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Internet Governance Outlook 2014: Good News, Bad News, No News? by Wolfgang Kleinw?chter
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20131231_internet_governance_outlook_2014_good_news_bad_news_no_news/>

Considering the Future of Internet Governance
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/daily-report-considering-the-future-of-internet-governance/>

Viewing Where the Internet Goes
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/science/viewing-where-the-internet-goes.html>

Latest .AT Report Outlines Policy Differences Between ccTLDs and gTLDs
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/25/at-report-policy-cctlds-gtlds/>

Premium .com.au domain names a valuable asset for Australian businesses
<http://www.ausregistry.com.au/news/premium-com-au-domain-names-a-valuable-asset-for-australian-businesses>

AusRegistry reappointed as .au Registry operator
<http://www.ausregistry.com.au/news/ausregistry-reappointed-as-au-registry-operator2>

se: A domain name is neither an object nor an instrument of crime by Elisabeth Ekstrand, General Counsel at .SE
<https://www.iis.se/english/news/a-domain-name-is-neither-an-object-nor-an-instrument-of-crime/>

Vienna is the first city with its own TLD
<http://domainincite.com/15467-vienna-is-the-first-city-with-its-own-tld>

First new gTLD Sunrise ends with ?very few? registrations
<http://domainincite.com/15435-first-new-gtld-sunrise-ends-with-very-few-registrations>

au: Heston Blumenthal is driven quackers Down Under
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/10549694/Heston-Blumenthal-is-driven-quackers-Down-Under.html>


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GOVERNANCE
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Internet Governance Outlook 2014: Good News, Bad News, No News? by Wolfgang Kleinw?chter
What does the crystal ball say for the Internet in 2014? Here are three scenarios for what could happen with the global Internet Governance Eco-System in the coming 12 months... In the worst case scenario the Internet gets more and more fragmented and re-nationalized. A growing number of governments start to define a "national Internet segment" and develop policies to surveil, censor and control access to and use of the Internet. National firewalls will separate the "domestic Internet" from the global Internet and an exit and entrance regime into networks is introduced where users need passwords, handed out by governmental authorities on an annual basis, to go from one domain to another.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20131231_internet_governance_outlook_2014_good_news_bad_news_no_news/>

Considering the Future of Internet Governance
With Edward J. Snowden?s theft and redistribution of reams of classified data starkly highlighting the Internet?s ubiquity and its potential for widespread surveillance, the new year is likely to see renewed calls to change the way the Internet is governed.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/daily-report-considering-the-future-of-internet-governance/>

Viewing Where the Internet Goes
 Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn, who outlined the conventions of the Internet in a hotel room in 1973, spoke separately about what has become of it and where it is going.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/31/science/viewing-where-the-internet-goes.html>

Brazil Decides that Governments and IGOs will Constitute Half of Total Stakeholders at Sao Paulo MSM Meeting by Philip Corwin
Details are starting to emerge about the Brazilian meeting on Internet Governance scheduled to take place in Sao Paulo this coming April, and they make it clear that the Brazilian host is in firm control and that governments and UN-affiliated International Governmental organizations will make up half the participants ? with all the other business, technical, academic and civil society stakeholders sharing the other half. That seems pretty unbalanced for a meeting that has been characterized by some as focused on reinforcing support for the multistakeholder model (MSM) in general and ICANN in particular.
<http://internetcommerce.org/Brazil_MSM_details>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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Beta Testing for Automated Registrar Onboarding System to Begin in January 2014
In an effort to prepare for the upcoming launch of a new Registry/Registrar accreditation tool, ICANN is inviting Registries and Registrars to participate in a Beta Test session of Automated Registrar Onboarding System (AROS).
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-2-24dec13-en.htm>

ICANN Publishes Quarterly Financial Report (Q1) for Fiscal Year 2014
ICANN achieves another milestone in its financial accountability and transparency, with the publication for the first time of its quarterly financial statements report.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-24dec13-en.htm>

Country Code Top Level Domain Names in Africa by Yaovi Atohoun
Liberia is one of the countries that I visited as part of the outreach program in the implementation of the ICANN strategy for Africa. I was in Monrovia on December 19-20, 2013
<http://blog.icann.org/2014/01/country-code-top-level-domain-names-in-africa/>

Fellowship Application Round Opens for ICANN 50 in London
The Fellowship Program has demonstrated success in its mission to build capacity in the ICANN multistakeholder environment through focused interactive engagement between newcomers to ICANN and community members at each of the ICANN meetings.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-03jan14-en.htm>

Scott Hemphill, Vice-President and General Counsel | Afilias, to Christine Willett
Community Priority Evaluation - .MLS (1-1888-47714)
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/hemphill-to-willett-24dec13-en>

Delegated Strings: Overview
ICANN's New gTLD Program will result in the expansion of available gTLDs, such as .COM, .NET or .ORG, from 22 to possibly 1,400 new names or "strings".
<http://newgtlds.icann.org//en/program-status/delegated-strings>

Bulk Transfer of Domain Names from Dynamic Dolphin, Inc. to BigRock Solutions Ltd.
ICANN has authorized the bulk transfer of gTLD domain names from Dynamic Dolphin, Inc. to BigRock Solutions Ltd. due to compliance actions taken by ICANN that resulted in the de-accreditation of Dynamic Dolphin, Inc.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-3-24dec13-en.htm>

Year-End Reflections from the Singapore Hub by Kuek Yu-Chuang
The year-end brings about a mood for reflection. What were the highlights of the year? What more needs to be done? Should we make resolutions for the next year? For me, this year gives me even more reason to reflect as I take on a new role, setting up ICANN?s Asia Pacific hub.
<http://blog.icann.org/2013/12/year-end-reflections-from-the-singapore-hub/>

Fellowship Program Brings Global Voices Together at ICANN | Fellows Announced for Singapore Meeting
42 fellows from 31 countries have been selected to participate in ICANN's Fellowship program at the 49th Public Meeting in Singapore, 23-27 March 2014.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-23dec13-en.htm>

It's Time for Privacy Progress in ICANN by Don Blumenthal
Privacy issues have been important to parts of the ICANN community for many years. I can attest to that fact as a long time veteran of Whois debates as far back as 1998 when I was with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. However, they have started to receive the general ICANN community visibility only relatively recently. These efforts must continue in order to protect rights, to avoid increasing potential conflicts between ICANN rules and applicable laws, and to generally maintain trust in the Internet as a place to be.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20131231_its_time_for_privacy_progress_in_icann/>

Think ICANN Will End Up Rolling in New gTLD Cash? Think Again! by St?phane Van Gelder
January 2014. The first registry contracts have been signed. The first Sunrise priority registration periods have been opened. The new gTLD program is well on the way. So maybe now, at last, we can start to find out the real costs of opening up the Internet root? And how much revenue doing so has brought ICANN! Short answer: ICANN has taken in USD 344.958 million from the first round of new gTLD applications. The figure comes from the first of ICANN's quarterly financial statements, covering the three months up until September 30th.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140102_think_icann_will_end_up_rolling_in_new_gtld_cash_think_again/>

ICANN Explains Its Position on Uniform Contracts
Anyone registering a domain name through an ICANN-accredited registrar is required to accept provisions in the registration agreement
<https://sedo.com/us/news/3377/ICANN-Explains-Its-Position-on-Uniform-Contracts/>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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1&2 Character .Asia Domains Now Available on Sedo.com
With the Sunrise and Landrush Priority Registration phases completed, DotAsia is excited to announce that the Public Auction Phase for 1&2 character .Asia domains is now in full swing. World-renowned brands have already snapped up their domains such as ?F1.asia?, ?Y.asia? and ?FB.asia? just to name a few.
<http://www.dot.asia/12-character-asia-domains-now-available-on-sedo-com/>

Latest .AT Report Outlines Policy Differences Between ccTLDs and gTLDs
New gTLDs are coming online now and the first will be available for general registration in quarter one 2014. But what will differentiate these new gTLDs to existing country code TLDs?
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/25/at-report-policy-cctlds-gtlds/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/latest-at-report.html>

Premium .com.au domain names a valuable asset for Australian businesses
One of the most pertinent issues business owners face when establishing an online presence is how to direct customer interest to their website and translate that into revenue.
<http://www.ausregistry.com.au/news/premium-com-au-domain-names-a-valuable-asset-for-australian-businesses>

AusRegistry reappointed as .au Registry operator
Following an extensive review process with the .au Domain Administration (auDA), AusRegistry is pleased to announce that the auDA Registry Licence Agreement for the management of the .au second-level domain Registry has been extended for an additional four years, until 30 June 2018.
<http://www.ausregistry.com.au/news/ausregistry-reappointed-as-au-registry-operator2>

More Brands Are Turning to .com for International Appeal
One of the greatest strengths of the Internet is seen when a customer in one country engages with a brand in another. The Internet has enabled companies to grow in influence and reach customers far beyond national boundaries in ways that could not have been foreseen even a decade ago.
<http://blogs.verisigninc.com/blog/entry/more_brands_are_turning_to>

cr: Domain Blocking and Unblocking Policy - Domain blocking and unblocking through security protocol
About domain blocking: e purpose of this process is to establish a high-security protocol that a domain title holder must fulfill before making any modifications or updates to a domain name. This protocol is established between the domain Titleholder and NIC Costa Rica, which has the full support of the domain?s proprietor in implementing the protocol.
<http://www.nic.cr/niccr_publico/showSimpleNew.do?id=53>

2013 Annual Report | Christmas Island Internet Domain Registry .CX ccTLD
Purpose of this Document: This document has been prepared for both community stakeholders and the Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Communications) in order to demonstrate transparency in the administration of the Christmas Island ccTLD.
<http://cocca.org.nz/christmas/annual-report-2013cx.html>

dk: Workshop about prevention of phishing
The threat of theft of passwords, spamming, phishing, malware etc. is a problem in many mailboxes, why it is important to learn about safety on the internet.
<https://www.dk-hostmaster.dk/english/news/news-single/artikel/workshop-about-prevention-of-phishing/>

.ee domain price lowered from January 1
The Estonian Internet Foundation will lower the price of a .ee domain by 20% from 1 January 2014, i.e. down to ?12.
<http://www.internet.ee/en/>

2013 Annual Report | Norfolk Island Internet Domain Registry .NF ccTLD
Purpose of this Document: This document has been prepared for both community stakeholders and the Commonwealth of Australia (Department of Communications) in order to demonstrate transparency in the administration of the Norfolk Island ccTLD.
<http://cocca.org.nz/norfolk/annual-report-2013nf.html>

Expert decries Nigerian?s ignorance about domain name potential
The Managing Director of Upperlink Limited, Segun Akano, has decried the lackadaisical attitude of Nigerians towards the embrace of the nation?s domain name, arguing that next to oil, it is her virtual natural resources capable of generating billions of naira into the economy.
<http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/expert-decries-nigerians-ignorance-about-domain-name-potential/>

NiRA Plans 100,000 Free Domain Names for Nigerians in 2014
The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body that regulates the ccTLD, the .ng domain name, said it would give out 100, 000 free domain names to interested Nigerians in 2014 as part of its plan to celebrate the nation?s 100 years centenary anniversary.
<http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/nira-plans-100-000-free-domain-names-for-nigerians-in-2014/167784/>

UpperLink Urges Nigerians to Register Businesses with .ng Domain Name
UpperLink, one of the foremost Registrars of Nigeria's ccTLD, known as the .ng domain name, has called on Nigerians to register their businesses, using the country's domain name, in order to populate the .ng domain name, which is Nigeria's identity in the cyberspace.
<http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/upperlink-urges-nigerians-to-register-businesses-with-ng-domain-name/167785/>

NiRA sets up domain names working group
The Nigerian Internet Registration Association, NiRA, has inaugurated a working group saddled with the responsibility of reviewing the policies and pricing of .ng premium domain names and second level domain names.
<http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/nira-sets-up-domain-names-working-group/>

Nigerians ?ignorant about domain name potential?
The Managing Director of Upperlink Limited, Mr. Segun Akano, has decried the lackadaisical attitude of Nigerians towards the embrace of the nation?s domain name, arguing that next to oil, it is her virtual natural resources capable of generating billions of naira into the economy.
<http://www.biztechafrica.com/article/nigerians-ignorant-about-domain-name-potential/7447/>

NiRA Aiming To Boost .NG Registrations Among Nigerians
There is currently a push underway to boost Nigerian?s use of their .ng ccTLD. Currently there are around 60,000 registrations, the Nigerian newspaper This Day reported. This is remarkably low given the country has 174.5 million people.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/02/nira-boost-ng-registrations/>

.nz Newsletter - December 2013
The December 2013 newsletter is available. It includes .nz domain name statistics as of November 30, 2013
<http://dnc.org.nz/story/nz-newsletter-december-2013>

Nominet explains the reasons for .uk domains
Nominet's proposals to add a .uk domain have not been popular, to put it mildly. However, it has decided to introduce the change anyway, albeit with some minor concessions.
<http://econsultancy.com/blog/64053-nominet-explains-the-reasons-for-uk-domains>

ru: 117 domain names removed from the delegation in November
In November 2013 accredited registrars received 123 requests from Group-IB on removal from delegation of domain names-violators, as a result 117 domain names were removed. 6 domain names are delegated, 4 of them were unlocked because owners of the domain names eliminated causes for locking. Unlocking was conducted at the request of CERT-GIB.
<http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=5339>

se: A domain name is neither an object nor an instrument of crime by Elisabeth Ekstrand, General Counsel at .SE
This spring, I wrote a blog post about the special forfeiture proceedings regarding the domain names: thepiratebay.se and piratebay.se, which have been directed at .SE in its capacity as TLD administrator. Much has happened since then, so I thought I would sum up the events here.
<https://www.iis.se/english/news/a-domain-name-is-neither-an-object-nor-an-instrument-of-crime/>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Vienna is the first city with its own TLD
The world?s first city gTLD, .wien, went live on the internet this morning.
<http://domainincite.com/15467-vienna-is-the-first-city-with-its-own-tld>

New gTLDs: No More Waiting, Watching, Dreaming
Coffee houses have long served as places where individuals come together to discuss ideas and exchange information ? from current events and politics to the latest innovations and inventions. This tradition made Busboys and Poets a natural venue for ?The Impact of the New gTLD Program,? a panel discussion hosted by The D.C. Chapter of the Internet Society (ISOC-DC) and FairWinds Partners.
<http://gtldstrategy.com/2013/12/19/new-gtlds-no-more-waiting-watching-dreaming/>

Google registers its first new gTLD domain
Google took part in dotShabaka Registry?s Sunrise period, according to today zone files.
<http://domainincite.com/15472-google-registers-its-first-new-gtld-domain>

Donuts appeals ridiculous .hospital objection
A lot of new TLD applicants and objectors have filed reconsideration requests with ICANN after landing on the losing side of objections.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/03/donuts-appeals-ridiculous-hospital-objection/>

No place like Rome in the new gTLD program
As the new gTLD program gathers pace, excitement is mounting over the launch of a number of suffixes. We have already seen big noises coming out of London, Paris and New York ahead of their respective new gTLDs due to launch in mid-2014 which will bring identity to the cities on the Internet. But one city will not become part of the revolution of the Internet anymore.
<http://www.netnames.com/blog/2013/12/no-place-like-rome-in-the-new-gtld-program/>

Applicant says .islam ban would damage ICANN
If ICANN decides to reject Asia Green IT?s applications for .islam and .halal it would ?be dealing a blow to the new gTLD program?s credibility?, according to AGIT.
<http://domainincite.com/15415-applicant-says-islam-ban-would-damage-icann>

ICANN has spent $120 million on new gTLDs
The new gTLD program has cost ICANN almost $120 million so far, according to a quarterly financial report published earlier this week.
<http://domainincite.com/15427-icann-has-spent-120-million-on-new-gtlds>

These are the first four new gTLD domain names
Two luxury goods companies have the honor of being the first to register domain names in a new gTLD.
<http://domainincite.com/15439-these-are-the-first-four-new-gtld-domain-names>

First new gTLD Sunrise ends with ?very few? registrations
The first new gTLD Sunrise period was not a success, according to dotShabaka Registry.
<http://domainincite.com/15435-first-new-gtld-sunrise-ends-with-very-few-registrations>

New Generic TLDs Pose No Threat To VeriSign
I've seen a number of news stories over the past few months that speculate that .com registrations are on the decline and the industry will see a shift away from the traditional ".com" to both country code registrations such as .ca (Canada), .uk (United Kingdom) and .cn (China) as well as a number of new gTLDs.
<http://seekingalpha.com/article/1925551-new-generic-top-level-domain-names-pose-no-threat-to-verisign>

ICANN Gives Christmas/New Year Delegations To 22 gTLDs
ICANN delegated another 22 gTLDs over the Christmas/new year period, with 19 delegated on 28 December and another three on 2 January. This takes the total to 76 gTLD strings that have been delegated since 23 October when delegations commenced.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/03/icann-delegations-22-gtlds/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/icann-delegates-22-gtlds.html>

.email and two other new gTLDs go live
Three more new gTLDs were delegated this afternoon, including the potentially interesting .email.
<http://domainincite.com/15463-email-and-two-other-new-gtlds-go-live>

Today?s new gTLD passes, signings and withdrawals
ICANN signed 21 new gTLD registry contracts late last week, while one applicant has withdrawn and another has passed evaluation.
<http://domainincite.com/15413-todays-new-gtld-passes-signings-and-withdrawals>

KPMG Says Its gTLD Will Be Default Domain, Abandoning .COM, While It Looks For Innovation
The global audit, tax and advisory services firm KPMG has announced they will be moving from their kpmg.com domain to their new gTLD .kpmg when it is up and running. And this assumes it gains the final approval from ICANN.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/26/kpmg-gtld-default-domain/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/kpmg-gtld-default.html>

KPMG Says It?s Leaving .Com For .KPMG Domain, Wrongly Cites SEO As A Reason
KPMG, the multinational professional services agency that was born in 1870, says it will abandon its .com domain and switch to its own .kpmg TLD. And one of the reasons the company gives is an expectation that the new domain will help the company?s search engine optimization.
<http://marketingland.com/kpmg-says-its-leaving-com-for-kpmg-domain-wrongly-cites-seo-as-a-reason-68998>

.ninja springs to life as a squirrel as 19 new gTLDs get delegated
ICANN may be taking Christmas week off, but Verisign apparently isn?t ? another 19 new gTLDs were delegated to the DNS root system last night.
<http://domainincite.com/15430-ninja-springs-to-life-as-a-squirrel-as-19-new-gtlds-get-delegated>

GoDaddy gets sixth patent for ?Adwords for TLDs?
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted a sixth patent to GoDaddy related to a way to position domain names in response to a user?s domain search.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/02/godaddy-gets-sixth-patent-for-adwords-for-top-level-domains/>

New Web suffixes set to enter market
The Internet is about to get its first taste of the .anything future. After eight years of debate, numerous delays and countless quarrels, an effort to expand the Web?s address system beyond the familiar .com and .net to more than 1,000 new endings is reaching its conclusion. By the end of January, companies can start selling website names on the first batch of approved new suffixes such as .clothing, .singles and .plumbing.
<http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/new-web-suffixes-set-to-enter-market-101601.html>

NAR pitches .realtor domains (free for 1 year) and disses .re
National Association of REALTORS (NAR) sent an email to its members earlier this month pitching ?priority registration? for .realtor domain names.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/26/nar-pitches-realtor-domains-free-for-1-year-and-disses-re/>

Is GoDaddy Too Greedy With .VENTURES And Vox Populi Extorting With .SUCKS?
Greed is good. That is one way of looking at it. Or there is always supply and demand. And we can soon see how strong the demand is. GoDaddy is asking for a very pricey $12,569.99, the starting price for phase one of their Priority Pre-Registration for .ventures domains.
<http://www.technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=21610>
<http://www.domainnews.com/is-godaddy-greedy-ventures-vox-populi-extorting-sucks.html>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/12/27/godaddy-greedy-ventures-vox-populi-extorting-sucks/>

Anti-Google group FairSearch.org loses objection against .map
FairSearch.org, a consortium representing companies that compete against Google, is now 0-for-2 in community objections it filed against Google?s TLD applications.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/30/anti-google-group-fairsearch-org-loses-objection-against-map/>

Calle: New TLDs will be good for .Co
Everyone has been asking the question about what new TLDs mean for .com. Few have been asking what new TLDs mean for existing alternatives to .com, such as .me, .info, and of course .co.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/23/calle-new-tlds-will-be-good-for-co/>

ICANN advises on domain name collisions
ICANN has issued advice to IT professionals worldwide on how to proactively identify and manage private name space leakage into the public DNS.
<http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69866>

Fallout From New gTLD?s: What If Everyone Loses?
After years of debating the topic of how successful the new gTLD program will be and what the effect of new gTLD?s will have on the value of existing extensions including .com.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2014/01/03/fallout-from-new-gtlds-what-if-everyone-loses/>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Popular Registrar Namecheap Fixes DNS Hijack Bug
The domain registrar and Web-hosting company Namecheap has fixed a cross site request forgery vulnerability in its DNS setup page.
<http://threatpost.com/popular-registrar-namecheap-fixes-dns-hijack-bug/103281>

Network security in 2014
Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of VAD Wick Hill Group, looks forward to the coming year in networks and security, looking ahead at mobility, convergence, wireless, IPv6, big data, visibility reporting and remediation
<http://www.information-age.com/it-management/strategy-and-innovation/123457563/network-security-in-2014>

Skype social media platforms hacked by 'Syrian Electronic Army'
The social media platforms of Skype have been hacked by a group claiming to be the Syrian Electronic Army.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25572771>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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A perfect 10 for Eleven by David Taylor
In a recent domain name dispute under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) before the World Intellectual Property Organisation, a French company obtained the transfer of a domain name incorporating its trademark, which had pointed to a website offering counterfeit products.
<http://www.internationallawoffice.com/newsletters/detail.aspx?g=3c61036c-e73c-412b-99dc-db57c1a0d3c5>

au: Heston Blumenthal is driven quackers Down Under
Heston Blumenthal, the owner of The Fat Duck, has launched legal action against a namesake caf? in Australia ... In the five-page letter, the lawyers acting for Blumenthal threaten to take Norris to the federal court if she does not change the name of her business, cancel the business domain name ?remove all advertisements and hand over all promotional ?material.
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/10549694/Heston-Blumenthal-is-driven-quackers-Down-Under.html>

uk: Dangerous slimming aids still on sale despite clampdown
POISONOUS slimming aids which were linked to three deaths in the UK last year remain available online, despite Scottish Government and Food Standards Agency (FSA) moves to have them banned. All of the 51 websites selling products containing the potentially lethal industrial chemical 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) are registered outside the UK, according to the Scottish Government.
<http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/dangerous-slimming-aids-still-on-sale-despite-clampdown.23090488>

Do Celebrities Have Rights in Their Matching Domain Names?
Celebrity domain names are almost always in the news. That's because people tend to register domain names of famous people, politicians and celebrities in order to make money off of someone else's fame. Celebrity cybersquatting has been around since domain names first became available to register.
<http://tcattorney.typepad.com/anticybersquatting_consum/2013/10/do-celebrities-have-rights-in-their-matching-domain-names-.html>

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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ARIN IPv4 Free Pool Reaches 1.5 /8s
ARIN's IPv4 free pool has dropped to 1.5 /8s, and as we get closer to having a single /8 equivalent and reaching Phase 4 of the IPv4 Countdown Plan, we wanted to review the resource request processing changes that will go into effect at that time.
<https://www.arin.net/announcements/2013/20131230.html>

China approves city trials of IPv6
The Chinese government has approved next-generation internet trials in 15 cities across the country.
<http://www.telecompaper.com/news/china-approves-city-trials-of-ipv6--987897>

IPv6 will allow them to track you down. Not!
NATs are a problem on the Internet because they're in the way. Suppose you want to make a voice call over the Internet to your mother. The way you think of this might be that your computer connects to your mother's computer. 
<http://www.mis-asia.com/resource/security/ipv6-will-allow-them-to-track-you-down-not/>

**********************
 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Calling America's New Digital Policy Pioneers
Next week, as part of the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I?ll be speaking on a panel discussing the future of Internet-based telephony, or what is referred to in Washington as the ?IP Transition.? ... But under a policy initiated during the Clinton Administration and continued under President George H.W. Bush, these key features of Internet governance were turned over to a new international NGO, the ICANN. Since 1998, ICANN, along with other engineering-driven governance organizations coordinated through the international Internet Society, have overseen the explosive growth of the Internet ecosystem in a truly multistakeholder model.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrydownes/2014/01/03/the-bi-partisan-digital-policy-pioneers/>

GoDaddy Gets Patent Related to Preferred Domain Positioning on Registration Website
GoDaddy has been granted a patent related to enabling preferred domain positioning on a registration website.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/godaddy-gets-patent-related-preferred-domain-positioning-registration-website>

Domain Owner Alert: Whois verification phishing scams have already begun
Effective January 1, any domain name registrar that has signed on to the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (that includes all of the big registrars) must verify certain aspects of whois contact information.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/04/domain-owner-alert-whois-verification-phishing-scams-have-already-begun/>

"Open-Heart Surgery for the Internet" Undertaken Successfully
DE-CIX Management GmbH has now successfully completed the migration to their new platform: With DE-CIX Apollon in Frankfurt am Main, they now operate the highest performance platform worldwide for the exchange of data on the Internet, and are now equipped for data transfers of 100 Gigabits per second. In the past few weeks, the last of around 600 customers were transferred to DE-CIX Apollon:
<http://international.eco.de/2013/press-releases/open-heart-surgery-for-the-internet-undertaken-successfully.html>

Where Do You Register New Domain Names? by Jean Guillon
Most users who already use websites have heard about domain names and they know what they are. Although .COM domains are already very popular, they are no longer as appealing as they once were, because they don't mean anything as such and all of the cool, short names have long since been registered. In 2014, this will change with the emerging new domain names. I like to think that it is possible that, with the increased communications that exists around new gTLD and the fact that many of these new domain names actually mean something, people will start paying more attention.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140103_where_do_you_register_new_domain_names/>

NamesCon domain name conference may sell out
I?m not sure what constitutes a ?sell out?, but apparently this month?s NamesCon conference is nearing its capacity:
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/03/namescon-domain-name-conference-may-sell-out/>

It?s almost 2014, and people are registering 2014 domain names in droves
It?s almost 2014, and the market for registering domain names that include ?2014? is apparently quite robust.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/30/its-almost-2014-and-people-are-registering-2014-domain-names-in-droves/>

Sedo and Tucows ink domain listing distribution deal
Sedo has gained a big customer for its SedoMLS network.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/12/31/sedo-and-tucows-ink-domain-listing-distribution-deal/>

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 - WEBHOSTING
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Netcraft January 2014 Web Server Survey
In the January 2014 survey we received responses from 861,379,152 sites, an increase of 355,935 since last month.
<http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2014/01/03/january-2014-web-server-survey.html>

Most Reliable Hosting Company Sites in December 2013
Qube Managed Services had the most reliable hosting company site in December 2013, making December Qube's fourth consecutive month in the top ten after attaining first place in September.
<http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2014/01/01/most-reliable-hosting-company-sites-in-december-2013.html>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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1&2 Character .Asia Domains Now Available on Sedo.com
With the Sunrise and Landrush Priority Registration phases completed, DotAsia is excited to announce that the Public Auction Phase for 1&2 character .Asia domains is now in full swing. World-renowned brands have already snapped up their domains such as ?F1.asia?, ?Y.asia? and ?FB.asia? just to name a few.
<http://www.dot.asia/12-character-asia-domains-now-available-on-sedo-com/>

Christmas Comes Early for the Domain Business With a Half-Dozen 6-Figure Sales Topping This Week's Chart
Christmas came early for the domain aftermarket this week as sellers rang up a half dozen six-figure sales, led by the year's biggest ccTLD sale - Jobs.ca at $450,000 in a deal brokered by Sedo's Dave Evanson. 
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2013/20131225.htm>


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David Goldstein

 email: david at goldsteinreport.com

 web:   http://goldsteinreport.com/ / http://davidgoldstein.tel/
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9663 3430 - office/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