Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online! Headlines from the 27 September edition of the news include: VeriSign Completes Key Milestones in Initiative to Strengthen and Diversify Critical Internet Infrastructure | VeriSign: DoS attack could shut down internet | Simulated Cyberattack Shows Hackers Blasting Away at the Power Grid | US Congressmen Call For Investigation On Government Cyberattacks | A guide to the online use of trademarks - a European perspective [reg req'd] | CADNA Responds to ICANN Tasting Survey | ICANN Nominating Committee Announces New Board Members and Supporting Organisation Roles | .nz Domain Name Registrations Hit 300,000 | Cybersquatters target iPhone | Facebook wins domain dispute | Domain Name Theft Is Everyday Event: Short or Memorable Domain Names Can Fetch Millions of Dollars | CMS Cameron McKenna Technology Annual Review 2006 | A guide to the online use of trademarks - a European perspective And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings. *************************************************** The domain name news is supported by auDA *************************************************** Celebrate the Internet on (last) Saturday's OneWebDay http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9038018 China says it's a cyber-attack victim [Reuters] http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6209570.html Could U.S. be at risk for cyberwarfare? [IDG] http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9037920 Things you didn?t realize were on the ICANN site: Part 1 by Kieren McCarthy http://blog.icann.org/?p=196 Request for Comments ? ICANN Board Review Draft Terms of Reference http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-20sep07.htm ICANN Notice of Intent to Issue Advisory Regarding the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-19sep07.htm ICANN, TWNIC Host ?Toward the New Era of Internet? in Taipei http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-20sep07.htm What Has the Hamptons, 4 Airports and a Hankering for Independence? Includes bid for .ILI TLD http://nytimes.com/2007/09/22/nyregion/22secede.html Nigerian domain name registrations grow http://allafrica.com/stories/200709210311.html Recruiting .uk domain name dispute resolution experts http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4443 LexisNexis Launches Essential New Guide to Domain Name Law [news release] http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2766 Clicks That Count - Is Click Fraud a Problem? http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/09/21/google-click-fraud-advertising-tech-cx_ag_0921cuthbert.html Iraq.com and Zimbabwe.com for sale! http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2773 ********************** GOVERNANCE ********************** Book Review: Internet Governance: An Introduction (By: Arthur J. Cordell and Prabir K. Neogi, Industry Canada The strength of Internet Governance: An Introduction, its broad range, becomes its weakness however as issues of Internet governance are seen to be important to almost every aspect of life: from the technical to human rights to economic development. However the range of coverage is why these reviewers unreservedly recommend the book for those who want an introduction to the area, or for those who are now dealing with one or more aspects of Internet governance but who would like to broaden their area of research. As the book adequately demonstrates, many of the technical issues around the net are now being managed (albeit sometimes in too central a fashion, ie., US centric) and the issue of free speech and possible censoring intervention by nation states is yet to be managed adequately. Some wonder if some of the issues can ever be managed well on the net. Human rights, for example, is difficult to deal with in the non-net world; in the global networked environment where transparency is often lacking the issue of human rights can become even more difficult to manage. Central to the success of the net is, for these reviewers, the issue of trust and confidence. http://arraydev.com/commerce/JIBC/2007-08/Cordell_Book%20Review_PDF%20Ready.pdf Cerf To Surf Out, IDNs To Surf In "The Architect," you might call him, or "The Father of the Internet," or more recently, as Google has titled him, "Chief Internet Evangelist," Vinton Cerf will perform one of his last official functions as Board Chair of the ICANN next month. Cerf's term officially ends at the Los Angeles International Public Meeting at the end of October, but before that, one of his last official duties, says ICANN, will be helping the Taiwan Network Information Centre (TWNIC) host a special meeting called "Toward the New Era of Internet" in Taipei. http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/09/20/cerf-to-surf-out-idns-to-surf-in Africa telecoms summit to promote internet access [Reuters] The October 29 and 30 "Connect Africa" gathering of African political leaders and international investors in the Rwandan capital Kigali will be a networking opportunity, not a forum for negotiating new regulations, they said. http://mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__business/&articleid=319782 http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/usnBAN023912.html Celebrate the Internet on Saturday's OneWebDay On Saturday, people around the world will be celebrating OneWebDay, a global Earth Day for the Internet, according to the event's organizer. The idea behind OneWebDay is to urge people to reflect on the changes the Internet has made in their lives, how it should not be taken for granted and its future, said Susan Crawford, a visiting cyberlaw professor at the University of Michigan. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9038018 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;399296004;fp;2;fpid;1 A Consociational Bureau for the Internet Governance Forum by Jeremy Malcolm The principle that Internet governance ?is a joint effort which requires cooperation and partnership among all stakeholders? has become axiomatic since it was first agreed at WSIS, and is fundamental to the IGF as a ?new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue?. http://www.circleid.com/posts/79219_consociational_bureau_internet_governance/ ********************** DOMAIN NAMES ********************** ********************** - DOMAIN SECURITY ********************** au: Coonan seeks to censor the Web ... The Federal Police commissioner will have the power to block and ban websites believed to be crime or terrorism related under an internet censorship amendment bill introduced into Parliament today. The bombshell web ban bill was tabled in the Senate at 9:58am, without prior notice. Communications Minister Senator Helen Coonan proposes to expand the "black list" of internet addresses (URLs) currently maintained by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to include terrorism and cyber-crime sites. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22451522-15306,00.html Response to Patrik Faltstrom on DNSSEC implications by Milton Mueller Patrik thinks that we have simply misunderstood DNSSEC. He writes: "Milton mixes up a number of things, and do ignore completely the downside of the proposal he makes." In fact, it is not I, Milton Mueller, who wrote that blog post about DNSSEC. It was Phillip Hallam-Baker of VeriSign, an acknowledged technical expert in the field. And no "proposal" was made in the blog post, merely a quotation of Hallam-Baker's comment on the IETF list. So let's set the record straight. http://blog.internetgovernance.org/blog/_archives/2007/9/17/3236236.html How can the engineering community and the users meet? by Patrick Vande Walle There is currently a discussion going on between Milton Mueller and Patrik F?ltstr?m over the deployment of DNSSEC on the root servers. I think the discussion exemplifies the difficult relation between those who develop standards and those who use them. http://patrick.vande-walle.eu/internet/how-can-the-engineering-community-and-the-users-meet/ China and Russia spying at Cold War levels : US spy chief [AFP] Chinese and Russian spies are stalking the United States at levels close to those seen during the tense covert espionage duels of the Cold War, the top US intelligence officer warned Tuesday. Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell raised the specter of a new era of clandestine intelligence wars during a House of Representatives hearing on a contentious new law on warrantless wiretapping. http://spacewar.com/reports/China_and_Russia_spying_at_Cold_War_levels__US_spy_chief_999.html China says it's a cyber-attack victim [Reuters] China has been the target of a big increase in cyber-attacks in recent years and faces more of a threat from hackers than any country in the West, a military researcher said on Saturday. http://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6209570.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/23/AR2007092300254.html http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKSP4995420070922 Could U.S. be at risk for cyberwarfare? [IDG] May was not a good month for geeks in Estonia. The tiny Baltic republic weathered a monthlong cyberattack that shuttered Internet servers nationwide. At the height of the crisis, people who wanted to use payment cards to buy bread or gas had to wait because the onslaught crippled Estonia's banks. Investigators traced the attack to Russians angered by Estonia's decision to relocate the statue of a Red Army soldier erected during the Soviet era. Tensions over the incident led to rumors of Russian state involvement in the cyberattacks. http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9037920 http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;236576679;fp;2;fpid;1 http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/09/20/Is-the-US-at-risk-from-cyberwarfare_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137406/article.html vn: Seminar launches security and data protection solutions On September 21, Astral Infotech Vietnam holds a seminar to introduce solutions for data security and protection, in Hanoi. ... At the seminar, Mr. Andy Jimenez, Business Manager and IT Consultant of Astral Infotech Vietnam said: ?in Vietnam, nearly 60 percent of the websites of ministries and state agencies which have the domain name gov.vn have been attacked by hackers. A number of organizations and enterprises have applied some security protection methods but they are not very effective.? http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2007/09/743927/ 5 Signs That You're Under a Targeted Attack The trouble with most targeted attacks is that by the time you realize your organization is under siege by hackers, you're toast: The attackers are either already well entrenched in your network or have already taken off with your data. http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=134422 ********************** - ICANN ********************** Update on WHOIS by Philip Greene It remains to be seen what this current stalemate will do to the OPOC proposal. As an IP attorney myself, and as a member of the ICANN Working Group, I will freely admit that I?ve been somewhat dubious about the OPOC Proposal, and while I do recognise the need for enhanced privacy protection in WHOIS for certain types of registrants, I share the view of IP and law enforcement community that broad privacy protections should not be afforded to all domain name registrants, but rather, only to those who need such protections. http://www.cyberlaw.org.nz/?p=23 GoDaddy May Have to Stop ?60 Day? Transfer Policy Many people who have tried to transfer a domain name from GoDaddy to another registrar have faced a hurdle. If they?ve changed their whois information within the past 60 days, GoDaddy will deny the transfer for ?security reasons?. Only one other major registrar, Network Solutions, has been known to do this. http://domainnamewire.com/2007/09/22/godaddy-may-have-to-stop-60-day-transfer-policy/ Things you didn?t realize were on the ICANN site: Part 1 by Kieren McCarthy One of the consistent gripes about ICANN is that we don?t provide sufficient information (which, incidentally is why there is an online survey for people right here to help us understand what you are looking for). This usually prompts the response from ICANN that in fact that information is already available, and has been for years. Which in turn leads to people complaining that it may be there but it is impossible to find which then, by the way, prompts ICANN to try to bring the information up a level from three-clicks-through to two-clicks. Which has the unfortunate knock-on effect of a heavily cluttered page of information. Which, some way down the line, prompts a tidy-up of webpages that then shifts certain types of information down a level again. Someone then can?t find it and the circle turns again. http://blog.icann.org/?p=196 Request for Comments ? ICANN Board Review Draft Terms of Reference As part of the 2002-03 Evolution and Reform process, the ICANN community and Board established a principle of ongoing review of ICANN's structures to ensure their continuing relevance and effectiveness. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-2-20sep07.htm Notice of Intent to Issue Advisory Regarding the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy ICANN has observed that there is confusion within the registrar community concerning the circumstances under which registrars may validly deny transfer requests pursuant to the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (?Transfer Policy?). The purpose of this Notice of Intent to Issue an Advisory regarding the Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy is to allow interested parties 30 days to comment on the proposed advisory. http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-19sep07.htm ICANN, TWNIC Host ?Toward the New Era of Internet? in Taipei ICANN is joining forces with the Taiwan Network Information Centre (TWNIC) to host a special regional meeting ? ?Toward the New Era of Internet? ? in Taipei 19-21 October 2007. ?ICANN, TWNIC, and the global Internet community are tackling some of the most important issues impacting the Internet since its creation,? said Dr Paul Twomey, ICANN?s President and CEO. ?This meeting is an opportunity for technical communities, Internet businesses, and policy makers from the Asia-Pacific to come together and share thoughts and ideas on how we can move forward together.? http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-20sep07.htm IANA Report on Delegation of the .RS Domain, and Redelegation of the .YU Domain Recommendation: IANA therefore concludes that the .RS domain should be delegated to the Serbian National Register of Internet Domain Names in accordance with their request. Furthermore, the proposed operator of the .RS domain and the proposed operator of the .ME domain have mutually agreed a transfer and decommissioning plan for the .YU domain that would see a stable transition to the new domains. In this plan, the Serbian National Registry of Internet Domain Names would be the temporary caretaker of .YU until the domain is fully decommissioned. IANA therefore concludes that the .YU domain should be redelegated to the Serbian National Register of Internet Domain Names in accordance with their request. http://www.iana.org/reports/rs-yu-report-11sep2007.html IANA Report on Delegation of the .ME Domain Recommendation: In its research, IANA believes that the applicant has met the criteria for reassignment. When considered in conjunction with the application for the .RS domain, and a transition and decommissioning plan for .YU, this represents an appropriate path forward for establishing a country-code for Montenegro on the Internet, and transitioning its users from its former country-code. IANA therefore concludes that the .ME domain should be delegated to Government of Montenegro as per their request. http://www.iana.org/reports/me-report-11sep2007.html IANA Report on Delegation of the .KP Top-Level Domain Recommendation: Based upon our investigation, IANA staff believes that the applicant has met the basic criteria to support a delegation request. We find no reason not to recommend the introduction of the .KP domain into the DNS root zone. IANA staff therefore concludes that the .KP domain should be delegated to the Korea Computer Center in accordance with their request. http://www.iana.org/reports/kp-report-11sep2007.html ********************** - (cc)TLD NEWS ********************** ie: Alert re Database / Advertisement Registration letters [news release] It has once again come to the attention of the IEDR that a company operating under the name "Internet Register Ireland" is contacting businesses with registered .ie domain names by post and by fax, soliciting domain holders to register their domain name with the "Internet Register Ireland". The "Internet Register Ireland" will request you to fill out their form and return it to them signed. It should be noted that they charge an excessive fee of approx ?958 for the registration of your domain name in their database. The ?Internet Register Ireland? previously operated the same practice in Ireland in late November 2006 and have been operating similar schemes throughout Europe and Canada throughout the past year. http://www.iedr.ie/NEWS/News-17Sept2007.php What Has the Hamptons, 4 Airports and a Hankering for Independence? Last month, a 45-year-old bachelor living in his parents? house here with plenty of online dreams (and no steady offline employment), posted a news release on his Web site announcing, ?A New Country Is Born.? The bottom of the release listed the source of the information as the ?governor of Independent Long Island.? ... But he says he has laid the most important foundation: He has formed the new country in cyberspace. He has procured a top-level domain name, .ILI, instead of the traditional dot-com or dot-org suffix; the domain root .LI was already taken by Lichtenstein. For now, he uses the more accessible .com domain name. He envisions an Internet explosion that would provide a major economic engine for the new country. ?It would create a whole new culture, a modern-day renaissance, with technologically and cultural and even spiritual dimensions,? he said. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/22/nyregion/22secede.html Wrangle Over Namibian Internet Code The ICT alliance will hold a workshop on the regulatory framework surrounding the administration of Namibia's Internet domain today. The aim of the workshop in Windhoek is to prepare a strategy to deal with the administration of Namibia's country code domain, the .na Internet domain. In a statement, the ICT alliance said the issue needs input from all stakeholders. This includes Internet service providers, the present .na domain administrators, Website administrators and government representatives. http://www.newera.com.na/page.php?id=3750 http://allafrica.com/stories/200709200299.html Nigerian domain name registrations grow The Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA) has increased the number of domain names in the country to over 3,000 in less than six months of its existence. http://hana.ru.ac.za/article.cfm?articleID=1659 http://allafrica.com/stories/200709210311.html Soviet Union Must Go On The domain .su, what means Soviet Union, is not to be deleted form Internet space. Hostmasters expect interest boost to Soviet sites, while experts remain skeptic. http://russia-ic.com/news/show/4796/ ICANN wants to kill off Soviet Union ICANN wants to shut down the Soviet Union, but it isn't Russian into anything. http://theinquirer.net/?article=42492 http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/96273 http://mrt.com.mk/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3634&Itemid=28 Recruiting .uk domain name dispute resolution experts Nominet operates a Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) that attempts to resolve domain name disputes. The DRS does not replace the role of the Courts and is open to anyone. All cases, if unresolved, have the opportunity to proceed to an expert wholly independent of Nominet for a decision based on the DRS Policy and Procedure. We currently receive between about 80 new cases a month, of which approximately 25% proceed to an expert decision. http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/?contentId=4443 Domains (.me) and (.rs) to replace (.yu) Changes are afoot on the domain name scene, another two countries to gain their own ?Top Level Domain?s. ... For its part .eh is the country code of the Democratic Arabic Republic Sahara, also known as Western Sahara. The thinly populated country of about 250,000 people is rich in raw materials and has been occupied by Morocco since 1975. The country's independence movement Polisario asked ICANN to assign it the .eh zone. http://webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=22361 ********************** - DOMAIN DISPUTES ********************** Brand names at issue in cybersquatting pursuit According to Nielson Net Ratings, June, 2007, there were over 545 million websites online, which is making it ever more difficult to find an available domain name. But even though the net is getting crowded with sites, its creating another problem - cybersquatting - and now MSN, Yahoo! and even Wal-Mart are doing something about it. http://axcessnews.com/index.php/articles/show/id/12443 us: Time-share, customer take fight to cyberspace Until Robert Beaudoin began posting online criticism of Westgate Resorts' time-share business practices, he was just another dissatisfied customer. What has separated his online squabble from the countless others being argued in cyberspace is his domain name: www.westgate resorts.biz. Beaudoin bought the rights to use the name and insists he is doing nothing wrong. ... Westgate disagrees. Last week, a lawyer for the Orlando company fired a letter to Beaudoin accusing him of violating the company's copyright and trademark protections and demanding he surrender the domain name within three days or face "available legal remedies." http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-domain20sep20,0,5407304.story ********************** - MISCELLANEOUS ********************** LexisNexis Launches Essential New Guide to Domain Name Law [news release] LexisNexis announced the release of McGrady on Domain Names: A Global Guide to Disputes, Registration, and Maintenance - a new, practical online and print resource for attorneys advising clients on issues and problems involving domain names worldwide. The new volume provides an essential resource for attorneys representing brand owners, parties opposing brand owners, registrars, registries and ancillary service providers in the domain name industry. The publication contains critical domain name data from around the globe and all available data for every country, in a consistently organized format. McGrady on Domain Names also identifies areas where no information is yet available, providing thousands of direct links to domain registries and related websites where legal practitioners can find and examine developments as soon as new information becomes available. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2766 http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/22/lexisnexis-launches-essential-new-guide-to-domain-name-law/ http://domainnews.com/general/2007092223/lexisnexis-launches-essential-new-guide-to-domain-name-law/ au: TPP Internet buys Hot Goanna Domain name registrar, TPP Internet, has acquired Queensland-based Google adword advertising outfit, Hot Goanna, for an undisclosed sum. http://arnnet.com.au/index.php/id;686791589;fp;4194304;fpid;1 Domain Pricing - What's Going On? by Michele Neylon Domain pricing is always an emotive subject. In recent discussions among Nominet members it came up as part of a discussion on drop-catching and domaining. Some people feel that the fees are too high, while others feel that they need to be increased significantly in order to discourage domainers. Within the Irish internet community the upcoming change to policy regarding "personal domain names" has led to some discussion on how registrars set their pricing. While at an ICANN level there's been a lot of mixed messages flying about. http://www.isquattedyour.eu/2007/09/18/domain-pricing-whats-going-on/ ********************** - DOMAINING ********************** Clicks That Count - Is Click Fraud a Problem? Depending on whom you ask, click fraud is either an unsolvable quagmire threatening the online ad industry or, as Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said last year, "immaterial." That disconnect is growing. According to a July report from the click-fraud auditing firm Click Forensics, as much as 15.8% of ad clicks are fraudulent, up a full percent in just three months, the company says. On content networks like Google's Adsense Network, Click Forensics estimates click fraud at greater than 25%, compared with less than 22% in the quarter before. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/09/21/google-click-fraud-advertising-tech-cx_ag_0921cuthbert.html Steve Forbes to give keynote speech at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007 [news release] T.R.A.F.F.I.C. logoT.R.A.F.F.I.C, the domain industry?s premier conference, announced Steve Forbes, CEO of Forbes, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine and former presidential candidate, will deliver the keynote address at the upcoming T.R.A.F.F.I.C. East 2007 show October 9-13, 2007 in Hollywood, Florida. http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/21/steve-forbes-to-give-keynote-speech-at-traffic-east-2007/ http://domainnews.com/aftermarket/2007092020/steve-forbes-at-traffic-east-2007-in-october/ Running a Domain Business - Part 2 In the last blog I talk about ensuring that you have the accounts sorted out. Just like any business this issue is absolutely crucial to your domain business. Without good accounts you're flying blind. Here's the next problem. You may discover that the tax office in your country doesn't have a clue about how to treat domain names for taxation purposes. We finally approached one of Australia's highest qualified tax lawyers who after a few hours said, "This is really interesting, pay me lots more money and I'll see what I can work out." http://whizzbangsblog.com/content/view/277/86/ Protecting your assets - Running a domain business - Part 3 So far we've talked about the accounts and also raised some questions about how to account for domains from a taxation perspective. Like all discussions of this nature you really need to get professional advice for your own personal circumstances but hopefully these articles will help you ask the right questions. http://whizzbangsblog.com/content/view/278/86/ Entrepreneur of the Year Nominee Alex Algard is a true entrepreneur. His companies ? WhitePages.com and CarDomain.com ? are born from his passions. Both are thriving businesses in Seattle. Both survived the dotcom bust ? no small feat! http://inc.com/entrepreneur/2007/profile/?algard168 ********************** - DOMAIN SALES ********************** Iraq and Zimbabwe for sale! No, nothing to do with the American occupation of Iraq, or the parlous situation Zimbabwe finds itself in with its brutal ruler, rather Sedo has Iraq.com and Zimbabwe.com listed for sale by auction. http://technewsreview.com.au/article.php?article=2773 http://domainnews.com/general/2007092316/iraq-and-zimbabwe-for-sale/ http://domainpulse.com/2007/09/23/iraq-and-zimbabwe-for-sale/ http://domainnamewire.com/2007/09/21/iraq-is-for-sale-well-the-domain-name-at-least/ Lifts.com Leads Our Latest Top 20 After $67,000 Sale at Sedo The Moniker/T.R.A.F.F.I.C. live domain auction in New York was held almost three months ago, but a few delayed transactions from that event are still straggling in. Blogging.com, a name that commanded $135,000 just closed this week, but that was the sale of a complete website rather than just a domain and as such is ineligible for our chart. That left the door open for Lifts.com to claim the top spot on this week's chart after selling for $67,000 at Sedo. http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2007/domainsales09-18-07.htm ************************** ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL ************************** Growing Google searches for balance When Google agreed to buy online advertising outfit DoubleClick five months ago, it put a lot of backs up. US behemoths from Microsoft to AT&T expressed concern at the group?s newfound might. Antitrust regulators were alerted. Consumer groups complained. The deal was also one of the clearest illustrations yet of how Google has changed. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/27f246a2-67a8-11dc-8906-0000779fd2ac.html Apple may be next in EU antitrust sights With Microsoft's antitrust appeal now decided, the next US technology company to get a place on the European Union (EU)'s regulatory hot seat may be Apple, says an antitrust expert. http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/303C9EB5AC275FF6CC25735B001536DC Microsoft: A matter of sovereignty - What the European Court's ruling means for the technology industry "You asked for it, now live with it." That was, in essence, the message spread by Microsoft's lobbyists after the European Court of First Instance upheld a landmark antitrust ruling against the world's largest software firm on September 17th, dealing it the most stinging defeat in nearly a decade of antitrust litigation. Emboldened by this decision, Europe's anti-monopoly squad will now go after other technology firms with high market shares, the lobbyists warn, forcing them to give up valuable intellectual property and curbing the incentive to innovate. http://economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9832868 Editorial: Regulating Microsoft Microsoft?s resounding defeat in a European antitrust case establishes welcome principles that should be adopted in the United States as guideposts for the future development of the information economy. ... The court?s decision puts Europe at the cutting edge of technology regulation. ... American regulators ? who have reacted to the European court decision as if it were a mortal blow against capitalism itself ? should embrace it as a healthy step in the growth of the information economy. http://nytimes.com/2007/09/21/opinion/21fri4.html Microsoft's problems are of its own making Microsoft was dealt a nasty blow by the European Court of First Instance this week. The court backed the European Commission's ruling in 2004 that the software group abused its near monopoly in personal computers to stymie competitors. http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22452441-36375,00.html Why restraining Microsoft no longer matters perspective: Historians famously scorn generals who prepare to fight the previous wars. But what would they say about regulators still struggling to set proper rules of engagement for the technology business? http://www.news.com/2010-1014_3-6209284.html Berners-Lee: Web security a 'never-ending battle' The man credited with invention of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has warned that web security is a "never-ending battle". Speaking at a lecture hosted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology in London on Thursday, Berners-Lee said that, while he was against web censorship per se, both technological and educational means should be employed to tackle internet security issues. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39289560,00.htm INTERPOL urges integrated global cyber-crime investigation network to combat online threat [news release] INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald K. Noble urged law enforcement agencies to establish integrated National Central Reference Points (NCRPs) to facilitate the prevention, investigation and prosecution of cyber-crime. Identified as a minimum legal standard by the Convention on Cyber-Crime of the Council of Europe, the creation of a network of NCRPs using INTERPOL's secure global police communications system, I-24/7, would enable police anywhere in the world to immediately identify and obtain assistance from experts in other countries 24 hours a day - considered essential in online investigations. http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/PressReleases/PR2007/PR200740.asp ************************** PRIVACY ************************** Study says DRM violates Canadian privacy law The study indicated that DRM is being used to collect, use and disclose consumers' personal information for secondary purposes. http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1876635617;fp;2;fpid;1 http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1876635617;fp;2;fpid;1 ************************** GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY ************************** au: Coonan seeks to censor the Web The Federal Police commissioner will have the power to block and ban websites believed to be crime or terrorism related under an internet censorship amendment bill introduced into Parliament today. The bombshell web ban bill was tabled in the Senate at 9:58am, without prior notice. Communications Minister Senator Helen Coonan proposes to expand the "black list" of internet addresses (URLs) currently maintained by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to include terrorism and cyber-crime sites. http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22451522-15306,00.html http://www.misaustralia.com/viewer.aspx?EDP://20070924000019439760 http://www.misaustralia.com/viewer.aspx?EDP://20070924000019439852 The slippery slope towards internet censorship continues The Australian Government continued down the slippery slope towards internet censorship yesterday by introducing bill to give the Australian Federal Police the power to nominate terrorism or crime related websites for filtering. http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20070921-The-slippery-slope-towards-internet-censorship-continues.html Australia pushes further Web censorship A bill introduced this week by Australia's Parliament would give the Australian federal police the power to control which sites can and cannot be viewed by Australian Web surfers. http://www.news.com/2100-1028_3-6209337.html http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6209337.html Government seeks to ban more websites The Australian Government has tabled a bill that will increase the power of police to ban websites that they deem crime or terrorism related. http://pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1153283793;fp;2;fpid;1 http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1153283793;fp;2;fpid;1 au: Australian Privacy Foundation on Internet Censorship Bill [news release] The Australian Privacy Foundation today expressed disbelief that the government of any country in the free world could table a Bill of the kind released this morning. Without prior warning, the Government, through Senator Coonan, is proposing to provide the AFP with powers to censor the Internet. http://privacy.org.au/Media/MR-IntCens-070920.pdf au: Web 'censorship' bill brings police state one stop closer Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) has slammed moves to give the Federal Police powers to ban access to certain Internet content as "another step in Australia's descent into a police state". http://itwire.com/content/view/14570/127/ uk: Ofcom plans talks on UK's broadband future Ofcom is preparing to wade into the growing debate over the next generation of ultra-high speed internet access, with the launch next week of a major consultation as it tries to keep the UK in the upper echelons of the broadband league. http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2172553,00.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7003113.stm Closing the loop on Ireland?s broadband woes Ireland is nearing the target of 700,000 broadband users and already the debate is on whether the average 1MB to 2MB of broadband available in 90pc of the country is enough. And will next-generation services like fibre to the home only be in urban areas? http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/closing-the-loop-on-irelandrsquos-broadband-woes-1084638.html Korean internet speed, quality to be ranked The Korean government plans to measure the speed and the quality of broadband Internet services from next year to provide a guideline for confused consumers. The Ministry of Information and Communication said Thursday that it will evaluate the quality of 14 Internet services from seven companies -- Korea Telecom (KT), Hanaro Telecom, LG Powercom, Tbroad, C& M, CJ Cablenet and HCN. http://asiamedia.ucla.edu/article-eastasia.asp?parentid=78301 us: Senators push for Internet tax ban John McCain, John Sununu, and Trent Lott want to make permanent a temporary measure banning taxes on Internet access that is due to expire November 1 http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/09/20/Senators-push-for-Internet-tax-ban_1.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,137426/article.html ********************** INTERNET USE ********************** Australians one connected lot - study The vast majority of Australians have both a fixed landline and mobile phone, and Internet access. According to new research released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, 90 per cent of Australians have both mobile and fixed line phones, and 80 per cent have Internet access (mostly through broadband). http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22457125-15306,00.html http://computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1069081774;fp;2;fpid;1 http://cellular-news.com/story/26191.php Australians have a voracious appetite for telecommunications [news release] Telecommunications are embedded in the lives of the vast majority of Australians, with nearly 90 per cent having both a fixed landline and mobile phone and 80 per cent of households having access to the Internet, mostly through broadband. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_310702 http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_9058 Study: Friends Determine What Is ?Cool? Among Young People When it comes to influencing young people, friends are often the best brand marketers. That?s one of the key takeaways from a new global study about youth and technology called ?The Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground? from MTV, Nickelodeon and Microsoft, which used both qualitative and quantitative methodology to talk to 18,000 ?tech-embracing? kids (8-14) and young people (14-24) in 16 countries: the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, China, India, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. http://multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA6462505 Mobile TV to reach 120 million users by 2012: report Mobile TV is expected to reach almost 120 million users by 2012 - a significant increase from the current 12 million. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/09/20/mobile_tv_report/ ********************** FILE SHARING ********************** Illegal file-sharing network eDonkey disabled The second largest file-sharing network on the internet has been severely disabled in a significant coup for the music industry's fight against piracy. http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2504723.ece Downloads cost more with iPhones Apple?s new mobile phone may look fabulous but you will have to pay over the odds to purchase your tracks http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2510803.ece Apple defends iTunes in Berlin, Brussels [Reuters] Apple CEO Steve Jobs reiterated his commitment to charging the same price for iTunes downloads across Europe as his lawyers defended the company on Wednesday against allegations its prices are not uniform. http://www.news.com/2100-1027_3-6208959.html ********************************* COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS ********************************* Berners-Lee challenges 'stupid' male geek culture The inventor of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has called for an end to the "stupid" male geek culture that disregards the work of capable female engineers, and puts others off entering the profession. http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,39289564,00.htm ********************** TELECOMMUNICATIONS ********************** Has Google Plans to Lay a Pacific Cable? Google is now threatening to buy wireless carrier spectrum and it is getting ready to hire ships that will lay a data communications cable across the Pacific as part of a project called Unity that would also include several telecommunications companies. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/google-plans-undersea-pacific-cable/ http://blog.wired.com/business/2007/09/rumor-control-g.html uk: BT eyes faster broadband network BT has dropped its hostility to considering a super-fast fixed-line broadband network, which could cost more than ?10bn to build. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/de83b736-6a2b-11dc-a571-0000779fd2ac.html +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ (c) David Goldstein 2007 --------- David Goldstein address: 4/3 Abbott Street COOGEE NSW 2034 AUSTRALIA email: Goldstein_David §yahoo.com.au phone: +61 418 228 605 (mobile); +61 2 9665 5773 (home) "Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery Sick of deleting your inbox? Yahoo!7 Mail has free unlimited storage. http://au.docs.yahoo.com/mail/unlimitedstorage.htmlReceived on Thu Sep 27 2007 - 16:05:53 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Sat Sep 09 2017 - 22:00:09 UTC