Don't forget to check out http://www.auda.org.au/domain-news/ for the archive of the last 3 months of the news.


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


***************************************************

The domain name news is supported by auDA

***************************************************


EU regulatory proposals for the internet may damage economic recovery
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/02/eu-internet-rules-jeopardise-economy

Logical Deduction on Why New TLDs Will Not Increase Costs for Trademark Holders by Bhavin Turakhia
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090202_new_tlds_no_increase_cost_trademark_holders/

German Domain Names Are in .de-mand
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/158940/.html

Report: Most Spam Sites Tied to Just 10 Registrars
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/02/report_most_spam_sites_tied_to.html

Sedo's Secondary Domain Market Study 2008
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2291

DOLLARS.COM Makes Plenty of Euros - 302,500 of Them
http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=7234


**********************
GOVERNANCE
**********************
EU regulatory proposals for the internet may damage economic recovery
The proposed regulations would stifle the growth of internet and undermine European telecommunications industry's crucial economic advantage as Europe copes with global recession
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/02/eu-internet-rules-jeopardise-economy

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

**********************
 - ICANN
**********************
Logical Deduction on Why New TLDs Will Not Increase Costs for Trademark Holders by Bhavin Turakhia
Paul Stahura published a great report demonstrating that trademark holders have historically not been blocking their names across multiple Top-Level Domains (TLDs). I have always been a fan of number crunching -- "numbers never lie". Since Paul has already done a remarkable job of statistical analysis, I am going to wear my theorist hat and prove a reworded form of the Hypothesis using logical deduction and common sense.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090202_new_tlds_no_increase_cost_trademark_holders/

ICANN Blows $4.6 Million In Stock Market by John Levine
If you visit the new dashboard on ICANN's web site, you see some nice bar charts, including one rather large negative number of $4,462,000. If you click the little arrow at the top of the Financial Performance chart, a footnote window pops open where the last sentence is: The large variance to budget is due to investment losses of $4.6 mil.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090203_icann_blows_46_million_stock_market/

**********************
 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
**********************
German Domain Names Are in .de-mand
Sales of pre-owned domain names ending in the German extension -- .de -- were up 43% in 2008, according to a study on the secondary domain market released Wednesday by Sedo, an online marketplace for domain names and Web sites.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/158940/.html

FICORA granted 200,000th fi-domain name [news release]
The number of valid fi-domain names granted by FICORA exceeded 200,000. The authority granted the 200,000th domain name on 2 February 2009 to a Lappish company Tmi Maari that registered a domain name called maari.fi.
http://www.ficora.fi/en/index/viestintavirasto/uutiset/2009/P_4.html

First gTLD Signed: Dot Gov by Jeremy Hitchcock
Today is a historic day as the first has been signed. Only a few other top level domains, all of which are ccTLDs, have been signed to date. This step is part of the first phase of adoption. Authoritative DNS servers need to sign and publish their zones. The second part is for the resolvers on the Internet to validate the keys. Both systems working together will provide security in the DNS.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090204_first_gtld_signed_dot_gov/

Holland's innovative take on local presence
Country code TLDs often have some kind of local presence requirement. To be eligible for a .FR domain for example, you need an address in France. Local presence rules may be seen by some as an unnecessary hurdle but on the other hand, is it really that unreasonable to expect that a country's TLD be truly representative of that country?
http://stephanevangelder.com/archives/189-Hollands-innovative-take-on-local-presence.html

.tel adds contacts for all
The new .tel domain faced its second test today as it opened its ?Landrush? stage, hoping to attract small businesses to its web address book.
http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2009/02/tel-adds-contacts-for-all/

New .tel domain names will create world's largest phonebook
The public will get the chance to be part of the world's largest phone book when millions of new internet addresses go up for sale today.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/4443196/New-.tel-domain-names-will-create-worlds-largest-phonebook.html

New .tel domain aims to be 'phonebook for the net'
You might think that the last thing the internet needs is another top-level domain. Website owners can already choose between more than 200 possible endings for their internet addresses, ranging from the familiar .com to the exotic .xn-zckzah. But starting today, anyone in the world will be able to buy a domain ending in .tel - and the company selling them is convinced they will help to make the internet easier to navigate, not less.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16525-new-tel-domain-aims-to-be-phonebook-for-the-net.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AheadoftheCurve/story?id=6794054&page=1

Landrush for .tel domain begins tomorrow
Companies that missed the opportunity to register their trademarks with the new .tel TLD will get another opportunity with the opening of the landrush period from 3 February.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2235520/dot-tel-landrush-begins
http://www.infomaticsonline.co.uk/vnunet/news/2235520/dot-tel-landrush-begins

World's biggest phone book
TEL all your mates that directory inquiries just got a whole lot sexier ? thanks to a new name on the internet.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/article2202158.ece

Companies warned to register .tel domains
Companies are being warned to register for the new .tel domain ahead of the closure of the ?sunrise? period.
http://www.netimperative.com/news/2009/february/companies-warned-to-register-.tel-domains

New use for new top level domain
A NEAT twist to promoting a new Internet TLD has been developed by Telnic which aims to position dot tel (.tel) as a replacement for traditional directory enquiry services like 118.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/762/1050762/new-level-domain

Telnic Loosens .tel Restrictions
UK-based registry operator for the new .tel top level domain, Telnic Limited, has opened the .tel domains to a wider group of consumers, letting them buy any available .tel domain without auctions or waiting lists.
http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/020209_Telnic_Loosens_.tel_Restrictions

Land rush phase of .tel name sale launched: log on and grab a bargain
Today is the start date of the unfortunately-named 'land rush' period for the new .tel top level domain, set up to dynamically store individual and corporate contact information on the Web.
http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=44477&id=e9381817-0593-417a-8639-c4c53e2a2a10&view=news

The Lowdown on .tel
Don't look now but another new TLD land rush is underway.  This one, kicked off this morning by the .tel registry, is unlikely to resonate with many domain investors though. You cannot build a website on a .tel domain, nor place ads on one to monetize it. Also, with land rush registration prices ranging from $295-$375 (depending on the registrar) per domain for the required minimum registration period of three years you would also be hard pressed to resell one for a profit.
http://dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2009/dailyposts/02-03-09.htm

.Tel ?Landrush?: What You Need to Know
Phase one of open registration is now open for .tel.
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/02/03/tel-landrush-what-you-need-to-know/

.tel launches today
.tel - the domain name service that I got all excited about back in October, launches to the public today.
http://www.techdigest.tv/2009/02/tel_launches_to.html

Telnic Welcomes Small Businesses to Leverage .tel Domain
The much awaited new .tel Internet domain names are now available from 3.00 p.m. GMT, according to Telnic, a UK-based registry operator and sponsoring organization for the new .tel top level domain (TLD).
http://ipcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/ip-communications/articles/49967-telnic-welcomes-small-businesses-leverage-tel-doma.htm

Welcome to the biggest innovation since .com
.tel domains do not require websites to be built and hosted, and there are no fees for ongoing maintenance and development
http://www.ciol.com/Developer/Enterprise-Tools/News-Reports/Welcome-to-the-biggest-innovation-since-com/4209115579/0/

New .tel Internet suffix: As if things weren?t complicated enough already
The land rush is on for the new .tel domain. The question is, why?
http://www.rcrwireless.com/article/20090204/WIRELESS/902049993/1082/new-tel-internet-suffix-as-if-things-weren-t-complicated-enough

Any company can now pick up a .tel domain.
The .tel domain has opened up to anyone wanting the remaining names.
http://www.itpro.co.uk/609751/landrush-starts-for-tel-domains

**********************
 - DNS SECURITY
**********************
GCN INTERVIEW: Vinton Cerf | Internet forecast calls for clouds
... GCN: What was your take on the vulnerabilities in the Domain Name System that surfaced last year, and what needs to be done going forward? Cerf: Yes, this was a fundamental design mistake in the DNS implementation, and it got widely publicized. I know we scrambled at Google to make corrections and changes to our software to make sure we weren?t vulnerable to that particular attack. There could be other problems like that arising.
http://gcn.com/articles/2009/02/09/gcn-interview-vinton-cerf.aspx

**********************
 - IPv4/IPv6
**********************
IPv6... the Internet Dragon Stirred Under Its Shell by Yves Poppe
At Cisco Networkers in Barcelona earlier this week, some of us saw a dragon try to wiggle out of its shell, provided you connected in IPv6 that is. A smile to Kame, the turtle which only danced under a IPv6 caress.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/20090202_ipv6_internet_dragon_stirred_shell/

**********************
 - MISCELLANEOUS
**********************
Report: Most Spam Sites Tied to Just 10 Registrars
Nearly 83 percent of all Web sites advertised through spam can be traced back to just 10 domain name registrars, according to a study to be released this week.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/02/report_most_spam_sites_tied_to.html

CADNA's Policy Forum Discusses the $1.5 Billion Business ?Tax? Brands Are Not Expecting [news release]
The Coalition Against Domain Name Abuse (CADNA) held a policy forum for government experts and brand owners yesterday, February 3, in Washington, D.C. The purpose of the forum was to explore the state of the Internet and discuss the shortcomings of existing Internet governance and policy development. Attendees shared their ideas about what actions brand owners and the US government can take to change the current course of the domain name space and prevent the Internet from becoming increasingly dangerous and unruly.
http://www.cadna.org/en/newsroom/press-releases/cadna-washington-policy-forum-discussion

NameDrive Account Information leaked; Less than 1% of accounts affected
As discovered by one of the affected users earlier today, a number of usernames and passwords for NameDrive accounts were obtained and posted in a ?hacker? forum earlier this month.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/ppc-industry/3884/3884

**********************
 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
**********************
Sedo's Secondary Domain Market Study 2008
Sedo, the leading online marketplace for buying and selling domain names, announced the findings
http://www.sedo.com/links/showhtml.php3?Id=2291

Sedo Growth Continues in Domain Market in 2008
Sedo, the leading online marketplace for buying and selling domain names, today announced the findings of its annual Secondary Domain Market Study, which revealed continued growth in demand for premium domains in 2008. Valuable online real estate yielded $77 million in revenue, and resulted in an overall eight percent sales increase over the 2007 total of $72 million.
http://uk.webhostdir.com/news/showNews.aspx?ID=30758

Dollars.com Sells for $388,000
Sedo has sold Dollars.com for EUR 302,500, which is about $388,000 USD at today?s exchange rates. An auction for the domain ended this morning, but the winning bidder is certified and is likely to complete the transaction. My understanding is the deal was put together by a Sedo broker.
http://domainnamewire.com/2009/02/04/dollarscom-sells-for-388000/

**********************
INTERNET USE
**********************
us: A third of adults without Internet don't want it
About one in four American adults don't use the Internet. And many of them couldn't care less about getting online. A report last month by the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that although price is a barrier for dial-up users in switching to broadband, one-third of those without a Net connection simply aren't interested in e-mailing or exploring the Web.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2009-02-02-internet-access_N.htm

False Hopes for Internet Profits
Barry Diller, who has been in the media industry as long as almost any man alive, said the online display advertising at his company, IACI, might be down as much as 50% this month. Disney reported that its interactive business lost money in the final quarter of last year. The head of advertising sales at TIME Warner's AOL internet unit was replaced, probably a reasonable sign that revenue is under-performing there.
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1876945,00.html

Google researcher targets web's structured data
Internet search engines have focused largely on crawling text on web pages, but Google is knee-deep in research about how to analyse and organise structured data, a company scientist says.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/tech/124DD3FB330D876CCC257550006AE44D
http://computerworld.com.au/article/275009/

Google Earth fills watery gaps
Two and a half years ago, the software engineers behind Google Earth, the searchable online replica of the planet, were poised to fill an enormous data gap, adding the two-thirds of the globe that is covered by water in reality and was blue, and blank, online.
http://nytimes.com/2009/02/03/science/earth/03oceans.html
http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/03/healthscience/03oceans.php

Google Earth dives under the sea
Google has lifted the lid on its first major upgrade to its global mapping software, Google Earth.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7865407.stm

US Hispanic Internet Use Growing
The majority of Hispanics in the United States have Internet access and many turn to online resources daily, according to recent research.
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=213000713

Study finds online porn may reduce the incidence of rape
Could online porn be responsible for a decrease in rape cases? A Clemson University study suggests it might.
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/02/02/2009-02-02_study_finds_online_porn_may_reduce_the_i.html

**********************
SOCIAL NETWORKING
**********************
Facebook's 'targeted advertising plans' disturbing, critics say
Facebook is looking to cash in on the large amount of personal information it holds about its 150 million members around the world.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/03/2481480.htm

uk: The 50 most popular celebs on Twitter
You know Twitter has made it into the mainstream when celebrities rush to join the micro-blogging service. But who is the most popular Twitterer of them all?
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5641893.ece

Facebook clocks fifth birthday
Facebook is giving its 150 million users a mystery virtual gift to celebrate its fifth birthday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7868403.stm

Facebook celebrates birthday and five years of friends
Facebook Inc. is celebrating a major milestone today - its fifth birthday.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127381
http://www.pcworld.com/article/158918/.html

**********************
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
**********************
Indian Govt's much-awaited $10 laptop turns out be a joke
The $10 laptop "prototype" with 2 GB RAM bubble burst when the Human Resources Development department announced that it was only a computing device.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articlelist/msid--2128936835,curpg-2.cms

************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
************************************************
MySpace: 90,000 sex offenders removed in two years
The online networking site MySpace has identified and barred some 90,000 registered sex offenders from using the site over the last two years, MySpace revealed to an investigative task force on Tuesday.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKTRE51278C20090203
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02/04/2481902.htm

90,000 sex offenders identified on MySpace
MySpace, the social networking web site, has identified and removed 90,000 registered sex offenders in the past two years, the company said last night.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article5655416.ece

MySpace turns over 90,000 names of registered sex offenders
MySpace provided two state attorneys general the names of 90,000 registered sex offenders it had banned from its site in response to a subpoena.
http://nytimes.com/2009/02/04/technology/internet/04myspace.html
http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/04/technology/04myspace.php

MySpace, Facebook, spar over family safety
MySpace announced on Tuesday that it has deleted 90,000 accounts owned by registered sex offenders. It's good news for families, for MySpace, and for the state attorney general of Connecticut, who demanded last month that the News Corp.-owned social network turn over a roster of names.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10155596-36.html

sg: Group to fight cyber-bullying
A NEW group called Action Against Cyber Bullying has been initiated by a concerned parent. Former counsellor Gilbert Goh, 47, has launched a new website -- www.dontcyberbully.com -- that will offer free counselling, advice and tips on how victims can resolve the problems of cyber-bullying.
http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-southeastasia.asp?parentid=104169

**********************
ONLINE TV & MUSIC
**********************
YouTube Leads Growth in U.S. Online Video Viewing
Americans are watching more videos than ever online, and YouTube accounts for nearly half of that growth, according to a study by the comScore Video Metrix service. U.S. Internet users watched a record 14.3 billion online videos in December 2008, a 13 percent increase over the previous month. Google dominated the online video space with a 41 percent market share. Obviously, that means a lot of people are watching YouTube clips, which account for more than 99 percent of all videos viewed at Google sites, according to comScore.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/158949/.html
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/020409-youtube-leads-growth-in-us.html

iiNet gears for court battle
ISP iiNet is gearing up for a stiff fight in court come Friday as the battle against copyright infringement charges kicks-off.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25007948-15306,00.html

uk: Competition Commission kills off possible YouTube rival Kangaroo
An ambitious plan to create a rival to YouTube jointly owned by the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, was killed off yesterday after regulators said that it was anti-competitive.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article5663253.ece

Project Kangaroo blocked by Competition Commission
Project Kangaroo, the online TV joint venture between ITV, Channel 4 and BBC Worldwide, has been blocked from launching by the Competition Commission.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/feb/04/project-kangaroo-blocked-by-competition-commission

'iPlayer' deal for ITV, Channel 4 and BBC blocked
BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4's online television joint venture Project Kangaroo has been blocked by the Competition Commission in its final ruling.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/mediatechnologyandtelecoms/media/4510485/iPlayer-deal-for-ITV-Channel-4-and-BBC-blocked.html

Ireland's biggest ISP agrees to three-strikes disconnection
Eircom, Ireland's biggest internet service provider (ISP), has agreed to disconnect users that record companies identify as copyright infringers. The agreement was reached eight days into an Irish High Court trial.
http://out-law.com/page-9761

**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
**********************
CSIRO and China partner on the next generation of wireless communications
CSIRO is to lead Australia?s largest research collaboration with China in the field of wireless and mobile communications networks.
http://www.csiro.au/multimedia/Partners-for-wireless-communications.html

Mobile phone sales fall as users put handsets on hold
Mobile phone users are holding on to their handsets and "trading down" to cheaper deals, or opting for a top-of-the-range device such as Apple's iPhone or the BlackBerry Storm, according to the world's largest mobile phone company, Vodafone.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/04/vodafone-nokia-mobile-phones

Future looks gloomy for cellphone market
Cellphone sales are falling, manufacturers have announced thousands of layoffs and wireless carriers are finding it harder to acquire and keep customers.
http://nytimes.com/2009/02/04/technology/companies/04cell.html
http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/03/technology/cell.4-422335.php

Court upholds ruling overturning France Telecom deal for iPhone [Bloomberg News]
France T?l?com on Wednesday lost a legal bid aimed at preserving its exclusive contract for French sales of the iPhone. Contracts limiting sales of iPhones to a single mobile-phone company are a "restraint on competition" that warrant immediate measures, a Paris court said in a ruling.
http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/04/technology/iphone.4-422606.php

**********************
SPAM
**********************
Report: Most Spam Sites Tied to Just 10 Registrars
Nearly 83 percent of all Web sites advertised through spam can be traced back to just 10 domain name registrars, according to a study to be released this week.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/02/report_most_spam_sites_tied_to.html

**************************
ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
**************************
French court fines Google over trade marked keywords
A French court has fined search engine giant Google ?350,000 and said that its search advertising business has infringed on two companies' trade marks.
http://out-law.com/page-9758

**************************
PRIVACY
**************************
Google executives on trial in Italy
Four executives of Google went on trial Tuesday, accused of crimes stemming from the posting of a video on its Italian-language Web site in a case that could have wide-ranging implications.
http://iht.com/articles/2009/02/03/technology/google.4-421880.php
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/02/google-executives-face-jail-time-for-italian-video/

City of Milan Joins Google Suit
There was more trouble for Google Tuesday in the Italian case claiming Google violated the privacy of a boy with Down syndrome by allowing a video of him to be posted on its Italian video sharing site.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/city-of-milan-joins-google-suit/

Google privacy trial opens in Milan [IDG]
The trial of four Google Inc. executives charged with privacy violations opened in Milan today in a groundbreaking test of European Internet law.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9127277

**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
**************************
EU regulatory proposals for the internet may damage economic recovery
The proposed regulations would stifle the growth of internet and undermine European telecommunications industry's crucial economic advantage as Europe copes with global recession
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/feb/02/eu-internet-rules-jeopardise-economy

nz: Copyright group to challenge new code
A copyright lobby group led by the local arms of Hollywood entertainment companies is set to back a draft code of practice for phone companies obliged to regulate copyright theft of music and video from the internet.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10555225

nz: Draft copyright code disputed by both sides
A draft ISP Copyright Code of Practice, aimed at clarifying sanctions against illicit downloaders of copyright works, has been released for public comment ? and internet industry sources are already critical of the effort.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/3AEAB8C121BA14C3CC25755300750218

ISP code aims to protect business from new copyright law
The Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF), representing telcos and the  largest ISPs, maintains it still hates the upcoming copyright law change. But nevertheless it?s issued a draft code of practice ? required for ISPs under the law ? which addresses the three-allegations-and-you're-out myth.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/isp-code-aims-protect-business-new-copyright-law-40704

Kiwis get strict copyright, three-strikes law at month's end
"Graduated response" laws continue their world tour. Next up: New Zealand, whose ISPs will have to start disconnecting dirty pirates after February 28. The ISPs are enraged.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/02/kiwis-get-strict-copyright-three-strikes-law-at-months-end.ars

nz: Section 92A - the fight continues
The Telecommunications Carriers' Forum has released its draft Copyright Code of Practice today for public consultation despite the fact submissions will close nearly a week after controversial Section 92A of the amended Copyright Act comes into force.
http://www.itbrief.co.nz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3216&Itemid=808

nz: Govt kills Broadband Investment Fund and Digital Development Council
It?s official: National will cancel Labour?s Broadband Investment Fund (BIF), according to Minister of Communications Steven Joyce.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/3C6FBC16E212A2F2CC25755300797246
http://reseller.co.nz/reseller.nsf/news/BE42772A31BD65D7CC257553007ABD2D

Robertson: Labour Welcomes Progress On Draft Code
Labour MPs today welcomed the release of a draft code by the Telecommunications Carriers Forum (TCF) that would manage how Section 92A of the Copyright Act would apply.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/robertson-labour-welcomes-progress-draft-code/5/8436


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

(c) David Goldstein 2008



 ---------


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



      Make Yahoo!7 your homepage and win a trip to the Quiksilver Pro. Find out more