names consisting of one or two characters.
www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/15/nominet_domain_rules/
Zadna Calls for More '.co.za' Domains
The ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) today voiced it's concern over too many South Africans registering .COM domains as opposed to .CO.ZA domains.
www.businessday.co.za/Articles/Content.aspx?id=103751
allafrica.com/stories/201003160999.html
Authority seeks more structured .za domain
THE .za Domain Name Authority (.zaDNA) is lobbying the communications minister to amend the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act to create a formal, regulated structure for the internet domain name industry.
www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=103793
allafrica.com/stories/201003170106.html
Too many SA websites registering .com domains
The ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) expressed concern on Tuesday that too many South Africans register .com websites instead of .co.za websites.
www.ioltechnology.co.za/article_page.php?iSectionId=2891&iArticleId=5392155
80 percent of SA businesses prefer co.za domain
More than 80 percent of patriotic South African businesses and individual Internet users prefer to use co.za for their online presence over and above dot.com.
www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fArticleId=5392769
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- DNS SECURITY
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Meet USCybercom: Why the US is fielding a cyber army
The US is in the process of creating a unified cyber command, to fight the conventional wars of the future, which the Pentagon has no doubt, will include a cyber element.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8511711.stm
States embark on a scramble for cyberspace
It is time to stop thinking of cyberspace as a new medium or an agglomeration of new media. It is a new continent, rich in resources but in parts most perilous. Until 30 years ago, it had lain undiscovered, unmined and uninhabited.
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/05be0df8-3205-11df-a8d1-00144feabdc0.html
Measure would force White House, private sector to collaborate in cyber-crisis
Key members of Congress are pushing legislation that would require the White House to collaborate with the private sector in any response to a crisis affecting the nation's critical computer networks.
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/16/AR2010031603811.html
Perspectives on a DNS-CERT
Last week at the ICANN meeting in Nairobi, a plan was announced by ICANN staff to create a "CERT" for DNS. That's a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) for the global Domain Name System (DNS). There are all kinds of CERTs in the world today, both inside and outside the Internet industry. There isn't one for DNS, and that's basically my fault, and so I have been following the developments in Nairobi this week very closely.
www.circleid.com/posts/20100316_perspectives_on_a_dns_cert/
ICANN, .Org Pressing Ahead With DNSSEC
Against the backdrop of a major security flaw in the Internet's routing system, registrars, service providers and others are moving to implement the DNSSEC solution.
www.internetnews.com/infra/article.php/3870586
au: Terror moves into the digital age
Terrorists are about to vent their fury on Australia with an attack that will reveal a diabolical new dimension to the terrorist threat. In a prelude designed to cripple the country's defences, an all-out cyber assault is unleashed.
www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/terror-moves-into-the-digital-age/story-e6frgczf-1225841555397
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- DOMAIN DISPUTES
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New UDRP Goes into Effect Today – Still No Response from ICANN
Czech Arbitration Court’s new UDRP procedure — in which complainants pay only 500 EUR at first unless the domain owner responds or the arbitrator needs to think about the case — goes into effect today.
domainnamewire.com/2010/03/15/new-udrp-goes-into-effect-today-still-no-response-from-icann/
Misspelled 'Hotmail' domains draw Microsoft lawsuit
Were you planning to capitalize off of people's typos when trying to reach hotmail.com? You could go ahead and try, but Microsoft would probably sue you.
blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/archives/198358.asp
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- MISCELLANEOUS
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World Domain Cup Releases Top 100 Proposed New gTLD Extensions By Vote
The World Domain Cup contest has just released a report on the top 100 most voted for potential gTLDs. Japanese internet service provider, Interlink is hosting a quirky large scale contest. Pick the right gTLD and you could win a revenue share of the first year of new domain registrations as well as a piece of $10,000.
www.dotsauce.com/2010/03/15/world-domain-cup-top-100-new-gtld/
Domain Registrars & Registries: Don't Say You Weren't Warned by Statton Hammock
There is an old saying that "bad news comes in threes." Domain name service providers have witnessed two unsettling developments in the past few weeks. The third, still winding its way through the U.S. Congress, could have enormous ramifications. Registries and registrars, in particular, need to speak up or resign themselves to the consequences.
www.circleid.com/posts/20100317_domain_registrars_registries_dont_say_you_werent_warned/
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- DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Breaking Sex.com News
Sedo just learned that an Involuntary Chapter 11 petition has been filed against Escom, owner of the Sex.com domain name.
https://sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=1&partnerid=32970&language=us&Id=2619
https://sedo.com/links/showlinks.php3?tracked=&partnerid=&language=us&Id=2619
Mike Mann Claims Sex.com Over $10 Million in Debt
Three creditors filed an involuntary bankruptcy petition against Sex.com owner Escom, LLC today in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California.
domainnamewire.com/2010/03/17/mike-mann-claims-sex-com-over-10-million-in-debt/
Involuntary Chapter 11 Petition Filed Against Escom, LLC – Owner of the Sex.com Domain Name
I just received an email from regarding the Sex.com domain name, which had been scheduled to be auctioned tomorrow morning in New York City. According to the email sent to me, legal action has been filed, and the domain auction will apparently not take place as previously scheduled as a result. The news was released by Mike Mann via Facebook and Twitter.
www.elliotsblog.com/involuntary-chapter-11-petition-filed-against-escom-llc-owner-of-the-sex-com-domain-name-0562
Domain names: Will sex still sell?
At $14m, it was the internet's most costly address just four years ago. But as sex.com goes on sale today, many doubt whether it can get investors excited all over again
www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/domain-names-will-sex-still-sell-1923101.html
Sex.com under the hammer - but can sex still sell?
Let's talks about sex.com. In a Manhattan auction room this morning what was once the internet's most valuable domain name goes under the hammer.
www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10632799
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