domain name & governance news - 23 April

[David Goldstein <goldstein_david@yahoo.com.au>]

Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for a more recent edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!

And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for regular updates in between postings.


**********************************************************
Sponsored by the Singapore Internet Research Centre 
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/

Sponsored by EuroDNS and AsiaDNS - for your domain name registration
http://www.eurodns.com/
**********************************************************


Interview: Paul Mockapetris on DNS developments
http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/analysis/2188234/interview-paul-mockapetris-dns

VA Tech-related domain names blow in
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9710857-7.html

us: Speculators snap up Virginia Tech-related domains
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=protocols_and_standards&articleId=9017118

ICANN to RegisterFly: We Really REALLY Mean It This Time by John Levine
http://www.circleid.com/posts/icann_registerfly_really_it/

More Domain Names Sell than you Think - “unreported” domain name market dwarfs reported sales
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/04/19/more-domain-names-sell-than-you-think/

What is a Domain Name Worth to an End User? - Forget pay-per-click multiples. Domains are most valuable to end users.
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/04/18/what-is-a-domain-name-worth-to-an-end-user/

nz: Persuasion first step in typosquatting cases
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/243A716C233171B6CC2572C3000DB783

nz: Suspected 'typosquatter' irks Datastor
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/41302AD6F671E45ACC2572C3000A1551

nz: Typo websites abound on world wild web
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/1D6C54395EA8936CCC2572C3000E63CA

*****************
GOVERNANCE
*****************
Cluster of WSIS-related events, 14-25 May 2007, Geneva, Switzerland
The tenth session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) will take place in Geneva from 21-25 May 2007. In parallel, a  cluster of WSIS-related events, such as Action Line Facilitation meetings, will take place from 15-25 May 2007 in Geneva.
http://www.itu.int/wsis/implementation/cluster.asp?year=2007&month=0&type='alf'&subtype=0

**********************
DOMAIN NAMES
**********************
Interview: Paul Mockapetris on DNS developments
The creator of the Domain Name System says DNS services have a pivotal role in the Web 2.0 revolution
http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/analysis/2188234/interview-paul-mockapetris-dns
http://www.vnunet.com/itweek/analysis/2188234/interview-paul-mockapetris-dns

VA Tech-related domain names blow in
In the past five days, hundreds of Virginia Tech-related domain names have been registered that appear to be suspect, security experts warn. And they further note that these potentially malicious sites have been registered at a quicker clip than those for Hurricane Katrina.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9710857-7.html

us: Speculators snap up Virginia Tech-related domains
Speculators have registered Web domains related to the Virginia Tech killings, including URLs such as vatechshooting.com and vtmurders.com. Some are for sale for as much as $1 million. Numerous domains have been registered at GoDaddy.com since Monday's shootings, according to searches at the discount registrar. They include vatechshooting.com, vtmurders.com, vtkillings.com, vatechshooting.net, vtrampage.com and vatechmassacre.com.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=protocols_and_standards&articleId=9017118
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4732455.html

ICANN to RegisterFly: We Really REALLY Mean It This Time by John Levine
ICANN’s web site has a press release saying that the were granted a temporary restraining order on Monday requiring that Registerfly cough up all the info on their registrants, or else. My assumption all along has been that the reason that Registerfly hasn’t provided full info is because they don’t have it.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/icann_registerfly_really_it/
http://internetcommerce.org/news/icanns_gets_restraining_order_against_registerfly

Looking for Feedback on Registry Failover
As part of ICANN’s Registry Failover project, Patrick JOnes has been informally asking questions outside ICANN on what types of information the community, users and the public would want to receive in the event of a registry failure. So far the response has been: when will the TLD be operational again?; what caused the event?; how can that event be prevented in the future?; what are my options?; who is the point of contact at ICANN for questions and what is their availability?; is there a resource available to post updates on the event or failure?
http://blog.icann.org/?p=105

ICANN wins court order against rogue registrar
Controversial US domain registrar RegisterFly has been ordered by a US court to hand all its customer and domain name data to the internet's governing body for domain names so that they can be transferred to other registrars.
http://out-law.com/page-7982

kr: Registration Opens for Shorter Domain Names
Starting Thursday the public can register for so-called "Quick Doms" which are Internet domain names without the co or or. So instead of korea-dot-co-dot-kr, the public can have the shorter korea-dot-kr.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200704/200704200004.html

More Domain Names Sell than you Think - “unreported” domain name market dwarfs reported sales
Each week Ron Jackson publishes the week’s highest reported domain name sales for the week at DNJournal.com. But DNJournal’s reported sales are just the tip of the iceberg. Jackson is aware of a number of other domain sales but isn’t allowed to disclose them. Beyond even what he knows about, more domain sales occur that never get announced to the public. Many of these are purchased by large corporations or trade hands between people that would rather not announce it to the world.
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/04/19/more-domain-names-sell-than-you-think/

What is a Domain Name Worth to an End User? - Forget pay-per-click multiples. Domains are most valuable to end users.
A couple weeks ago I more than quadrupled my money on a domain name sale. I purchased the domain less than a year ago at a reseller market. I used a broker to market the domain to companies that sold the related product, and he brought in a nice five-figure sale. (I’m not disclosing the domain nor the actual sales price for confidentiality reasons.)
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/04/18/what-is-a-domain-name-worth-to-an-end-user/

nz: Persuasion first step in typosquatting cases
Typosquatting is not a common problem for companies operating .co.nz websites, but when it does occur, persuading the alleged assailant to play fair is the first step a domain registrant should take, according to an internet law expert.
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/243A716C233171B6CC2572C3000DB783

nz: Suspected 'typosquatter' irks Datastor
An apparent incident of “typo-squatting” has riled distributor Datastor. The company has taken action to shut down a website using the domain name www.datastore.co.nz, claiming the portal is a deliberate attempt to lure web users who may misspell Datastor.
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/41302AD6F671E45ACC2572C3000A1551

nz: Typo websites abound on world wild web
Intrigued by the apparent Datastor “typo-squatting” incident, Reseller News trawled the internet to find similar cases relating to other technology companies. One of the most interesting local finds was www.trdeme.co.nz, which redirects to www.trademeonline.co.nz, containing links to a range of websites in several categories. Ironically, one of these leads to the website for the Consumers’ Institute.
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/1D6C54395EA8936CCC2572C3000E63CA

ICANN Formalizes Relationships with ccTLD Manager for Armenia
ICANN announced today that it has signed an exchange of letters with the ccTLD manager for .am—Armenia, Internet Society (Armenia).
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-19apr07.htm

Proposed .COOP Sponsored TLD Agreement Posted for Public Comment
The proposed .COOP Sponsored TLD agreement is posted for public comment and can be viewed. The proposed .COOP agreement substantially follows the format of other recent sTLD registry agreements negotiated by ICANN.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-20apr07.htm

Icann formalises relationship with ccTLD manager for Armenia (sub req'd)
http://www.telecom.paper.nl/news/article.aspx?id=165272

Epic.org domain renewal comes at a bad time
There's never a good time to lose control of your Internet domain name, but for advocacy group the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), there could have been better times. The group's Epic.org domain name expired the day before it filed a legal challenge to Google's plan to buy DoubleClick.
http://infoworld.com/article/07/04/20/HNepicdomainrenewal_1.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131018-pg,1/article.html

Google looses in googles.eu case!
A Spanish man registered googles.eu, used it for a web page where a search feature was available, with this disclaimer "This website does not have affiliation or relation with Google Inc. all the results are property of Google Inc. (1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain Vew CA 94043, the USA)". One need not be used to domain name lawsuits to know what would happen next... But Google lost its ADR case!
http://domaine.blogspot.com/2007/04/google-looses-in-googleseu-case.html

uk: Nominet governance consultation update (news release)
Nominet is updating its Articles of Association, the document that describes how the company interacts with its members, and the way in which it is governed.
http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=3582

ca: Simple typo brings x-rated info
A simple typo when looking for information about life insurance on the Internet could get you some unwanted bare facts. An adult-only website is using a similar domain name to the industry's consumer protection fund, Assuris.
http://edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2007/04/21/4091071-sun.html

Microsoft preps 133 patches for Windows DNS hole
Microsoft plans to have a fix for the recently disclosed Windows Domain Name System service flaw available by its May 8 patch day at the latest.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9710490-7.html

Governing body of the Internet votes down recent proposal
Among others, this article quotes Radic Davydov, the administrator of a Web hosting company and domain registrar, who "feels the same as those board members who voted against it. 'There would, without a doubt, be an enormous amount of pressure from many governments and organizations to force adult sites to use this new extension,' he said. 'ICANN has proven to be a very powerful entity in the Internet world, but even then I believe it would be fairly hard to control Internet content from their end.'"
http://media.www.thedailyaztec.com/media/storage/paper741/news/2007/04/19/ScienceTechnology/Icann.Wants.To.Let.You.Decide.Whats.XRated-2851942.shtml>

Maintain reign over your domain - tips to help keep tight control of your domain
Whether it serves as your business's indispensable catalog of services or simply announces you to the universe, your Web site is important. Its content and design are likely paramount in your thoughts, but the single most telling element of any Web site for visitors is its domain name. These tips will help you keep tight control of your domain.
http://pcworld.ca/news/article/0f3eee3a0a01040801fdf17ca9648d62/pg0.htm

Goatse.cx domain is for sale
The notorious domain goatse.cx is being sold through an online auction. The minimum bid is $4000
http://addict3d.org/news/98970/Goatse.cx%20domain%20is%20for%20sale

.aero- aviation's internet space (news release)
Now aviation has its own alternative to traditional domain names such as.com and country specific domain names: the aero-domain. The aero-domain is much more than a domain name – it’s an Internet territory staked out by aviation for aviation. A aero-domain will set you apart from todays crowded online environment and reinforce your identity as a key player in the global aviation community
http://www.businessportal24.com/en/_175801.html

Speculators Buying Virginia Domains
A number of individuals have registered domain names related to the Virginia Tech massacre, including URLs such as vatechshooting.com and vtmurders.com, with some of the domains selling upwards of $US1 million.
http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/042007_Speculators_Buying_Virginia_Domains.cfm

Odimo sells domain name
Sunrise-based Odimo, the one-time online retailer of jewelry and luxury goods, has sold the Ashford.com domain name for $400,000 to private holding company Luxi Group of New York. The deal follows Odimo's sales last year of the domain names Diamond.com and WorldofWatches.com in separate transactions valued at almost $10 million.
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/81036.html
http://www.miamiherald.com/103/story/81819.html

China makes great efforts to popularize Chinese domain names
On April 10, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) announced that it will register one million Chinese character domains names to help those unfamiliar with Roman characters to visit the websites they are looking for.
http://english.people.com.cn/200704/19/eng20070419_368013.html

IPv6 – Ready for Prime Time? Part IV: Vendor Support
In our previous tutorial, we looked at the various IPv6 test networks that have been established around the world to gather deployment experience with the new protocol. But test networks are just that – testing – and if it’s your bonus on the line, you want to make sure that the key vendors that support your network are also tuned in with the latest IPv6 enhancements.
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/netsys/article.php/3673156

cat-domain is not for cats (news release)
The cat-domains have been established to serve the needs of the Catalan Linguistic and Cultural Community on the Internet.
http://verivox.de/News/ArticleDetails.asp?aid=49437&pm=1
http://www.businessportal24.com/en/_176185.html

NetNames Selected by Provident
NetNames announced it has been selected by financial services company Provident Financial to manage its domain name portfolio and protect its brands online, including Provident and Yes Insurance.
http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/041907_NetNames_Selected_by_Provident.cfm

.at-Domain um 1.00€/Jahr - nur bis 30.04.07! (news release)
www.wunschname.at - eine eigene Internetadresse gehört heute schon zum "guten Ton", egal ob für gewerbliche oder für private Homepagebetreiber. Ein besonders günstiges Angebot für den Erwerb der unverwechselbaren Adresse haben die HostProfis ISP um nur 1.00 € exkl. USt. im 1. Jahr!
http://www.wallstreet-online.de/nachrichten/nachricht/2058665.html
http://pte.at/pte.mc?pte=070419035

Uni-Massaker füllt Kassen der Cyberkriminellen
sophosVideolink entpuppt sich als Bankentrojaner - "Allein am ersten Tag des Massakers wurden mehr als 450 Domains gekauft"
http://derstandard.at/?id=2851972

Présidentielle 2007: les propositions des candidats pour développer la France numérique
La veille du premier tour de l’élection présidentielle, Vnunet.fr a souhaité recueillir les propositions des principaux candidats autour d'Internet et de l'économie numérique en France.
http://www.vnunet.fr/fr/vnunet/news/2007/04/19/pr-sidentielle-2007

Registerfly assigné en justice
Registerfly a reçu le 16 avril une injonction de la cour de justice californienne l'obligeant à fournir à l'ICANN la totalité des données Whois de ses noms de domaine.
http://domainesinfo.fr/actualite/1186/registerfly-assigne-en-justice.php

Des internautes exploitent la tragédie de Virginia Tech
Outre Atlantique, la polémique grandit autour de ces enregistrements opportunistes effectués quelques heures après la tragédie de l'université de Virginia Tech.
http://domainesinfo.fr/actualite/1189/des-internautes-exploitent-la-tragedie-de-virginia-tech.php

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the most recent edition of the domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!

The domain name news is supported by auDA.

For information on subscriptions to the domain name and/or general internet news please contact me. For archives of postings to the list, see http://lists.technewsreview.com.au/pipermail/technewsreview/. Also see http://technewsreview.com.au/ for recent updates.

Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(c) David Goldstein 2007

 
---------

David Goldstein
 address: 4/3 Abbott Street
           COOGEE NSW 2034
           AUSTRALIA
 email: Goldstein_David @yahoo.com.au
 phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home)

"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery



Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com