domain name news - 17 May

[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!

Headlines from the most recent news include:
nz: Web odyssey for the keyboard challenged | Web squatters exploit
Madeleine campaign | Location of Third ICANN Meeting for 2007 (hint:
the nearest airport is LAX) | Survey: Biggest Threats to Domain Name
Industry | Swiss Supreme Court examines domain name jurisdiction issues

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


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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/
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The Olympic games infringement case, and the winner is... Paris
http://www.juriscom.net/actu/visu.php?ID=923

Positions on Icann, the Internet addressing agency, are open
http://iht.com/articles/2007/05/16/technology/ptend17.php

Domain name Porn.com sells for US$9.5M
http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/3F9D31F5E983D4B3CC2572DD007630D5

'Porn' auction shows sex sells
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/05/16/1178995237005.html

UK 'running out of web addresses'
http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/news/2190009/uk-running-web-addresses

Dutchman stops using domain names containing 'google'
http://infoworld.nl/idgns/bericht.phtml?id=002570DE00740E18002572DD002EB127

Book Review: Sex.com by Kieren McCarthy
http://www.circleid.com/posts/book_sex_com_by_kieren_mccarthy/

RegisterFly update: 16 May
http://blog.icann.org/?p=128

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GOVERNANCE
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Create an open, inclusive, development-oriented information society - Ban Ki-Moon
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in his message on World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, May 17, 2007, called for creation of a truly open, inclusive and development-oriented information society. According to a press release issued by the UN Information Center (UNIC) here on Wednesday, the full text of his message reads: "Since the advent of the telegraph in the mid-19th century, the International Telecommunication Union has been among the key players in helping the world to communicate. Today, from traditional telecommunications to the latest advances in cyberspace, ITU continues to provide governments, the private sector and civil society with expert guidance and assistance in addressing issues related to information and communication technologies. And following the successful conclusion of the two phases of the World Summit on the Information Society, the entire UN system is committed to the plan of action strongly linking ICT with development.
http://irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-237/0705168861113559.htm
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10992.doc.htm

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DOMAIN NAMES
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The Olympic games infringement case, and the winner is ... Paris
On 14 March 2007, the High Court of First Instance of Paris (‘Tribunal de Grande Instance’) rendered a judgement (1) condemning a Parisian, Mr Gilbert L., for registering, in March and July 2005, the trade marks “Paris 2016”, “Paris 2020”, “Paris 2024” and “Paris 2028”, and the domain names “paris2016.com”, “paris2016.fr”, “paris2020.com”, “paris2020.fr”, etc. There were two separate decisions regarding domain names - one was the Court ruled that the registration of the domain names was fraudulent, the other the Court ruled that the registration of the litigious domain names also constituted acts of infringement by imitation.
http://www.juriscom.net/actu/visu.php?ID=923

Positions on Icann, the Internet addressing agency, are open
Has the novelty of the Internet worn off? Vinton Cerf, chief Internet evangelist for Google and one of the Internet's founding fathers, suspects that after 30-some years, it may well have. For this reason and others, Cerf recorded a video that you can see on YouTube in which he tries to drum up enthusiasm for applying for one of the nine open positions at Icann, the Internet addressing agency of which he is chairman. The application deadline, which has been extended twice, is Friday.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/05/16/technology/ptend17.php
http://www.circleid.com/posts/vint_ceft_diminishing_novelty_of_internet/

Domain name Porn.com sells for US$9.5M
It’s said that everything has a price – and the price paid recently for the Porn.com web domain is US$9.5 million, cash. The domain name registrar and reseller Moniker.com has announced the sale of Porn.com to US-based MXN, an internet media and investment business.
http://pcworld.co.nz/pcworld/pcw.nsf/feature/3F9D31F5E983D4B3CC2572DD007630D5
http://computerworld.com.sg/ShowPage.aspx?pagetype=2&articleid=5083&pubid=3&tab=Home&issueid=111
http://m-net.net.nz/1647/latest-news/latest-news/xxx-dollars-splurged-on-porn.com.php
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131910-c,industrynews/article.html

Porn.com Sells for $9.5m: Poker.com Gets Bid for $27m
The biggest all cash sale in domain name history was recorded over the weekend with Porn.com fetching $95 million cash during a silent auction held by Moniker.com.  Two bids were offered for Poker.com - one a verbal for $27 mil and another firm for $22 mil - but there has been a road block in this sale.
http://www.gambling911.com/Porn.com-Poker.com-051407.html
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/05/15/porncom-sells-for-95m-cash/

'Porn' auction shows sex sells
The free market has spoken: Sex is worth more than porn. That's one conclusion from the near record-breaking auction of an Internet domain name announced Tuesday. The rights to Porn.com brought in the second-highest payment for an address since the Web's creation, with closely held MXN Ltd. forking over $9.5 million.
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-fi-porn16may16,1,7787273.story
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/05/16/1178995237005.html

UK 'running out of web addresses'
Registration of new web addresses has dropped off because of a shortage of names, according to the head of one of Britain's biggest resellers of domain names. "People setting up a new business are as likely to buy up and old name that is not being used as register a new one. It is very hard to find one that is not already in use," said Ditlev Bredahl, Danish chief executive of UK2.net.
http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/news/2190009/uk-running-web-addresses

Dutchman stops using domain names containing 'google'
Internet entrepreneur Marcel van der Werf owned eleven domain names that used the word 'google' or 'froogle' in their addresses: seven were .nl domains, three .eu and one .com.
http://infoworld.nl/idgns/bericht.phtml?id=002570DE00740E18002572DD002EB127
http://techworld.nl/idgns/3196/dutchman-stops-using-domain-names-containing-google.html

Book Review: Sex.com by Kieren McCarthy
On the face of it, Kieren McCarthy's Sex.com was a book that could have written itself: a notorious, well-publicised feud over the most valuable domain name in existence, between two charismatic men -- one a serial entrepreneur with a weakness for hard drugs (Gary Kremen), the other a gifted con-man with delusions of grandeur (Stephen Cohen). It's a story replete with vicious acrimony, multi-million dollar lawsuits, and rumours of gunfights between bounty hunters in the streets of Tijuana. Thankfully, McCarthy wasn't content to just bundle together all the articles he's written about Sex.com over the years and slap a cover on the front.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/book_sex_com_by_kieren_mccarthy/

Domain name sales hit sizzling pace
Already the world's largest Web domain-name provider, GoDaddy.com is still taking market share by more than the handful. Last month, the Scottsdale-based company added 1 million new domain names, a first according to industry experts. The company adds a new domain every 1.3 seconds, five times faster than five years ago, said GoDaddy founder and Chief Executive Bob Parsons.
http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/05/14/daily5.html
http://washington.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2007/05/14/daily5.html

EU web domain name grows rapidly
One year after its official launch, the internet domain name .eu has drawn more than 2.5m registrations, making it one of the fastest growing top level domain names on the web.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ec3d2460-e84a-11db-b2c3-000b5df10621,dwp_uuid=34c8a8a6-2f7b-11da-8b51-00000e2511c8.html

RegisterFly update: 16 May
A deal has been reached by which all of RegisterFly’s domains - including those registered under the ProtectFly proxy system - will be made accessible to their respective registrants shortly.
http://blog.icann.org/?p=128

ICANN kit teaches software new domain names
The list of gTLDs continues to grow, but many applications can recognise only some of these new domain suffixes. Examples of gTLDs include .info, .biz and the less well known .museum, which were registered in 2001. The current repertoire also includes aero, .biz, .cat, .coop, .info, .jobs and .mobi (for mobile ICT organisations). Others include .name, .pro, .tel and .travel. Another domain name, .asia, is expected to be added shortly.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/8EDF49AD696E1602CC2572DA00823B6E

ICANN Extends Public Comment Period on Proposed .COOP Renewal Agreement
ICANN seeks consultation on continuation of delegated policy-making authority to TLD Sponsors
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-16may07.htm

ICANN Accredits First Registrar in Senegal
ICANN has signed its first accreditation agreement with a Senegal-based Registrar – Kheweul.com SA from Dakar. This is only the second Africa-based registrar so far accredited.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-14may07.htm

Creator of .ca celebrates 20 years on Web
When John Demco created Canada's online identity with the .ca domain name 20 years ago, he also registered himself as the "godfather of dot-ca" as a joke. Little did he realize he would one day be recognized as one of the founders of the Canadian Internet, with dot-ca signing up more than 835,000 individuals and businesses and becoming the 13th most popular country code domain name in the world.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=cb46afad-2966-413b-b1a7-751bb8d09e18

ca: Another hurdle in pursuing cybersquatters
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority recently announced plans to move forward with implementation of its new WHOIS policy. The anticipated changes will mean that contact information for individual domain name owners will not be readily available to trade mark owners for trade mark enforcement purposes. The proposed changes result from two rounds of consultation and an external report.
http://managingip.com/default.asp?page=10&pubID=34&SID=684398

Tencent Acquires Wenwen.com Domain Name
China's leading instant communications service provider Tencent has taken a new step in the Internet search sector by acquiring a new domain name called wenwen.com. Tencent is reported to have purchased the domain name, which roughly translates as "ask a question", for a surprisingly low price of RMB80000 in April this year from a user surnamed Lv. Local media report the seller regretted selling the domain name so cheaply after he learned that the buyer was Tencent.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/05/15/5385-tencent-acquires-wenwencom-domain-name/

Domain Transfer Special Offer Available For RegisterFly Customers Moving to Network Solutions (news release)
Network Solutions is extending a domain transfer special offer to consumers and small businesses that have been adversely affected by RegisterFly's loss of ICANN accreditation.
http://vocuspr.vocus.com/VocusPR30/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=NetworkSolutions&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=186223&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True&Merge=
http://emediawire.com/releases/2007/5/emw526294.htm

15.com Fetches $100,000 in This Week's Top Reported Domain Sale 
Last year, Ian Andrew of DotcomAgency.com bought 14.com and this week he took the next logical step, purchasing 15.com at Sedo.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2007/domainsales05-15-07.htm

Survey: SnapNames Still Tops for Expired Domains
You probably don’t need a survey to tell you which expired domain service is most popular. Just look at the 100 biggest domain sales of 2006: 15 of them are from SnapNames, including Jasmin.com at $310,250. Competitor Pool’s highest sale was $19,500.
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/05/15/survey-snapnames-still-tops-for-expired-domains/

Should I Trademark My Domain Name?
With fears of corporate identity theft on the rise, more and more companies are trademarking their domain names. While this step isn't essential, it can offer an additional level of security to your business's online presence. someone else attempt to register a similar domain — if their intent is to deceive or steal your customers. For example, it's very likely that someone trying to register amazonbooks.com could be considered as infringing on Amazon.com's trademark.
http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/internet-domain-names/2632-1.html

us: How to Trademark a Domain Name
A trademark is a distinctive name, symbol, motto, or design that legally identifies a company or its products and services. Your domain name — the word or phrase that identifies your Web site (such as AllBusiness) — may qualify as a legal trademark if you use it in commerce or if you notify the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) that you intend to use it in commerce.
http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/internet-domain-names/683-1.html

What Legal Rights Do You Have Once You Own a Domain Name?
Before you claim a legal right to your domain name, make sure that you have a basis for your claim. Simply registering a domain name does not protect you if another company files a trademark infringement claim — if they hold a legal trademark, you can lose your domain name and even find yourself liable for the owner's legal costs. A case in point: Ty Collectibles, which makes the popular Beanie Babies collectible stuffed animals, successfully sued a woman who registered the name Beaniecollectibles.com and who then tried to sell the name back to the company.
http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/internet-domain-names/695-1.html

ICANN Signs MoU With Pacific Island Nations (reg req'd)
ICANN and the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA) on Thursday announced that they had signed a Memorandum of Understanding, with the aim of building partnerships to better share information about the internet.
http://tax-news.com/asp/story/ICANN_Signs_MoU_With_Pacific_Island_Nations_xxxx27263.html

us: Real estate boom transfers to the Internet
Daniel Nussbaum is making what seems to be a painless transition from the real estate boom into what he hopes will be the next Internet boom. The former dentist, who grew up in Long Beach, N.Y., has spent the last four years buying up Web domain names by the virtual truckload.
http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_5886974

Death Notice to the Domain Name Parking Industry: Don't Park it, EMBARK IT!; It's Big, It's Green
Don't Park it, EMBARK IT! is the death notice given to the Domain Name Parking Industry by New Net Profits Inc. with the grand opening of Domain Embarking. New Net Profits Inc, is introducing a whole new paradigm in Internet development called: Domain Embarking.
http://onlypunjab.com/fullstory2k7-insight-Domain+Parking+Industry-status-18-newsID-31690.html

Falwell Web foe tempers critiques with sympathy
In his lifetime, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell had no shortage of critics, both in the offline and online worlds--and over the years, some in the latter category found themselves caught in his legal crosshairs over domain names resembling his own. One of the higher-profile Web spats involved Christopher Lamparello, a thirtysomething gay man in New York. Since 1999, Lamparello has owned the Fallwell.com Web site, which housed articles aimed at contradicting the televangelist's antigay views. A few years ago, Falwell sued him, claiming the domain name's spelling was too close to that of his official Web presence and created a "likelihood of confusion," thus violating trademark laws.
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9719612-7.html

New domain names on the horizon for 2008
Get ready for a flurry of new top-level internet domain names in 2008. Icann is asking for public input on developing a new domain name system.
http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39167134,00.htm
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044246,62013028,00.htm

MOU on internet information sharing signed
BUILDING partnerships to better share information about the Internet with Pacific island nations is the goal of a MOU signed by ICANN and the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association (PITA).
http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=62744

ICANN soll Signatur der DNS-Rootzone übernehmen
Adress-Spoofing und Phishing soll durch signierte Adressen erschwert werden. Doch sollten dafür nicht nur einzelne Domains oder Adresszonen mit einer Signatur versehen werden, sondern am besten gleich die Rootzone des DNS. Daraus folgt die Frage, wer den Schlüssel halten soll. Beim turnusmäßigen Treffen des RIPE vergangene Woche in Tallinn schlugen die Mitglieder vor, dass die ICANN die Rootzone signieren solle. Nach viel Diskussionen über den richtigen Schlüsselwächter beschlossen die RIPE-Mitglieder, der ICANN eine entsprechende Aufforderung zukommen zu lassen.
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/89730

Neue Top Level Domains ab 2008
Wie die ICANN mitteilt, sollen schon im nächsten Jahr neue Top Level Domains eingeführt werden.
http://infoweek.ch/news/NW_single.cfm?news_ID=15844
http://netzeitung.de/internet/648376.html
http://www.sat1.de/news/wirtschaft/2007/05/15/n2007051512553700002/

F-Secure fordert Banken-Domain
Um Phishing-Angriffen wirkungsvoller entgegenzutreten, fordert F-Secure eine eigene Domain-Kennung für Banken.
http://infoweek.ch/news/NW_single.cfm?news_ID=15852
http://pc-magazin.de/common/nws/einemeldung.php?id=52118
http://golem.de/0705/52265.html
http://pctipp.ch/webnews/wn/36290.asp

ICANN : des domaines génériques s'annoncent pour l'été
L'organisme en charge des domaines de l'Internet lance une large consultation sur les futurs gTLD (domaines génériques)
http://silicon.fr/fr/silicon/news/2007/05/13/icann-de-domaines-g-n-riques-l
http://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/internet/0,39020774,39369469,00.htm

7eme assises du NET et des TIC
Les 7eme assises nationales du net et des TIC se tiendront du 30 au 31 mai 2007 à l’Acropolis de Nice. Un salon sur les outils du net dédiés aux collectivités territoriales
http://domainesinfo.fr/actualite/1206/7eme-assises-du-net-et-des-tic.php

De nouvelles extensions d'ici l'été 2008 ?
Dans un communiqué diffusé le 10 mai dernier, l’ICANN envisage d’impliquer plus activement le public dans la mise en place de nouveaux gTLD, pour des ouvertures dès l'été 2008.
http://domainesinfo.fr/actualite/1205/de-nouvelles-extensions-d-ici-l-ete-2008.php

Le .PARIS, un vrai projet
Les extensions "à territoire" sont nées avec le .CAT, dont l'ambition est de porter haut et fort les couleurs de la langue et de la communauté catalane sur Internet. Ce .CAT a fait naître des vocations, certains souhaitant aussi ouvrir un espace pour leur communauté urbaine sur le web. Premier de ces projets – et aujourd'hui le plus avancé – le .BERLIN.
http://domainesinfo.fr/extension/1200/paris-le-paris-un-vrai-projet.php

Statistiques mai 2007: vers les 130 millions de noms
Le marché des noms de domaine, qui progresse ce trimestre à un rythme stable (+4,8% en 3 mois), approche désormais des 130 millions de noms enregistrés.
http://domainesinfo.fr/extension/1204/statistiques-mai-2007-vers-les-130-millions-de-noms.php

I nuovi domini saranno decisi dal popolo della rete
ICANN tenta di rispolverarsi con una iniziativa dal profilo ancora incerto ma che, sostiene, consentirà agli utenti internet di dire la propria sulle scelte delle nuove estensioni di dominio
http://punto-informatico.it/p.aspx?id=1986453
http://mytech.it/internet/articolo/idA028001068663.art

.ar: El Colegio de Abogados resolvería litigios por dominios en Internet
La iniciativa surgió ante una solicitud de la Cancillería, al no existir una reglamentación y ante el auge de conflictos por la titularidad de los nombres de sitios. Las decisiones de la entidad profesional podrían ser consideradas "cosa juzgada" para las partes que están en disputa.
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1480

Programa de apoyo para la participacion en reuniones del ICANN
Luis Pablo Hinojosa, liason del ICANN para LAC, ha remitido a diversos foros la informacion sobre el recientemente iniciado programa de Fellowships para participar en las reuniones del ICANN, pensado en la participación desde países menos desarrollados.
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1479

ASO AC selecciona a Raimundo Beca para el directorio de ICANN
El ASO (Address Supporting Organization) se complace en anunciar que el Consejo de Direcciones del ASO (ASO AC) ha seleccionado a Raimundo Beca para ocupar nuevamente un puesto en el Directorio de ICANN.
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1478

Podrían usarse nuevos dominios de internet en el 2008
A partir de mediados del año próximo podrían comenzar a utilizarse nuevas direcciones de la internet, de acuerdo con un cronograma difundido el jueves por una agencia clave que supervisa la red.
http://www.eluniverso.com/2007/05/12/0001/1064/BB28D9144D8A44CBB45C349413F8BACC.aspx
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulos/39936.html
http://todito.com/paginas/noticias/Tecnologia/216307.html

Icann släpper nya toppdomäner
För första gången på åtta år ska Icann, som sköter adresseringen på internet, införa nya allmänna toppdomäner.
http://www.nyteknik.se/art/50722

Story in Vietnamese mentioning ICANN and new gTLDs
http://www.nhandan.com.vn/tinbai/?top=41⊂=76&article=94016

Story mentioning ICANN in Arabic
http://www.hamshahri.org/News/?id=22915

Story in Greek mentioning ICANN and new gTLDs
http://naftemporiki.gr/news/static/07/05/14/1333304.htm

Story in Russian on sale of porn.com
http://lenta.ru/news/2007/05/16/domain/

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

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(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





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