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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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ICANN CEO sets off explosion of new Internet names (Q&A)
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57617899-93/icann-ceo-sets-off-explosion-of-new-internet-names-q-a/>

First European registrar to get Whois data opt-out
<http://domainincite.com/15658-first-european-registrar-to-get-whois-data-opt-out>

EU body tells ICANN that 2013 RAA really is illegal
<http://domainincite.com/15680-eu-body-tells-icann-that-2013-raa-really-is-illegal>

New gTLDs Are Coming -- Which Brands Are in and Which Opted Out? by Jennifer Wolfe
<http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2325633/new-gtlds-are-coming-which-brands-are-in-and-which-opted-out>

Moment of truth as first seven new gTLDs go on sale
<http://domainincite.com/15668-moment-of-truth-as-first-seven-new-gtlds-go-on-sale>

Taryn Naidu is a *%&#167;$! Rightside bans company ?ridicule? in its new gTLDs
<http://domainincite.com/15648-taryn-naidu-is-a-rightside-bans-company-ridicule-in-its-new-gtlds>

.SCOT Likely For GA This Summer, With A Little Help From James Bond
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/28/dotscot-summer-james-bond/>

Captain American, Wolverine, and X-Men rescued in Australian domain dispute
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/28/captain-american-wolverine-avengers-dispute/>

Curtin University shows IPv6 love
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/536969/curtin_university_shows_ipv6_love/>

Akamai Releases Third Quarter, 2013 'State of the Internet' Report [news release]
<http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2014/press_012814.html>


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GOVERNANCE
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The Asymmetrics, the WEF, ICANN, Brazil, and the 'Little Red Book' of Multistakeholderism
Few weeks ago, candid minds did wonder whether Brazil would challenge the asymmetric US governance over Internet, or be fooled by the 'Asymmetrics', or even accept to be fooled for other 'good' reasons, since president Dilma Rousseff called for a rebalancing of Internet power structure and a full stop to US global surveillance and spying during her speech at the United Nations General Assembly back in September 2013 in NY -- remember the NSA effect? Less candid minds are now able to see that Brazil has lost an historical opportunity to be more than just a promising member of the BRICS club.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeanchristophe-nothias/the-asymmetrics-the-wef-i_b_4654438.html>

2014 - A Turning Point for Governance of the Internet?
David Gross, Carl Frank and Ethan Lucarelli of Wiley Rein explore the debate regarding international regulation of important aspects of the internet.
<http://whoswholegal.com/news/features/article/31013/2014-turning-point-governance-internet/>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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**********************
 - ICANN
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Notice of Preliminary Determination To Grant Registrar Data Retention Waiver Request
ICANN has made a preliminary determination that it is prepared to grant a data retention waiver request submitted by Registrar OVH SAS under the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (the "2013 RAA"). Section 2 of the Data Retention Specification (the "Specification") of 2013 RAA provides that prior to granting any exemption under the Specification, ICANN will post its determination on the ICANN website for a period of thirty (30) calendar days.
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-27jan14-en.htm>

Update: ICANN?s Strategic Initiatives by Theresa Swinehart
It?s been a few months now since I rejoined ICANN, and as we really get going with 2014, I thought it would be useful to provide an overview and update to the strategic initiatives underway at ICANN, in particular those that relate to the strategy panels.
<http://blog.icann.org/2014/01/update-icanns-strategic-initiatives/>

Applicants for Exclusive Access TLDs Respond to GAC Category 2 Safeguard Advice
In its Beijing Communiqu?, the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) issued advice to the ICANN Board of Directors regarding New gTLD applications.
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-2-29jan14-en>

Data Privacy Day 2014 ? Start to Protect Your Privacy Today by Dave Piscitello
Our growing dependency on the Internet seems to make it impossibly hard to keep anything confidential. Social media tempt us to share. Data collectors encourage us to disclose identifying data, our personal preferences and our online behavior in exchange for free services. Controversial surveillance programs collect staggering amounts of data. Daily, every Internet user ? willingly, wittingly or not ? discloses some information he or she might prefer to have kept private or eventually regret to having shared. In the era of Big Data, what users share is often only collected, but further shared among data collectors.
<http://blog.icann.org/2014/01/data-privacy-day-2014/>

Tarek Kamel, Senior Advisor to the President, Governmental Engagement | ICANN, to Basuki Yusuf Iskandar
Indonesia's Position Regarding New gTLD Applications for .islam and .halal
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/kamel-to-iskandar-24jan14-en>

ICANN CEO sets off explosion of new Internet names (Q&A)
Next week, ICANN opens the Internet up to new domains like .ski, .sexy, and .berlin -- and Fadi Chehade has to handle people unhappy with the change. Also: time for the US to let go of its Net oversight?
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57617899-93/icann-ceo-sets-off-explosion-of-new-internet-names-q-a/>

First European registrar to get Whois data opt-out
ICANN plans to give a French registrar the ability to opt out of parts of the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement due to data privacy concerns.
<http://domainincite.com/15658-first-european-registrar-to-get-whois-data-opt-out>

ICANN makes progress on data retention waivers for domain name registrars
ICANN published today the first preliminary determination on a registrar?s request to change the data retention requirements in the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (RAA).
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/27/icann-makes-progress-on-data-retention-waivers-for-domain-name-registrars/>

EU body tells ICANN that 2013 RAA really is illegal
A European Union data protection body has told ICANN for a second time ? after being snubbed the first ? that parts of the 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement are in conflict with EU law.
<http://domainincite.com/15680-eu-body-tells-icann-that-2013-raa-really-is-illegal>

Art. 29 Data Protection Working Party To ICANN ? Maybe You?re Hard Of Hearing?
ICANN has been sent another letter by the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party. However it still isn?t on ICANN?s correspondence page ? I found it on the Article 29 Data Protection Working Party?s site.
<http://www.internetnews.me/2014/01/28/art-29-data-protection-working-party-icann-maybe-youre-hard-hearing/>

ICANN Labs takes a breather to focus on new ICANN website
Since making a post on November 20 about working on a new ICANN.org website, the ICANN Labs initiative has been radio silent.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/29/icann-labs/>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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CIRA giving $1M to projects that ?enhance Internet for all Canadians?
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is launching a new program that will fund projects by as much as $100,000 each if they can improve the Internet for all Canadians.
<http://www.itbusiness.ca/news/cira-giving-1m-to-projects-that-enhance-internet-for-all-canadians/46525>

Advancing the Internet in Canada
Innovative ideas and programs that make the Internet better for all Canadians could receive up to $100,000 in funding from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, the organization that manages the .CA domain.
<http://www.cira.ca/news/news-releases/advancing-the-internet-in-canada/>

Kenya's Internet domain market is set for a shakeup
The regulator, CCK, has published draft framework and regulations that would shake up the internet domain market in Kenya. Whereas it has been its good practice to invite public comments on draft regulations, it is rare that CCK will change too much from what it has already drafted.
<http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/Kenyas-Internet-domain-market-is-set-for-a-shakeup/-/1959700/2162422/-/15nmc0nz/-/index.html>

CCK proposes changes to commercialise ?.ke? Internet identity
The Communications Commission of Kenya has proposed an overhaul of the management and administration of the ?.ke? domain name in a bid to grow its popularity and uptake.
<http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/m/?articleID=2000103399>

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 - NEW TLDS
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New gTLDs Are Coming -- Which Brands Are in and Which Opted Out? by Jennifer Wolfe
The first new gTLDs will be available to the general public beginning this month. While the topic is still largely under the radar for most digital marketers, the opportunity to create unique, memorable digital experiences with domain names has finally arrived.
<http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2325633/new-gtlds-are-coming-which-brands-are-in-and-which-opted-out>

Moment of truth as first seven new gTLDs go on sale
We?re finally going to see if there?s any demand for new gTLD domain names.
<http://domainincite.com/15668-moment-of-truth-as-first-seven-new-gtlds-go-on-sale>

New Web addresses now live: .bike, .guru, others now open
Internet users can register new Web real estate with seven new TLDs from Donuts.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/new-web-addresses-now-live-bike-guru-others-now-open/2014/01/29/860765e2-88fd-11e3-833c-33098f9e5267_story.html>

Another internet landmark as public registration opens for seven new gTLDs
Today, the first seven of Donuts? new gTLDs have opened for public registration. While the extent of both public and brand owner engagement in these first strings will become more apparent in the coming weeks, for gTLD supporters and sceptics alike, today marks the first real opportunity to judge the wider appetite for the online expansion.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/detail.aspx?g=1ea9627a-e11f-424f-8827-fb44adaf2d23>

Brace yourself for flood of new domain names
Brace yourself. The Internet is about to get a lot busier and more cluttered. The Internet addresses that we are accustomed to using -- .com, .net and .edu - will be getting a lot of company next week. On Feb. 4, more TLDs, which connotes everything to the right of the dot in an online address will be made available.
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/536937/brace_yourself_flood_new_domain_names/>
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9245831/Brace_yourself_for_flood_of_new_domain_names>

Donuts Kicks Off General Availability For Its First Seven gTLDs
Donuts is kicking off the general availability period for seven of its new gTLDs, marking the beginning of a new era for the internet in which users will have unprecedented choice in how they identify and brand themselves online for the 1000 plus gTLDs expected to eventually be online.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/29/donuts-first-seven-gtlds/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/donuts-first-seven-gtlds.html>

Donuts Set to Open First New Internet Domains to the Public
Tomorrow, Donuts Inc., the largest registry for new gTLDs, will kick off the general availability period for seven new Internet domain names, marking the beginning of a new era for the Internet in which users will have unprecedented choice in how they identify and brand themselves online.
<http://www.donuts.co/news/donuts-set-to-open-first-new-internet-domains-to-the-public/>

Donuts? EAP opens today, but only some domain name registrars support it
Seven of Donuts new TLDs, including .guru and .clothing, are available starting today under the company?s ?Early Access Program.?
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/29/donuts-eap-opens-today-but-only-some-domain-name-registrars-support-it/>

Dot-specific domain names on way to the Web
Get ready for the biggest real estate boom in a decade. Only this time, it?s digital real estate in trendy new Internet neighborhoods, with names such as .art, .book, and .singles.
<http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/01/28/new-domains-spur-online-land-grab/QaFCEw3jbaxbZwjssJO07K/story.html>
<http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2014/01/28/new-domains-spur-online-land-grab/s6ygeAwspCOe04q3lYcXAL/story.html>

Daniel Schindler of Donuts Says gTLDs Better Than .Com
If you are involved in the domain name space you have undoubtedly heard about Donuts Inc. Donuts currently has twenty-five gTLDs in the sunrise phase, some of which include .singles, .bike, .guru, .clothing, .gallery, and .photography.
<http://iparkavenue.com/category/blog>

Taryn Naidu is a *%&#167;$! Rightside bans company ?ridicule? in its new gTLDs
If you register a domain name in one of Rightside Registry?s new gTLDs, you?ll be banned from using it to mock the company or any of its employees or shareholders.
<http://domainincite.com/15648-taryn-naidu-is-a-rightside-bans-company-ridicule-in-its-new-gtlds>

'Deal reached' on .scot internet domain
An internet domain for Scotland could be available in time for this year's Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Not-for-profit company Dot Scot Registry (DSR) has announced that it has agreed terms with international regulators to operate a new .scot domain.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-25911417>

The long wait for dotScot domain is finally over - Dr Peter Gerrand discusses the wait for the dotScot domain.
Scotland is to be congratulated on the award of a new TLD, .scot, to promote and serve the needs of the world-wide Scottish community - estimated as 50 million strong by the supporters of this domain.
<http://www.heraldscotland.com/life-style/technology/the-wait-for-dotscot-is-finally-over.1390837044>

Scottish gTLD may launch before independence vote
The application for .scot, a new gTLD for Scottish people, is ahead of schedule and is likely to launch before the nation heads to voting booths for an independence referendum later this year.
<http://domainincite.com/15652-scottish-gtld-may-launch-before-independence-vote>

.SCOT Likely For GA This Summer, With A Little Help From James Bond
If high profile support counts in getting your new gTLD approved, you can?t beat James Bond?s support of .scot.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/28/dotscot-summer-james-bond/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/dotscot-summer-james-bond.html>

Domain name .kosher gets closer
Earlier this month, the world got one step closer to the day when Web sites can end not just with .com, .net or .org ? but with the suffix .kosher as well.
<http://www.jewishjournal.com/nation/article/domain_name_.kosher_gets_closer>

.CLUB Launches Sunrise
It?s official! .CLUB is now ready to, the registry says, change internet history by being the first mass-appeal new gTLD to hit the internet! The Sunrise period commenced 28 January for trademark owners that have registered with the Trademark Clearinghouse.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/01/29/club-launches-sunrise/>
<http://www.domainnews.com/club-launches-sunrise.html>

It?s Official: The .CLUB Launch Dates
Sunrise is coming! After a long, exciting journey that began more than two years ago, the .CLUB TLD is finally coming to market. We have received ICANN approval of our launch dates as follows:
<http://dotclub.com/official-club-launch-dates/>

Chinese IDN TLDs plan two day launch party and live auction in Macau
It?s going to be really difficult for new TLD backers to get much attention for their launches in an environment where multiple TLDs are launching every week.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/28/chinese-idn-tlds-plan-two-day-launch-party-and-live-auction-in-macau/>

Amazon gets a win in .Amazon fight & IO found to have conflict of interest in case
Amazon.com has successfully defended community objections brought against its applications for .amazon and the Chinese and Japanese equivalent TLDs. At the same time, it has also successfully questioned the Independent Objector?s conflict of interest in filing the cases in the first place.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/27/amazon-gets-a-win-in-amazon-fight-io-found-to-have-conflict-of-interest-in-case/>

ICANN New gTLD Auctions - Apparently No Antitrust Concerns? by Mike Rodenbaugh
There has been much discussion in ICANN circles concerning auctions to resolve new gTLD contention sets. This article summarizes the discussion and events to date, and suggests there should be little worry for applicants seeking to resolve their contention sets via private auction, rather than ICANN's "last resort" auction. more?
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140127_icann_new_gtld_auctions_apparently_no_antitrust_concerns/>

Exploring the Various Options of Private gTLD Auctions by Sheel Mohnot
Now that ICANN's Last Resort Auctions are becoming an imminent reality, more and more applicants with gTLDs in contention are coming to the conclusion that they would be better off in a private auction. As a result, there is a renewed discussion of the various approaches that have been proposed. Interesting new suggestions have also been made within the gTLD applicant community.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140127_exploring_the_various_options_of_private_gtld_auctions/>

.Uno wants to be the domain of choice for Spanish speakers
A lot of new TLD applicants have suffered through years of ups and downs waiting for the new TLD program to launch.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/29/dot-uno-top-level-domain/>

The Need for a Remedial gTLD Program for #newgtlds by Avri Doria
I think the new gTLD program will have many successes. It is a failure, however, when it comes to serving developing and less developed economies, especially the communities in those economies. Actually it failed in serving communities anywhere, but it really failed when it came to serving the peoples of the world outside WEOG (the UN designations for the developed Western European nations and Other Groups; others including AU, CA US, and NZ).
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140129_the_need_for_a_remedial_gtld_program_for_newgtlds/>

New TLDs disappear from GoDaddy home page, plus 1&1?s hidden sunrise
GoDaddy demotes new TLDs from the home page, 1&1 not offering sunrise registrations through its largest brand.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/27/new-tlds-dissapear-from-godaddy-home-page/>

Donuts tops $5 million in ?orders and commitments?
New TLD ?mega registry? Donuts says it has topped $5 million in ?orders and commitments? for its services so far.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/26/donuts-tops-5-million-in-orders-and-commitments/>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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Tracking spies: the rise of private cybersecurity
One of the world?s fastest growing and most sophisticated private cyber intelligence agencies, FireEye, which on January 2 announced the $US1.6 billion ($1.8 billion) purchase of its equally spooky peer, Mandiant, is led by the archetype of the modern digital warrior.
<http://www.afr.com/p/technology/tracking_spies_the_rise_of_private_JEGv6wWTqS14m80i0LjRZJ>

Trustworthy electronic signatures, secure e-Government and trust: the way forward for improving EU citizens? trust in web services, outlined by EU Agency ENISA [news release]
The EU?s cyber security Agency, ENISA, is publishing a series of new studies about the current security practices of Trust Service Providers (TSPs) and recommendations for improving cross-border trustworthiness and interoperability for the new regulated TSPs and for e-Government services using them.
<http://www.enisa.europa.eu/media/press-releases/trustworthy-electronic-signatures-secure-e-government-and-trust-the-way-forward-for-improving-eu-citizens2019-trust-in-web-services-outlined-by-eu-agency-enisa>

Energy: cyber security is crucial for protection against threats for smart grids which are key for energy availability claims EU cyber security Agency in new report [news release]
The EU?s cyber security agency ENISA signals that assessing the threats for smart grids is crucial for their protection and is therefore a key element in ensuring energy availability. 
<http://www.enisa.europa.eu/media/press-releases/energy-cyber-security-is-crucial-for-protection-against-threats-for-smart-grids-which-are-key-for-energy-availability-claims-eu-cyber-security-agency-in-new-report>

Security Blown Wide Open: The Alarming Lifecycle Of American SMS Spam
Detailed graphics, blowing wide open the alarming way text message (SMS ) spam spreads across the U.S., have prompted chief information officers at telecoms firms to start taking aggressive preventative action.
<http://www.forbes.com/sites/leoking/2014/01/27/security-blown-wide-open-the-alarming-lifecycle-of-american-sms-spam/>

DDoS Just Won't Die
Record-breaking 309 Gbps distributed denial-of-service attack reported, and attackers continue to employ new ways of flooding and overwhelming struggling targets
<http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/ddos-just-wont-die/240165745>

High-Volume DDoS Attacks Top Operational Threat to Businesses, Service Providers
Denial-of-service attacks of anywhere between 100 Gbps and 300 Gbps are being detected with greater frequency, Arbor Networks said.
<http://threatpost.com/high-volume-ddos-attacks-top-operational-threat-to-businesses-service-providers/103933>

DDoS attacks rise as companies fail to address DNS security
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks have scaled up in the past year, according to Arbor Networks' latest Infrastructure Security Report, and many attackers are learning from each other to meet their objectives.
<http://www.zdnet.com/ddos-attacks-rise-as-companies-fail-to-address-dns-security-7000025712/>

Study shows why we should fear mobile malware
Mobile malware has gone from an afterthought to a serious issue for smartphone and tablet users seemingly overnight. More savvy consumers have known about the threats presented by mobile malware for quite some time, but even they don?t always protect themselves against various threats.
<http://bgr.com/2014/01/29/mobile-malware-study-alcatel-lucent/>

Israel to Create an Emergency-Response Team for Cyber-Attacks
As part of Israel's program to deal with rising cyber threats, the government is putting together a task force to help citizens and businesses cope. The country's National Cyber Bureau plans to establish cyber-emergency response teams this year that will specialize in handling different kinds of hacks, said Rami Efrati, the head of the bureau's civilian division.
<http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-29/israel-to-create-an-emergency-response-team-for-cyber-attacks.html>

nz: DoS attack takes Whaleoil offline; Slater complains to police over death threats
Cam Slater's Whaleoil site was offline early this afternoon after being swamped by a denial-of-service attack (which sees a malicious hacker buy space on a network of hijacked PCs to send an avalanche of connection requests that overwhelm a website's capacity).
<http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/cam-slater-complains-police-dos-attack-takes-his-whaleoil-blog-offline-ck-151110>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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UNiDAYS guilty of reverse domain name hijacking
UNiDAYSUK company MYUNiDAYS, which offers products at a discount to college students under the UNiDAYS brand, has been found guilty of reverse domain name hijacking in a cybersquatting case.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/28/unidays-guilty-of-reverse-domain-name-hijacking/>

Captain American, Wolverine, and X-Men rescued in Australian domain dispute
Disney has rescued a handful of its superheroes from an Australian artist.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/28/captain-american-wolverine-avengers-dispute/>

au: Marvel Characters, Inc, Pixar and Disney Enterprises, Inc v. Jason Carmody, James Kite - Case No. DAU2013-0036
1. The Parties: The Complainants are Marvel Characters, Inc of Manhattan Beach, California, United States of America; Pixar of Emeryville, California, United States of America; and Disney Enterprises, Inc, of Burbank, California, United States of America (collectively, the ?Complainant?), represented by Shelston IP Lawyers, Australia. The Respondent is Jason Carmody, James Kite of Broadway, New South Wales, Australia. 2. The Domain Names and Registrar: The disputed domain names <avengers.com.au>, <captainamerica.com.au>, <pixar.com.au>, <wolverine.com.au> and <x-men.com.au> are registered with VentralP Group (Australia) Pty Ltd dba Trading as VentralP Wholesale (the ?Registrar?).
<http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2013-0036>

au: Cartier International A. G. v. Blogger Pty Ltd, Publishing Australia - Case No. DAU2013-0037
1. The Parties: The Complainant is Cartier International A. G. of Steinhausen, Switzerland, represented by Gilbert & Tobin Lawyers, Australia. The Respondent is Blogger Pty Ltd, Publishing Australia of West Chatswood, New South Wales, Australia. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar: The disputed domain name <cartier.com.au> is registered with Netfleet.com.au (the ?Registrar?).
<http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2013-0037>

Momondo A/S v. Green Eye Evolvement Pty Ltd. - Case No. DAU2013-0035
1. The Parties: The Complainant is Momondo A/S of Copenhagen, Denmark, represented by Horten Advokatpartnerselskab, Denmark. The Respondent is Green Eye Evolvement Pty Ltd., of South Melbourne, Australia. 2. The Domain Name and Registrar: The disputed domain name <momondo.com.au> is registered with NetRegistryPty Ltd.
<http://www.wipo.int/amc/en/domains/search/text.jsp?case=DAU2013-0035>

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Curtin University shows IPv6 love
Curtin University is the highest ranking Australian university for IPv6 adoption, coming in tenth place among universities in the world, according to Akamai?s latest State of the Internet report.
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/536969/curtin_university_shows_ipv6_love/>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Akamai Releases Third Quarter, 2013 'State of the Internet' Report [news release]
Akamai Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications, today released its Third Quarter, 2013 State of the Internet Report. Based on data gathered from the Akamai Intelligent Platform?, the report provides insight into key global statistics such as network connectivity and connection speeds, attack traffic, and broadband adoption and availability, among many others.
<http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2014/press_012814.html>

Mail Online to switch to .com domain name
Mail Online is switching from a .co.uk to .com homepage address, following protracted negotiations with the US paper that owned the dailymail.com domain name.
<http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jan/27/mail-online-com-domain-name>

Directi joins Domain.com family in $100m deal
Endurance International, the holding company behind brands such as Domain.com and HostGator has closed the acquisition of top ten registrar Directi and some related companies.
<http://domainincite.com/15684-directi-joins-domain-com-family-in-100m-deal>

Architectural Details and Routing Protocols for Energy Internet by Bill St. Arnaud
The Energy Internet is based on the same principles as that of the classic Internet except that energy rather data packets are routed between sources and destinations. It sometimes also referred to as mico-grids or nano-grids, but generally these terms are a misnomer as they really refer to a smaller version of the traditional electrical grid. Traditional power systems are passive, hierarchical and for the most part have no intelligence or management.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140129_architectural_details_and_routing_protocols_for_energy_internet/>

Dude, Seriously! What Were You Thinking? The legal panel at NamesCon
A legal panel is a mainstay at domain name conferences. Earlier this month at NamesCon was no different.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/01/29/dude-seriously-what-were-you-thinking-the-legal-panel-at-namescon/>

GoDaddy Spins New ?Get Found? Service Out of Locu Acquisition
Building on its offerings for small businesses, GoDaddy launched Get Found on Monday, a service that helps SMBs reach new customers through search engines, social media and local sites.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/godaddy-get-found-locu-acquisition>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Home Depot Acquires Blinds.com
Home Depot Inc. has acquired online retailer Blinds.com, the latest in a string of smaller acquisitions the home-improvement retailer has announced in recent years.
<http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20140123-712620.html>

I'd Rather Go Blinds! Marc Ostrofsky Gives Us the Inside Story on Home Depot's Big Purchase of Blinds.com 
Near the end of last week long time industry friend Richard Meyer sent me a link to a story in the Wall Street Journal about Home Depot acquiring Blinds.com, the world's largest online window coverings retailer. Richard thought this example of a giant retailer recognizing the value and massive growth potential of a successful ecommerce site built on a category defining domain name would be an interesting story for our readers.
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2014/dailyposts/20140127.htm>

Trio of Six-Figure Sales Totaling Over $1.3 Million Headline a Fabulous Fortnight for the Domain Market 
I was away covering the inaugural NamesCon conference last week in Las Vegas, so we have a lot of ground to cover this time out. I'll be bringing you completely up to date on all of the sales reported since our last column two weeks ago and to make room for the double dose of data we are expanding all of our usual Top 20 charts to 40 positions each this week.
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2014/20140129.htm>

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INTERNET USE
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These Are the Filthy Words Google Voice Search Doesn't Want to Hear [IDG]
Google takes a decidedly more puritanical view towards "naughty" voice searches than it does toward comparable typed searches.
<http://www.techhive.com/article/2091416/these-are-the-filthy-words-google-voice-search-doesnt-want-to-hear.html>
<http://www.cio.com/article/747303/These_Are_the_Filthy_Words_Google_Voice_Search_Doesn_t_Want_to_Hear>

Global internet advertising spend surges 32%
Display internet advertising has surged 32 per cent worldwide in the first three quarters of 2013 compared to the same period in 2012, according to Nielsen?s quarterly Global Adview Pulse report.
<http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/01/27/global-internet-advertising-spend-surges-32-0>

Infographic: 65% of top airlines use mobile boarding passes ? but none have a responsive website
None of the top 50 airlines in the world use responsive design for their site, 8 Million Stories has discovered, while 22 per cent have no mobile website at all.
<http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/01/28/infographic-65-top-airlines-use-mobile-boarding-passes-none-have-responsive-website>

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SOCIAL MEDIA
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Flipping the Switches on Facebook?s Privacy Controls
Facebook is all about sharing. But if you value your privacy, using the service means deciding not only what you want to share, but also who gets to see it.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/technology/personaltech/on-facebook-deciding-who-knows-youre-a-dog.html>

Big Profit at Facebook as It Tilts to Mobile
Ten years after its founding as a simple website for a few thousand Harvard undergraduates to manage their social lives, Facebook is a far different company.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/technology/rise-in-mobile-ads-pushes-up-revenue-and-profit-at-facebook.html>

Why data science matters to Foursquare
Since its most recent update, Foursquare users now spend 30% more time with the check-in app. And it wouldn't have been possible without the input of data scientist Blake Shaw
<http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/27/why-data-science-matters-to-foursquare>

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
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Safer Internet Day events in Brussels: Neelie Kroes to hand out prizes for Best Online Content for Kids [news release]
The Safer Internet Day on 11 February 2014 is celebrated across the globe, with over 100 countries participating. Supported by the European Commission Better Internet for Kids policy and programme, the Safer Internet Day is all about creating awareness about online rights and responsibilities for a better digital environment for minors.
<https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/safer-internet-day-events-brussels-neelie-kroes-hand-out-prizes-best-online-content-kids>

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ONLINE TV, MUSIC & PIRACY
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Prince drops $22m in lawsuits against fans and Facebook users
Prince has abandoned plans to sue 22 alleged bootleggers of his material.
<http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/29/prince-drops-22-million-lawsuit-fans-facebook-pretzelbodylogic>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Global smartphone shipments top 1 billion for first time in 2013 - IDC
Global smartphone shipments topped 1 billion units for first time in 2013, climbing 38.4 percent from the previous year to 1.004 billion units, research firm IDC said.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/28/uk-smartphone-shipments-idUKBREA0R04S20140128>

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PRIVACY & SURVEILLANCE
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Max Mosley: Google Is So 'Arrogant They Do Whatever They Like'
In an interview, former racing boss Max Mosley discusses his successful legal battle against Google to filter out compromising sex photos, the fight for Internet privacy in the era of NSA spying and his endless quest for justice.
<http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/max-mosley-discusses-his-fight-against-google-a-946180.html>

Data Privacy Day: 56% are worried about the internet eroding their personal privacy
Today, 28 January, is data privacy day, and GlobalWebIndex has unveiled research stating that 56 per cent of the public say that they are worried about the internet eroding their personal privacy ? up from 50 per cent two years ago.
<http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/01/28/data-privacy-day-56-say-worried-about-internet-eroding-their-personal-privacy>

Huge swath of GCHQ mass surveillance is illegal, says top lawyer
GCHQ's mass surveillance spying programmes are probably illegal and have been signed off by ministers in breach of human rights and surveillance laws, according to a hard-hitting legal opinion that has been provided to MPs.
<http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jan/28/gchq-mass-surveillance-spying-law-lawyer>

Snowden leaks: GCHQ 'spied on Facebook and YouTube'
YouTube video views, Facebook "likes" and Blogger visits are among activities GCHQ has monitored in real-time, according to the latest Snowden leaks.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25927844>

NSA and GCHQ target 'leaky' phone apps like Angry Birds to scoop user data
The National Security Agency and its UK counterpart GCHQ have been developing capabilities to take advantage of "leaky" smartphone apps, such as the wildly popular Angry Birds game, that transmit users' private information across the internet, according to top secret documents.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/27/nsa-gchq-smartphone-app-angry-birds-personal-data>

Spy Agencies Tap Data Streaming From Phone Apps
When a smartphone user opens Angry Birds, the popular game application, and starts slinging birds at chortling green pigs, spies could be lurking in the background to snatch data revealing the player?s location, age, sex and other personal information, according to secret British intelligence documents.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/world/spy-agencies-scour-phone-apps-for-personal-data.html>

Angela Merkel warns US over surveillance in first speech of third term
Angela Merkel has used the first, agenda-setting speech of her third term in office to criticise America's uncompromising defence of its surveillance activities.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/29/angela-merkel-us-surveillance-speech-germany-chancellor>

U.S. Relaxes Some Data Disclosure Rules
The Obama administration says it will allow Internet companies to give customers a better idea of how often the government demands their information, but will not allow companies to disclose what is being collected or how much.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/28/business/government-to-allow-technology-companies-to-disclose-more-data-on-surveillance-requests.html>

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS
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Internet speeds climb 10 percent worldwide
Releasing its "State of the Internet" report for third quarter of 2013 on Tuesday, Akamai pegged the average global connection speed at 3.6 megabits per second, a 10 percent increase from the second quarter and a 29 percent leap from the same quarter in 2012. Gains in the average connection speed among 133 regions covered in the report ranged from 0.2 percent in Egypt to 1.2 Mbps to 259 percent in French island Reunion to 6.8 Mbps.
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57617914-93/internet-speeds-climb-10-percent-worldwide/>

Akamai: South Korea still leads world in web speeds, China finally speeding up
Asia is still setting the pace when it comes to average internet connections speeds, with South Korea leading the way at an average of 22.1 Mbps. The newest figures from Akamai reveal that Japan is second in the global ranking, and Hong Kong is third.
<http://www.techinasia.com/akamai-average-connection-speeds-asia-q3-2013/>

Akamai Releases Third Quarter, 2013 'State of the Internet' Report [news release]
Akamai Technologies, Inc., the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications, today released its Third Quarter, 2013 State of the Internet Report. Based on data gathered from the Akamai Intelligent Platform?, the report provides insight into key global statistics such as network connectivity and connection speeds, attack traffic, and broadband adoption and availability, among many others.
<http://www.akamai.com/html/about/press/releases/2014/press_012814.html>

au: Coalition?s NBN a ?policy vacuum', says iiNet
Australia?s third-largest ISP iiNet has blasted the Coalition?s revamped plan for the National Broadband Network, saying that the strategic review, cost/benefit analysis and public debate are all being conducted in a ?policy vacuum?.
<http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/536975/coalition_nbn_policy_vacuum_says_iinet/>

Old-school Wi-Fi is slowing down networks [IDG]
The early Wi-Fi standards that opened the world's eyes to wire-free networking are now holding back the newer, faster protocols that followed in their wake, Cisco Systems said.
<http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9245793/Old_school_Wi_Fi_is_slowing_down_networks>
----------------------------
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