[AfrICANN-discuss] News on the net

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

Deutschland ist Domain-Europameister (Germany is the European Domain
Name Champion)
At the commencement of Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, ZDNet
Germany says Germany already has one European champions title – that
of Europe's largest ccTLD. With 11.4 million domain names registered
(today Denic's website says 12,098,279 registrations), the story notes
it dwarfs other European ccTLDs (although ZDNet forgets the UK is a
part of Europe) and claims that there is only one TLD larger - .com.
However a quick check notes there were 11,439,479 .cn domain names
registered in April 2008 with registrations increasing by an average
of more than 600,000 per month. And while France (currently with
1,153,637 registrations) and Germany have similar populations, the
article points out the reason for such a vast discrepancy between the
ccTLD's domain registrations is the previous high prices for .fr names
and the restrictive registration policies. The original story was
published on ZDNet in German.
http://www.zdnet.de/news/tkomm/0,39023151,39191856,00.htm

**********************
GOVERNANCE
**********************
1. Policy brief: The future of the Internet economy
Major changes are affecting the scope and scale of the Internet. As a
result, the Internet is increasingly high on the policy agenda in many
OECD and non-OECD countries. This policy brief reviews likely future
developments in the Internet economy and how policy-makers can help
the Internet to adapt to evolving requirements caused by convergence,
continue to drive innovation, and be trustworthy.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/20/41/40789235.pdf

2. Who will pay as the Internet grows?
Last Christmas, the BBC started an online service called iPlayer that
streams live television programs and a backlog of shows from the
previous week to online audiences. Through April, Britons had watched
75 million episodes of programs like "Doctor Who" and "The
Apprentice."
http://iht.com/articles/2008/06/08/technology/neutral09.php

3. Tim Wu: iPhone central to "future of the Internet"
At a conference this weekend, Tim Wu, the Columbia Law School prof who
has done so much to popularize ideas about wired and wireless network
neutrality, called Apple's iPhone the device "at the center of the
battle for the future of the Internet."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080608-tim-wu-iphone-central-to-future-of-the-internet.html

4. Upcoming Event: GigaNet Workshop on Global Internet Governance by
Brenden Kuerbis
Initiated in spring 2006 in conjunction with the UN Internet
Governance Forum, the Global Internet Governance Academic Network
(GigaNet) is hosting several events this year, including an upcoming
international workshop on "Global Internet Governance: An
Interdisciplinary Research Field in Construction" in Paris, 23 June
2008, from 08:30 to 13:30, concurrent with the ICANN-Paris meeting.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/6/5/3730236.html

5. Zittrain's "Future of the Internet" Reviewed by Milton Mueller
This is a book about Internet governance, despite the fact that the
author refuses to use that term and, near the end of the book, rather
testily distances himself from the Internet Governance Forum and
related attempts to develop and reform global Internet governance.
Despite that, the book is a well-researched and well-constructed
analysis of the architectural issues underlying some of the policy
problems (and opportunities) facing the Internet. It is worth reading
– and worth critiquing – for the debate will shed light on some of the
key choices we have to make regarding the governance of the Internet.
Although Zittrain inevitably couches his argument in terms of
technical architecture, "tools" and "code," the problems the book
raises are often more political than technical. His analysis suffers a
bit from the lack of a more sustained and self-conscious engagement
with the political, international and institutional aspects of
Internet governance. This blog post conducts a full review.
http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2008/6/2/3725290.html

**********************
DOMAIN NAMES
**********************

**********************
 - ICANN
**********************
6. UNESCO encourages Governments to participate in the next meeting of
ICANN [news release]
UNESCO encourages Governments to participate in the next meeting of
the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of the Internet Corporation
for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), to be held in Paris from 22 to
26 June 2008, in Le Meridien Montparnasse (19, rue du Commandant
Mouchotte, 75014 Paris).
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27011&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
http://egovmonitor.com/node/19269

7. New ICANN process for de-accreditation of Registrars
Under the light of the recent de-accreditations for registrars
Bestregistrar.com and DotForce, where ICANN is looking for a new home
for it's 5,800 registrants, a proposal for an Interim Terminated
Registrar Transition Procedure has now been published for comments.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/icann-policy/new-icann-process-for-de-accreditation-of-registrars/1637

8. ICANN Makes Urdu Available!
"As of today, June 5, 2008," writes Khalil Ahmad, CEO & Chairman
PakNIC Limited, "we are proud to let you know that ICANN has
officially announced the availability of URDU on the ICANN wikipages
setup for global testing of IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names)
today!."
http://netxpress.com.pk/index.php?s=icann+makes+urdu&x=0&y=0

**********************
 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
**********************
9. ccTLD Spotlight: .AE United Arab Emirates - A look at the .AE
country code domain name.
Overview: United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven states
in the middle east, including Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras
al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain. This oil-rich territory uses
the country code domain name .AE.
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/06/05/cctld-spotlight-ae-united-arab-emirates/

10. The dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence Announced
[news release]
Today, at the conclusion of the ICA Extraordinary General Assembly in
Rome, Paul Hazen, President of dotCooperation LLC announced plans for
the dotCoop Global Award for Cooperative Excellence to be awarded for
the first time next year (2009) at the ICA GA in Glasgow, Scotland in
October.
http://www.nic.coop/news/display.asp?id=124

11. EURid launching ad campaign and IDNs
The .EU registry will run a new advertising campaign in selected
European countries at the end of June and is working on introducing
accented domains next year.
http://domainesinfo.fr/english/206/eurid-launching-ad-campaign-and-idns.php

12. FICORA introduces new .fi root name server [news release]
FICORA has introduced a secondary name server for the .fi country
code. The new name server is distributed on ten name servers in
Europe, Asia and the United States by using anycast technology. FICORA
intends to increase the number of name servers to 16 by the end of the
year.
http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2008/P_11.html

13. fi: Unusual amounts of malware in networks [news release]
There is currently more malware than usual in Finnish networks. The
malware in question allow unauthorized remote access to the user's
computer.
http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2008/P_10.html

14. ie: A registrar who reigns as king of his domain
In recent weeks, the IE Domain Registry (IEDR) passed the 100,000 mark
in the number of .ie domains registered. David Curtin is chief
executive of the IEDR.
http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/a-registrar-who-reigns-as-king-of-his-domain-1398734.html

15. Now, China pounces on Indian domains
After flooding Indian market with cheap goods, Chinese companies are
waging a war of another kind. This time, they are registering Indian
domain names to bank upon brand recall from Indian customers.
http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/Now_China_pounces_on_Indian_domains_/articleshow/3102480.cms
http://infotech.indiatimes.com/News/China_pounces_on_Indian_domains_/articleshow/3102480.cms

16. MYNIC Whois Service
MYNIC has announced they will upgrade their Whois Service on 4th June
2008 at 8.30 am.
http://mynic.net.my/newhp/announcements/mynic-03Jun08.html

17. .NU Domain to launch numbers-only domain names
.NU Domain, the registry for numbers-only domain names, will begin
accepting registration of numeric domain names on 10 June.
http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=31608

18. Register your favorite digits now as a URL in the .NU domain
While numerically-named sites such as 123.net and 1337.com already
exist, on June 10 the landrush will begin for the .NU domain which is
being marketed in the US as the "number domain."
http://www.betanews.com/article/1212786642

19. .NU Domain Launches Numeric Domain Names [news release]
.NU Domain -manager the .nu top level domain name- will begin
accepting registration of Numeric Domain Names on June 10, for the
first time allowing registration of numbers-only .nu domain names -
such as 247.nu, 123.nu and 3663.nu (the English word "food" on a phone
keypad.) Initial registration - the "Landrush" - for .NU Domain's
numbers-only domain names will start at 12:01 UTC on June 10, on a
first-come, first-served basis.
http://www.domainnews.com/en/general/.nu-domain-launches-numeric-domain-names.html
http://www.domainpulse.com/2008/06/06/numeric-domain-names/

20. 20,000 .rs domains registered
Belgrade, 22nd May 2008 – A total of 20,134 .rs domains have been
registered until 20th May 2008, at 01:00 pm, i.e. 72 days from the
beginning of the registration of the new national Internet domain of
Serbia. This data shows a large interest of the Internet community to
start using the new national domain as soon as possible. This trend is
expected to continue. The statistics on the number of registered
domains, which is updated on a daily basis, can be found at
www.rnids.rs.
The beginning of operation of the new .rs domain and the replacement
of the old national domain began on 10th March. Six months from this
date, the owners of old .yu domains have the priority right to
register the same domain name with .rs prefix.
http://rnids.rs/en/node/67?lang=en

21. ISP Opens the .SL Domain Registration
Freetown-based wireless Internet service provider AFcom Wednesday
opened registration for the .sl Sierra Leone domain name.
http://www.cio.com/article/384414/ISP_Opens_the_.SL_Domain_Registration

22. su: It's back in the USSR with domain names [AP]
Web sites ending in the Soviet '.su' have been rising -- in nostalgia
or with eye toward profit.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080606/BIZ04/806060308

23. Connecting .NYC: What Is it? – Community Presentation by Tom Lowenhaupt
For those wanting to know more about the .nyc proposal, Tom Lowenhaupt
gives a video presentation in this ISOC New York public forum where he
explains all you need to know about the proposed gTLD.
http://domainpulse.com/2008/06/08/connecting-nyc-what-is-it-%e2%80%93-community-presentation-by-tom-lowenhaupt/
http://domainnews.com/en/general/connecting-.nyc-what-is-it-community-presentation-by-tom-lowenhaupt.html

**********************
 - DNS SECURITY
**********************
24. Hong Kong Tops McAfee's Riskiest Web Domains Chart
In an effort to illuminate the Web's darkest, most dangerous back
alleys, security firm McAfee has released a report warning consumers
to steer clear of sites with domain name extensions that are havens
for scammers. Hong Kong's .hk domain topped the list of undesirables,
but the group responsible for registering .hk sites claims it has
already improved safety practices there.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/63274.html

**********************
 - MISCELLANEOUS
**********************
25. ARIN Caribbean Sector Meeting Report [news release]
On 21 May, ARIN held a Caribbean Sector Meeting in Kingston, Jamaica.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the active policy proposals
in the ARIN region in order to gain a Caribbean perspective on ARIN
policies and procedures. ARIN members in the Caribbean and other
interested Caribbean Internet stakeholders were invited to the event.
The report of that meeting, which includes presentations and summary
notes, is now available.
http://www.arin.net/announcements/20080602.html

26. In Appeal to Angry Clinton Voters, Republicans Prep ClintonsForMcCain.com
The Republican National Committee appears ready to roll out the red
carpet for Hillary Clinton supporters, over a newly-registered
internet domain ClintonsForMcCain.com.
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/06/republican-nati.html

27. Republican National Committee Launches ClintonsforMcCain.com
Even as Hillary Clinton prepares to endorse Barack Obama on Saturday,
the Republican National Committee is throwing open its doors to her
supporters.
http://www.gaywired.com/Article.cfm?ID=19212

28. VeriSign dips following analyst downgrade [AP]
Shares of VeriSign Inc., which runs some of the Internet's core
systems, moved lower Thursday after an analyst downgraded the stock,
citing its recent gains and predicting not enough new catalysts on the
horizon to drive it up further.
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/06/05/ap5087209.html

**********************
 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
**********************
29. How Much Is a Top Level Domain SEO Worth?
Registering a domain name is the first thing to do when starting a
website. And yet even here we come across a very controversial issue:
which TLD to choose? We do not want to make a mistake at the very
start, so we should consider each point.
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-much-is-a-top-level-domain-seo-worth/7053/

30. Sumo.com Wrestles Its Way to the Top of DN Journal's Expanded
Two-Week Domain Sales Chart
If you feel like you are seeing double this week - you are. There was
no sales column last week because we were away covering the
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East conference in Orlando (our comprehensive show
review will be published this weekend). To bring you back up to speed
this week's report includes all sales reported to us since the last
report two weeks ago. We've also expanded all of our charts from 20 to
40 positions to make sure the top sellers don't get lost in the flood
of sales data.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2008/domainsales06-03-08.htm

31. Register.com and SnapNames.com Renew Exclusive Agreement for
Domain Name Auction Services [news release]
SnapNames(R), an Oversee.net™ company and the world's largest source
of expired and deleting domain names, and Register.com, a leading
provider of domain registration and web services for small business,
today announced the renewal of their exclusive agreement. Under the
terms of the deal, domain names registered with Register.com but
surrendered by their previous registrants are made available
exclusively on the SnapNames auction platform at www.snapnames.com.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080605/20080605005373.html

32. Hecta Media announces domain portfolio acquisition
Hecta Media Inc (HCTA.L: News, Chart, Quote ), the web consolidator,
said it has exercised its option to acquire the first of two
additional portfolios of domain names for a cash consideration of
US$734.8 thousands to be financed from existing cash balances.
http://rttnews.com/Content/QuickFacts.aspx?Node=B1&Id=624793

33. Second MyID .CA auction to start today
The second MyID .CA domain auction starts today at 1pm EDT and will
run until June 12th. The auction features 101 .CA domains. In the
first auction 24 (out of a total of 77) names were sold for a total of
$158,000.00 CAD.  Also Pool.com will start the premium auction for
betting.ca today.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/cctlds/second-myid-ca-auction-to-start-today/1634

34. Selling Domain Names to Maintain Cash Flow
At the last TRAFFIC conference in Orlando I had a conversation with
one of the more successful domainers. We chatted about parking and the
drop in parking revenue, and also discussed sales. He told me he is
starting to sell some of his portfolio:
http://domainnamewire.com/2008/06/06/selling-domain-names-to-maintain-cash-flow/

35. 33 Great Marketplaces for Selling Your Domain Names (and Websites)
Are you ready to market your domain names to the whole world? Here are
the most popular forum communities, online auctions and social
networks to maximize exposure to your domain and website sales.
http://www.dotsauce.com/2008/06/04/domain-marketplaces/

36. Over 200,000 Domains Added to Afternic
The inventory at Afternic is constantly changing.  Thousands of new
expiring domains are listed in the Afternic Auctions section and there
are always new portfolios being added by our members.  Just in the
past week several substantial portfolios were added that should keep
you busy looking for the best deals.
http://afternicdlsblog.com/2008/06/04/over-200000-domains-added-to-afternic/

37. Everything is A- OK.net at Afternic
OK.net is in auction right now - closing at approx. 10 AM EST Tuesday June 3.
http://afternicdlsblog.com/2008/06/02/everything-is-a-oknet-at-afternic/

38. Advisory: Sell Your 3 Letter Domains
There is a mantra among domainers: "shorter is better." And to a large
extent, when speaking about domain names, this is true (although some
say that it's not how short your domain is, but what you do with it,
that matters).
http://www.domainbits.com/3-letter-domains/

**********************
 - NON-ENGLISH NEWS
**********************
39. Deutschland ist Domain-Europameister
Einen Tag vor Beginn der Fußball-Europameisterschaft in Österreich und
der Schweiz hat Deutschland den Titel als Domain-Europameister bereits
sicher. Mehr als zwölf Millionen Domains mit dem für Deutschland
stehenden Kürzel .de stellen nicht nur in Europa, sondern auch im
weltweiten Vergleich einen unerreichten Spitzenwert für Länderkürzel
dar. Dies bestätigen aktuelle Zahlen von United Domains.
http://www.zdnet.de/news/tkomm/0,39023151,39191856,00.htm

40. BGH kippt Monopol auf Begriff "Post"
Die "City Post AG" und "Die Neue Post" dürfen ihren Namen behalten und
auch weiter für Domain-Namen im Internet und als E-Mail-Adresse
nutzen. Der Bundesgerichtshof (BGH) erklärte, es verstoße nicht gegen
die guten Sitten, wenn die beiden Firmen das Wort "Post" in ihrem
Namen verwenden.
http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/0,1518,557899,00.html

41. Gericht: Deutsche Post AG hat kein Monopol auf Wort "Post"
Die Deutsche Post AG hat kein Monopol auf das Wort "Post". Dies
entschied der Bundesgerichtshof. Damit dürfen die Wettbewerber "City
Post AG" und "Die Neue Post" die Namensbestandteile weiter für
Domainnamen im Internet und als E-Mail-Adresse nutzen.
http://www.wlz-fz.de/newsroom/wirtschaft/art161,609711
http://www.haz.de/newsroom/wirtschaft/art161,609711
http://www.neuepresse.de/newsroom/wirtschaft/art161,609711

42. Abmahnung – erst kommt die Inkenntnissetzung!
Die Euphorie über den schnellen Euro treibt Blüten unter den
Abmahnanwälten - das muss nicht sein. Das Landgericht Düsseldorf tritt
dem mit einer aktuellen Entscheidung entgegen, in der es wiedermal vor
Augen führt, dass man unter Umständen gewisse Störer erst in Kenntnis
setzen muss, sonst wird es teuer für die liebe Mandantschaft.
http://www.domain-recht.de/magazin/domain-news-2008/abmahnung-erst-kommt-die-inkenntnissetzung-id667205.html

43. IPv6 – EU-Kommision warnt vor Adressverknappung
Die EU-Kommission macht angesichts zunehmender Adressverknappung im
Internet weiter Druck: durch konzertierte Maßnahmen auf europäischer
Ebene soll das neue Internet-Protokoll IPv6 bis 2010 in 25 % der
Unternehmen, öffentlichen Einrichtungen und Haushalten nutzbar sein.
http://www.domain-recht.de/magazin/domain-news-2008/ipv6-eu-kommision-warnt-vor-adressverknappung-id667204.html

44. L'UNESCO encourage les gouvernements à participer à la prochaine
réunion de l'ICANN [news release]
L'UNESCO encourage les gouvernements à participer à la prochaine
réunion du Comité consultatif gouvernemental (GAC) de l'ICANN
(Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), qui se tiendra
du 22 au 26 juin 2008 au Méridien Montparnasse (19, rue du Commandant
Mouchotte, 75014 Paris).
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/fr/ev.php-URL_ID=27011&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

45. Le .EU fait sa pub et prépare les IDN
EURid, le registre du .EU, prépare une campagne publicitaire ciblant
notamment la France pour la fin juin. Il peaufine également son projet
de proposer les noms avec accents dès l'année prochaine.
http://domainesinfo.fr/extension/1550/europe-le-eu-fait-sa-pub-et-prepare-les-idn.php

46. .HK et .CN : deux "zones à risque" sur le web
Un classement des extensions les plus "piratées" du web vient d'être
publié : le .HK et le .CN arrivent en tête.
http://domainesinfo.fr/actualite/1551/hk-et-cn-deux-zones-a-risque-sur-le-web.php

47. Hong Kong es el dominio más peligroso
McAfee analizó 9,9 millones de sitios Web con gran cantidad de visitas
ubicados en 265 distintos dominios de país (con terminaciones con las
letras del país, como Brasil .br, por ejemplo) y dominios genéricos
(que terminan en .net o .info).
http://www.diarioti.com/gate/n.php?id=17925

48. Los dominios más peligrosos de la Web
El .hk de Hong Kong ocupa el primer lugar por delante de otros como el
.cn de China o el .ph de Filipinas.
http://www.vnunet.es/es/vnunet/news/2008/06/05/dominios_mas_peligrosos_de_la_web

49. Los sitios web de China son los menos seguros para navegar
Las páginas web que terminan en ".hk" (Hong Kong) y ".cn" (China) se
colocan entre las más peligrosas a la hora de navegar dada la baja
seguridad de la que adolecen ambos dominios, según la firma de
software antivirus McAfee Inc.
http://www.eluniverso.com/2008/06/05/0001/1064/7C5240D6FE6E43EFB9B5A6E94CC2B398.html

50. Dominos bajo .hn de Oferta
Del 1 al 30 de Junio hay oferta para el registro de nombres de dominio
bajo el ccTLD .hn
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1648

51. Anuncio Becas LACNIC-CARIBE 2008, Curazao (Antillas Holandesas)
LACNIC, en el marco de su política de apoyo a la comunidad regional,
ofrece un número limitado de becas de asistencia financiera dirigidas
a miembros de la comunidad de Internet del área de servicio de LACNIC
que estén interesados en asistir al encuentro LACNIC-CARIBE. El evento
se realizará en esta oportunidad en Curazao Antillas Holandesas) del
21 al 22 de julio de 2008.
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1647

52. Encuentro LACNIC-CARIBE 2008, Curazao (Antillas Holandesas)
LACNIC tiene el placer de anunciar e invitarles a participar del
encuentro LACNIC-CARIBE que se realizará en Curazao, Antillas
Holandesas del 21 al 22 de julio de 2008.
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1646

53. Domisfera lanza una plataforma de subastas y compra/venta de
dominios: DnFolder.com
Ayer lanzo DnFolder.com que es una plataforma de subastas y
compra/venta de dominios orientada a usuarios finales.
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1645

54. Primer caso de Resolucion de Disputas bajo el ccTLD .pe
Hace unos días se presentó, ante el Cibertribunal Peruano, la primera
solicitud de resolución de controversias de nombres de dominio bajo el
ccTLD .Pe. Se trata del Expediente Nº 001-2008-CRC cuyo reclamante,
Unión Peruana de Cervecerías Backus y Johnston S.A.A., ha interpuesto
en contra el titular del nombre de dominio "cusqueña.pe", a fin de que
de dicho nombre de dominio sea transferido al demandante quien es la
titular de la marca "cusqueña" en nuestro país.
http://www.latinoamericann.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1644

55. Story in Japanese mentioning ICANN
http://www.itmedia.co.jp/enterprise/articles/0805/30/news026.html