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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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What?s ICANN Policy and What?s just Implementation? ICA Weighs In by Philip Corwin
<http://internetcommerce.org/PolicyVsImplementation>

auDA Board accepts final report of 2012 Industry Advisory Panel
<http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-19022013/>

Internet community gives Public Interest Commitment a thumbs down
<http://news.dot-nxt.com/2013/02/19/internet-community-gives-publi>

5 Reasons Why Closed Generic New gTLDs Should Be Opposed by Michele Neylon
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/02/23/5-reasons-why-closed-generic-new-gtlds-should-be-opposed/>

Nutty DCA complains to US Congress about .africa
<http://domainincite.com/11958-nutty-dca-complains-to-us-congress-about-africa>

Domain Pulse 2013: GFC, Maturing Markets, Lead To Domain Registration Growth Slowing
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/24/domain-pulse-2013-registration-growth-slowing/>


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GOVERNANCE
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"Multi-Stakeholderism" and the Internet Policy Debate by Geoff Huston
With WICT-12 over, and now the preparation for the forthcoming WTPF underway, and of course also we have the WTDC and WTISD coming up, one could be excused for thinking that that world famous, but hopelessly unintelligible, cartoon character from the 80?s and 90?s, Bill the Cat, has come out of retirement to work as head of Acronym Engineering at the ITU.
<http://www.potaroo.net/ispcol/2013-02/wtpf.html>

RIPE NCC to Host Arab IGF MAG Meeting and Open Consultation
At the invitation of the Arab Internet Governance Forum (Arab IGF) Secretariat, the RIPE NCC and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the UAE will co-host two preparatory events in Dubai this March for the second Arab IGF: an Open Consultation and a meeting of the Arab Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (AMAG).
<http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/industry-developments/ripe-ncc-to-host-arab-igf-mag-meeting-and-open-consultation>

Internet Governance and the RIPE NCC: the Year Ahead
Internet governance is an important area of resource investment for the RIPE NCC. This article looks at some of the major Internet discussions taking place in 2013, including:
<http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/industry-developments/internet-governance-and-the-ripe-ncc-the-year-ahead>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Pre-Beijing ICANN Policy Update Webinar Invitation
Whether you plan to participate in the upcoming ICANN meeting in Beijing remotely or in person, you're invited to an update on the background and current status of major policy issues which are likely to be discussed during the Beijing Meeting.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-21feb13-en.htm>

Now Available: Instructions for Governments to Request Objection Funding
ICANN has released instructions and a request form for eligible governmental entities to request funding for filing objections. The Government Objection Funding Instructions provides the following:
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-20feb13-en>

ICANN Appoints First URS Provider
The National Arbitration Forum (FORUM) has secured the first appointment by ICANN to administer the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS). FORUM submitted an outstanding proposal demonstrating how it would meet all requirements presented in the RFI and detailing its implementation approach.
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-2-20feb13-en>

Jeffrey Neuman, Vice President, Business Affairs, Neustar, Inc., to Fadi Chehad?
Neustar, Inc .BIZ Notice of Fee Increase 	 
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/neuman-to-chehade-22feb13-en>

Akram J. Atallah to Keith Drazek
Re: New gTLD Program Implementation Issues
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/atallah-to-drazek-21feb13-en>

What?s ICANN Policy and What?s just Implementation? ICA Weighs In by Philip Corwin
ICA just filed a comment letter responding to a draft ICANN framework for determining what is policy and what is just implementation of existing policy. We?ll be the first to admit that the subject is dry, vague, and of general interest only to Internet policy wonks ? but the answers are critically important to assuring that domain investors and registrants get a fair shake in the ICANN process.
<http://internetcommerce.org/PolicyVsImplementation>

Where are the individuals, domain name holders, within ICANN ?
The just published Whois Registrant Identification Study, Draft Report, is an interesting read. This study, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, uses Whois to classify entities that register domain names, including natural persons, legal persons, and Privacy/Proxy service providers.
<http://patrick.vande-walle.eu/internet/icann/where-are-the-individuals-domain-name-holders-within-icanname-owners-within-icann/>

What is the Independent Objector Doing?
Created to act in ?the best interests of the public who use the global Internet,? ICANN?s Independent Objector has remained very quiet since the announcement of the appointment of French professor Alain Pellet more than nine months ago.
<http://isenbergondomains.com/2013/02/20/what-is-the-independent-objector-doing/>

NRO and ICANN comment on ITU Secretary General?s WTPF Report
ICANN and the Number Resource Organization (NRO) have written to the chair of the Informal Expert Group (IEG) of the World Telecommunication Policy Forum 2013 providing further comments on the International Telecommunication Union?s Secretary-General WTPF Report.
<http://www.nro.net/news/nro-and-icann-comment-on-itu-secretary-generals-wtpf-report>

ICANN terminates registrar with over 75,000 domain names
ICANN has followed up on its threats by terminating Bargin Register?s registrar accreditation.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/21/icann-terminates-registrar-with-over-75000-domain-names/>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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auDA Board accepts final report of 2012 Industry Advisory Panel
The auDA Board has accepted the final report of the 2012 Industry Advisory Panel. The report recommended a number of changes and additions to the regulation of the .au domain name industry, aimed at ensuring its security, stability and fairness.
<http://www.auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-19022013/>

BIZ Domains To Increase 10% In September
Neustar has written to ICANN to advise it will be increasing the domain name registry fee for .biz domains by ten percent as of 1 September 2013, compared to an increase of 7.5 percent in 2012.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/22/biz-increase/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/biz-domains-to-increase-10-in-september.html>

Neustar to raise .biz prices 10%
Neustar will hike the wholesale cost of .biz domain name registrations 10% this fall.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/22/nuestar-to-raise-biz-prices-10/>

ca: Bill C-30
Earlier this week, Canadian Justice Minister Rob Nicholson announced the federal government will not proceed with Bill C-30. This bill, also known as the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act, would have required Internet service providers to provide law enforcement agencies with access to their customers? online communications without a warrant.
<http://blog.cira.ca/2013/02/bill-c-30/>

fr: The Internet of Things - GS1 France & Afnic major contributors to the ONS 2.0
GS1 France and Afnic are continuing their cooperation in the Internet of Things, with a view to the global deployment of the ONS 2.0 standard.
<http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/6703/show/the-internet-of-things-gs1-france-afnic-major-contributors-to-the-ons-2-0.html>

fr: The Afnic International College Fund launches its Call for Proposals 2013
The International College Fund focuses this year on projects designed to enhance the security and resilience of the Internet.
<http://www.afnic.fr/en/about-afnic/news/general-news/6716/show/the-afnic-international-college-fund-launches-its-call-for-proposals-2013.html>

Mali?s domain could change hands next week
ICANN?s board of directors will next week vote on whether to redelegate .ml, the ccTLD for the war-torn nation of Mali, to a new registry operator.
<http://domainincite.com/11953-malis-domain-could-change-hands-next-week>

Norwegian domain names are robust
In 2012, the Norwegian Post and Telecommunications Authority carried out an audit of the security and stability of the .no services. Overall, the NPT was very satisfied after the evaluation.
<http://www.norid.no/nytt/sikkerhetstilsyn.en.html>

PT says Norwegian top level domain name is secure
Norwegian postal and telecoms watchdog PT said it is satisfied with the security and stability of the country's top level internet domain, dot no, which is managed by Uninett Norid.
<http://www.telecompaper.com/news/pt-says-norwegian-top-level-domain-name-is-secure--926649>

no: Overwhelming interest from lawyers to be a member of the ADR Committee
Norid experienced a rush of interest from lawyers after we published an invitation to enlist for a position in the Committee in early February. A seat on the ADR Committee seems to be attractive.
<http://www.norid.no/nytt/overv-int-domeneklagenemnda.en.html>

.PT 100% accessible by IPv6
The TLD of Portugal .PT has since yesterday, all name servers in the DNS root accessible by IPv6, making it 100% compatible with this technology.
<https://www.dns.pt/web/guest/content-display?content=2357237>

.PW Landrush Goes Live
The Registry for .PW ? the Professional Web, today announced the opening of the Landrush Period, a limited time opportunity to acquire short, valuable and industry defining keyword domain names. The Landrush phase is active for just 29 days from 18th February, 2013 to 18th March, 2013.
<http://registry.pw/pw-landrush-goes-live/>

The train is in motion? but where are we headed?
It is now long since .SE was a company known as nic.se, which managed the administration of .se domains at a nice even pace. To put this into perspective: last month, there were nearly as many new .se domains as during all of 2001 and 2002 combined.
<https://www.iis.se/english/news/where-are-we-headed/>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Generic domains programme offers new benefits to businesses
Dotcom, the domain extension which has become synonymous with the web through boom and bust, is now the pinnacle of online real estate, with some viewing anything else as a distant second.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/feb/21/businesses-top-level-domains-search>

NAF picked to be first URS provider
The US-based National Arbitration Forum has been selected by ICANN as the first provider of Uniform Rapid Supsension services.
<http://domainincite.com/11951-naf-picked-to-be-first-urs-provider>

First URS provider revealed, as a number of ?.brand? gTLD applications are withdrawn [registration]
The National Arbitration Forum (NAF) has been appointed by ICANN as the first administrator of the Uniform Rapid Suspension System (URS). The news comes in a week when a number of ?.brand? applications have been withdrawn from the process.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=872d0503-aa4b-4733-beed-8fb7662eaa4d>

Internet community gives Public Interest Commitment a thumbs down
The proposal to introduce a "public interest commitment" to applications for new TLDs is proving unpopular with the Internet community.
<http://news.dot-nxt.com/2013/02/19/internet-community-gives-publi>

5 Reasons Why Closed Generic New gTLDs Should Be Opposed by Michele Neylon
I?m on the record multiple times over the last few months for my opinions on ?closed generics?. I first posted about it here back in June of last year:
<http://www.internetnews.me/2013/02/23/5-reasons-why-closed-generic-new-gtlds-should-be-opposed/>

Nutty DCA complains to US Congress about .africa
DotConnectAfrica?s increasingly unhinged campaign for the .africa gTLD has seen it take the unusual step of complaining to the US Congress about ?wholesale illegality? in the contest.
<http://domainincite.com/11958-nutty-dca-complains-to-us-congress-about-africa>

Questions on the Debate on 'Closed Generic' gTLD Applications by Cedric Manara
ICANN is currently seeking public comment on the subject of "closed generic" gTLD applications. It asks "whether specific requirements should be adopted corresponding to this type of application". It invites comments on what it defines as an "issue". In particular, ICANN wonders how an applied-for domain can be deemed a "closed generic" TLD, and whether there should be rules governing the way this TLD will be operated.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130222_questions_on_the_debate_on_closed_generic_gtld_applications/>

General Motors dumps gTLDs
General Motors has pulled out of the new gTLD program at a cost of $275,000.
<http://news.dot-nxt.com/2013/02/19/general-motors-dumps-gtlds>

But Wait ? There's .More! Preparing Domain Name Regulation for the New Internet Age by Rachel Amani Smathers
Abstract: Law Review note discussing the implications of new gTLDs for trademark owners, squatters/domainers, and consumers, and the need for additional protections for both trademarks and free speech.
<http://ssrn.com/abstract=2220049>

nTLDs and Trademark Protection: How ICANN?s Trademark Clearinghouse Protects Your Brand
Perhaps you?ve been wondering how, with all the nTLDs releasing in the near future, you?ll be able to protect your brand. The Internet is about to get huge (echo ?huge? in your head for added effect), so how will your trademark stand its ground? ICANN has got you covered. With the addition of a Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), ICANN hopes to help protect trademark security and clean up the waste of cost and time usually spent protecting trademark portfolios by simplifying the protection process. Because time is money, and money is numbers, and numbers are? well, you see where we?re going here.
<http://www.name.com/blog/ntlds/2013/02/ntlds-and-trademark-protection-how-icanns-trademark-clearinghouse-protects-your-brand/>

String Similarity and the New gTLDs ? Does ICANN Have Too Many Similar Extensions in the Running?
One of the most pressing concerns with nTLDs is whether or not the launch of so many in such a relatively short amount of time will complicate the functionality of the Internet for everyday users. Wrapped up in this worry, is the focus on string similarity, or how close a proposed nTLD can be in meaning, sound, or visual representation to another, or to an existing gTLD.
<http://www.name.com/blog/ntlds/2013/02/string-similarity-and-the-new-gtlds-does-icann-have-too-many-similar-extensions-in-the-running/>

PIR opens pre-registration for dot-ngo
The Public Interest Registry has opened pre-registration for dot-ngo domains, encouraging non-profits and non-governmental organizations to indicate early interest in the registry.
<http://news.dot-nxt.com/2013/02/19/pir-opens-pre-registration-dot>

Now Accepting Expressions of Interest for .NGO/.ONG
I am pleased to announce that starting this month the Public Interest Registry is accepting Expressions of Interest (EOI) from organizations that seek to obtain a domain ending in .NGO/.ONG. The new extensions are slated to launch in 2014, but preparation to register them should start now, which is the primary reason why EOIs are now open for submission.
<http://pir.org/blog/2013/submiteoi>

Uniregistry prepares for new gTLDs, sets up new retail registrar: Uniregistrar
Frank Schilling?s new gTLD play Uniregistry becomes ICANN accredited and launches their retail registrar, Uniregistrar.
<http://www.domainnamenews.com/new-gtlds/uniregistry-prepares-for-new-gtlds-sets-up-new-retail-registrar-uniregistrar/22419>

A simple question every .brand applicant should ask their consultant today
They aren?t quite dropping like flies, but .brand TLD applicants are starting to pull out.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/21/a-simple-question-every-brand-applicant-should-ask-their-consultant-today/>

18 TLD Applications Withdrawn to Date by Mary Iqbal
A total of eighteen applications for new TLDs have been withdrawn by the applicants. Of the 18 applications that have been withdrawn so far, just five were applications for generic terms, and the remaining thirteen withdrawn applications were for branded TLDs. In the case of the branded TLDs, it may be that the applicant originally only filed what has been called a "defensive application", meaning that the company applied for the TLD to prevent its falling in the hands of a competitor.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130221_18_tld_applications_withdrawn_to_date/>

Generic domains programme offers new benefits to businesses
Dotcom, the domain extension which has become synonymous with the web through boom and bust, is now the pinnacle of online real estate, with some viewing anything else as a distant second.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/media-network/media-network-blog/2013/feb/21/businesses-top-level-domains-search>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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The cyber age demands new rules of war: A system to check covert violence is needed, writes Zbigniew Brzezinski
The two centuries since the Congress of Vienna have seen the gradual codification by the international community of the ?rules of the game? for guiding interstate relations, even between unfriendly countries. Their basic premise has been the formula ?don?t do to me what you don?t want me to do to you?. However, technological advances mean that today those rules are being dangerously undermined. The international system is at risk.
<http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/170b2a62-7c5a-11e2-99f0-00144feabdc0.html>

Analysis - The near impossible battle against hackers everywhere
Dire warnings from Washington about a "cyber Pearl Harbor" envision a single surprise strike from a formidable enemy that could destroy power plants nationwide, disable the financial system or cripple the U.S. government.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/24/uk-cybersecurity-battle-idUKBRE91N03720130224>

U.S. Ups Ante for Spying on Firms - China, Others Are Threatened With New Penalties
The White House threatened China and other countries with trade and diplomatic action over corporate espionage as it cataloged more than a dozen cases of cyberattacks and commercial thefts at some of the U.S.'s biggest companies.
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323549204578316413319639782.html>

Evidence is mounting that China?s government is sponsoring the cybertheft of Western corporate secrets. What should America do to stop it?
For years, intelligence agencies and private security experts have warned that Chinese hackers are trying to steal Western corporate secrets. The cries have grown ever louder as the attacks have become bolder and signs of government involvement have surfaced. In a forthcoming book, Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, reportedly brands China ?the most sophisticated and prolific? hacker of foreign companies.
<http://www.economist.com/news/china/21572228-evidence-mounting-chinas-government-sponsoring-cybertheft-western-corporate>

China?s cyber-hacking: If China wants respect abroad, it must rein in its hackers
Foreign governments and companies have long suspected that the Chinese hackers besieging their networks have links to the country?s armed forces. On February 19th Mandiant, an American security company, offered evidence that this is indeed so. A report, the fruit of six years of investigations, tracks individual members of one Chinese hacker group, with aliases such as Ugly Gorilla and SuperHard, to a nondescript district in residential Shanghai that is home to Unit 61398 of the People?s Liberation Army. China has condemned the Mandiant report. On February 20th America announced plans to combat the theft of trade secrets.
<http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21572200-if-china-wants-respect-abroad-it-must-rein-its-hackers-getting-ugly>

Corporate espionage: Old-fashioned theft is still the biggest problem for foreign companies in China
On January 5th, in a night raid, a gang of criminals broke into a factory near Shanghai owned by Mercury Cable, an American manufacturer of high-voltage equipment. The thieves took not only raw materials but machinery from production lines as well.
<http://www.economist.com/news/china/21572250-old-fashioned-theft-still-biggest-problem-foreign-companies-china-who-needs>

China, the US and cybersecurity: is Mandiant promoting a Cold War mentality?
The release of the Mandiant report on "Advanced Persistent Threat 1" (APT1) marked a watershed in US-China relations on cybersecurity. We are glad the security company released the report: it is good that we are now discussing specific allegations backed with specific items of evidence instead of vague accusations about "Chinese hackers" and pro forma denials by the Chinese government.
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2013/02/21/china-the-us-and-cybersecurity-is-mandiant-promoting-a-cold-war-mentality/>

Some Victims of Online Hacking Edge Into the Light
Hackers have hit thousands of American corporations in the last few years, but few companies ever publicly admit it. Most treat online attacks as a dirty secret best kept from customers, shareholders and competitors, lest the disclosure sink their stock price and tarnish them as hapless.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/technology/hacking-victims-edge-into-light.html>

Chinese cyberspies have hacked most Washington institutions, experts say
Start asking security experts which powerful Washington institutions have been penetrated by Chinese cyberspies, and this is the usual answer: almost all of them.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/chinese-cyberspies-have-hacked-most-washington-institutions-experts-say/2013/02/20/ae4d5120-7615-11e2-95e4-6148e45d7adb_story.html>

White House Cracks Down On Cyberespionage
The Obama administration's new strategy to fight intellectual property theft addresses China's prolific hacking of U.S. interests -- but can it really stop the bleeding?
<http://www.darkreading.com/advanced-threats/167901091/security/attacks-breaches/240149044/white-house-cracks-down-on-cyberespionage.html>

Obama Cyber Order Gives U.S. Lamakers Cover on Standards
President Barack Obama?s order to boost U.S. cybersecurity amid reports of widespread Chinese hacking provides cover to lawmakers who oppose government regulation to improve computer defenses.
<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-22/obama-cyber-order-gives-u-s-lamakers-cover-on-standards.html>

Hackers attack Microsoft computers
Microsoft has become the latest US technology company to confirm that it has been targeted by computer hackers. In a blog post, Microsoft announced that "a small number" of its computers had recently been deliberately infected with malicious software.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21556611>

us: Markey: GRID Act Passage Long Overdue
Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) is urging the Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Fred Upton (R-MI), to take immediate action toward passing the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense (GRID) Act, which Markey calls a bipartisan bill aimed at hardening the nation?s electrical grid and critical infrastructure against cyberattacks.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/markey-grid-actr-passage-long-overdue-022113>

ictQATAR Hosts Conference on Information Security Challenges for the Government Sector
The Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology (ictQATAR), through its Qatar Computer Emergency Response Team (Q-CERT), organized gov.INFOSEC, a conference on the latest information security challenges and risks for the government
<http://www.ictqatar.qa/en/news-events/news/ictqatar-hosts-conference-information-security-challenges-government-sector>

Repurposed malware targets Kiwi govt
Malware developers are fighting the dirty fight, targeting Kiwi government and other critical economic sectors across New Zealand.
<http://techday.com/the-channel/news/repurposed-malware-targets-kiwi-govt/158843/>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Ban on use of Google trademark in googl.ru and gugl.ru domains upheld
The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal from Weblink Ltd against the court ban on using the Google trademark in the googl.ru and gugl.ru domain names, the court told RAPSI on Thursday.
<http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20130221/266492278.html>

Decisions: The "Fine" Print
The term "fine tubes" generally refers to a variety of metal precision tubes used in construction and manufacturing. Fine Tubes Ltd. is a UK-based manufacturer of these tubes that ships its products around the world. Fine Tubes Ltd. is also the Complainant in a UDRP complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) for the domain name fine-tubes.com against Ethen Rohre, a German company that makes the same type of tubes.
<http://www.domainnamestrategy.com/2013/02/18/decisions-fine-print>

li: Conf?d?ration Nationale du Cr?dit Mutuel v. Delcore Daniel - Case No. DLI2012-0001
1. The Parties: The Claimant is Conf?d?ration Nationale du Cr?dit Mutuel of Paris, France, represented by MEYER & Partenaires, France. The Respondent is Delcore Daniel of Hatchoun, Malaysia. 2. Domain Name: The dispute concerns the following domain name: <creditmutuel.li>.
<http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DLI2012-0001>

au: Moleskine S.p.A. (formerly Moleskine S.r.l.) v. Pen City Pty Ltd - Case No. DAU2012-0030
1. The Parties: The Complainant is Moleskine S.p.A. (formerly Moleskine S.r.l.) of Milano, Italy, represented by Societ? Italiana Brevetti S.p.A., Italy. The Respondent is Pen City Pty Ltd of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar: The disputed domain name <moleskine.com.au> (the ?Disputed Domain Name?) is registered with MYOB Australia E1 Pty Ltd (the ?Registrar?).
<http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2012-0030>

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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IPv6: How Do the Top Ranked Tier-One ISP's Perform? by Yves Poppe
A look at the world's dozen or so Tier one ISP's who run global networks and sell wholesale IP transit to national and regional 'tier two ISP's' is quite revealing when taking into account how their ranking evolved over the last five years. They peer with each other at selected locations while competing ferociously in an increasingly commoditized market.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130222_ipv6_how_do_the_top_ranked_tier_one_isps_perform/>

APNIC: Changes to IPv6 and Transfer Policies
APNIC implements two policy proposals that reached consensus during APNIC 34.
<http://www.apnic.net/publications/news/2013/changes-to-ipv6-and-transfer-policies>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Domain Pulse 2013: GFC, Maturing Markets, Lead To Domain Registration Growth Slowing
Maturing domain name markets and the global financial crisis have both impacted on the registration growth within the German speaking countries in Europe as well as elsewhere Mathew Zook of Zooknic told the Domain Pulse conference last week.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=19860>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2013/02/24/domain-pulse-2013-registration-growth-slowing/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/en/domain-pulse-2013-gfc-maturing-markets-lead-to-domain-registration-growth-slowing.html>

Focus on the world of Internet addresses at Domain pulse in Davos
At this year's Domain pulse specialist conference ? a joint event staged by the registries for Germany (DENIC), Austria (nic.at) and Switzerland (SWITCH) ? more than 200 Internet experts from Switzerland and abroad are meeting up in Davos on 18 and 19 February 2013.
<http://www.switch.ch/about/news/2013/davos180213.html>

ARIN: Board Adopts New Fee Schedule Effective 1 July 2013
At their meeting on 7 January 2013, the ARIN Board of Trustees adopted a new Fee Schedule that will be effective 1 July 2013.
<https://www.arin.net/announcements/2013/20130220.html>

APNIC releases major upgrade to RPKI
APNIC has deployed a major upgrade to its Resource Certification system, RPKI.
<http://www.apnic.net/publications/news/2013/rpki-ui>

Moniker Announces Partnership With Slamdot?Providing Web Design Services for Businesses
Moniker?, a KeyDrive S.A. company and leading provider of domain name solutions, announced today a new partnership with Slamdot, a full-service, personalized web design and hosting provider.
<https://www.moniker.com/domainnewsresources/news/moniker_announces_partnership_with_slamdot_--_providing_web_design_services>

IP Address Management as a Service on the Cloud by Hanieh Taipalus
Consumption of software as a service with a usage-based business model has gained incredible popularity in recent years. On the other hand, other cloud services such as infrastructure and platform as a service are just starting to pick up. While compute and storage are by the far the most commonly used cloud infrastructure services, few consider core network services such as IP Address Management (IPAM) as something that could be utilized over the cloud.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20130221_ip_address_management_as_a_service_on_the_cloud/>

DomainMarket President Chad Bennett Resigns, Protrada Partners With DomainPower and .US Registry Up For Grabs Again
Chad Bennett, who served as President and Chief Technical Officer at Michael Mann's aftermarket sales venue, DomainMarket.com, for the past 10 months has stepped down from that position. Bennett has decided to devote all of his time to Lancera.com, an IT outsourcing company he founded in 2011. Bennett said Lancera now has over 70 full-time employees with three offices in the U.S. and the Philippines.
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2013/dailyposts/20130221.htm>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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DomainAdvisors Get Their Mojo Working With $300,000 Sale That Tops This Week's Chart
... The past fortnight wound up being a very strong one for the domain aftermarket. A trio of six-figure sales were reported with one of those ranking as the second biggest sale Year to Date. We also saw 2013's two biggest country code sales and its four biggest non .com gTLD sales!
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2013/20130220.htm>

Brand.com goes on the market
For the first time since it was originally registered in 1995, the domain name Brand.com is up for sale.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/21/brand-com-goes-on-the-market/>

.Org Project 94 kicks off next month
Project 94Next month .org registry Public Interest Registry (PIR) will begin auctioning off domain names as part of Project 94.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2013/02/21/org-project-94-kicks-off-next-month/>

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INTERNET USE
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Still booming
The Internet is much more than a multi-billion dollar industry. The world?s economy now depends on this global ?cloud?, which was once little more than a means of connecting different computers over a phone network. Today, the digital age has vast new potential to serve as a force of progress in the global economy, but better, smarter public policies will be needed for that potential to become reality.
<http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/3915>

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NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Is Smart Making Us Dumb?
A revolution in technology is allowing previously inanimate objects?from cars to trash cans to teapots?to talk back to us and even guide our behavior. But how much control are we willing to give up?
<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324503204578318462215991802.html>

Google Searches for Style
People wearing Google?s glasses are transported to a strange new world in which the Internet is always in their line of sight. But for people looking at the people wearing those glasses, the view is even stranger ? someone wearing a computer processor, a battery and a tiny screen on her face.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/technology/google-looks-to-make-its-computer-glasses-stylish.html>

Google Glass? You have to applaud their vision
A few weeks ago, the chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt, spent four days in Cambridge as the Humanitas visiting professor in the university's Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, where I work. Afterwards, one of the questions I was most frequently asked by people who hadn't been around for his visit was: "Was he wearing the glasses?"
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/feb/24/google-glass-vision-naughton>

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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uk: New Window for Online Safety and Reporting
The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and Microsoft have teamed up so it?s easier than ever for Windows 8 users to access CEOP?s online safety advice pages or make a report about suspicious or inappropriate contact online.
<http://ceop.police.uk/Media-Centre/Press-releases/2012/GUILTY-OR-NOT-GUILTY--YOUNG-PEOPLE-DECIDE-/>

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ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
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Google fails to curb music piracy [AFP]
Google's revamping of its search formula last year failed so far to live up to its promise of discouraging consumers from visiting illegal music websites, an industry group says.
<http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/google-fails-to-curb-music-piracy/story-e6frgakx-1226583190494>

RIAA slams Google as not doing enough to fight piracy
This isn't the first time, and probably won't be the last time, that the Recording Industry Association of America will complain about Google's work to tackle copyright infringement and piracy.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57570655-93/riaa-slams-google-as-not-doing-enough-to-fight-piracy/>

Early Lessons from the New Zealand Copyright Tribunal
The local copyright enforcement arm for the ?Big Three? record labels (Sony, Universal and Warner*) has won two cases at the Copyright Tribunal.
<http://infojustice.org/archives/28639>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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North Korea to offer mobile internet access
North Korean mobile phone provider Koryolink is planning to launch a 3G data service for foreign visitors and residents from abroad.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21546877>

Firefox maker Mozilla to launch smartphone operating system
Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox web browser, will on Sunday launch its first smartphone operating system and the handsets on which it will run in a bid to shake up the mobile industry.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/feb/22/firefox-mozilla-smartphone-operating-system>

Mozilla Builds an Operating System for a Firefox Smartphone
Apple and Google are getting a nonprofit competitor, which aims to swamp them by using Web-based technologies that act like smartphone apps.
<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/the-firefox-smartphone/>

Mozilla reveals Firefox smartphone launch partners
The not-for-profit organisation behind the Firefox web browser has announced handsets based on its operating system for mobile phones.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21522713>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Study Shows One in Four Who Receive Data Breach Letter Become Fraud Victims
A study released Wednesday shows one in four consumers who receive a data breach letter become the victim of identity fraud. That statistic represented 12.6 million victims last year -- one million more than the year before, according to the 2013 Identity Fraud Report released by Javelin Strategy & Research.
<http://threatpost.com/en_us/blogs/study-shows-one-four-who-receive-data-breach-letter-become-fraud-victims-022013>

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PRIVACY
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Protecting privacy online: Is the market for protected personal information about to take off?
Embarrassing pictures on Facebook show you dancing the hula naked at a frat party. A convicted bank robber in Texas has the same name as you?as every Google search makes all too clear. Such embarrassments would surely never befall you, dear reader. But they are common enough to spawn an entire business devoted to protecting and polishing people?s image online. Reputation.com, a Silicon Valley technology firm, is hoping that this year the market will finally fulfil its potential.
<http://www.economist.com/news/business/21572240-market-protected-personal-information-about-take-price-reputation>

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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German copyright law protecting news sites from search engines delayed by constitutional concerns [IDG]
New concerns about whether a controversial German online copyright bill is constitutional are likely to delay voting on the measure that would have allowed publishers to charge search engines such as Google for reproducing short snippets from news articles.
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/454561/german_copyright_law_protecting_news_sites_from_search_engines_delayed_by_constitutional_concerns/>

French Tax Proposal Zeroes In on Web Giants' Data Harvest
When it comes to taxes, the French are pioneers. In 1954, they introduced the world?s first value-added tax. Since then, they have proposed or championed duties on all manner of other things, like online advertising, pollution, financial transactions and vacation homes.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/technology/french-tax-proposal-zeroes-in-on-web-giants-data-harvest.html>

EU sees Google competition deal after August
EU regulators hope to resolve a two-year investigation into U.S. internet company Google in the latter half of the year, the EU's antitrust chief said on Friday, although a rival expressed scepticism about the effectiveness of any solution.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/uk-eu-google-idUKBRE91L09O20130222>
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/02/22/eu-google-idINDEE91L07Y20130222>

EU takes France, Luxembourg to court over low VAT on e-books
The European Commission is taking France and Luxembourg to court for applying reduced tax rates on the sale of electronic books, which the EU executive says breaks current EU rules.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/21/uk-eu-ebook-idUKBRE91K0LB20130221>

us: Bill to fight Internet anonymity is withdrawn after lawmaker takes flak for proposal
An Illinois lawmaker who hoped to fight cyberbullying with a law that would reduce Internet anonymity has withdrawn his proposal.
<http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/bill_to_fight_internet_anonymity_is_withdrawn_after_lawmaker_takes_flak_for/>

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Divide between European and U.S. telcos widens
When the bosses of global mobile operators meet in Barcelona this week, there will be an elephant in the room: the widening gap between fast-growing and richly-valued U.S. telecoms companies and their ailing European counterparts.
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/02/24/mobile-world-valuation-idINDEE91N06J20130224>

---------
David Goldstein

email: david at goldsteinreport.com
web:  http://davidgoldstein.tel/
         http://goldsteinreport.com/
phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 5773 - 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