Hi all,

Due to travel commitments later this week, the next edition of the news will most likely appear on Wednesday. And if not, don't fear, it will be coming Friday.

Cheers
David


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The domain name news is supported by auDA

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ICANT Cope With ICANN!
<http://blog.blacknight.com/blow-fuse.html>

Tech fears shadow campaign to seize global control of Internet
<http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/197786-tech-fears-shadow-campaign-for-global-control-of-internet>

Domain name expansion signals political shift of internet by Philip Steinberg, Professor of Political Geography; Director, IBRU: Durham University's Centre for Borders Research at Durham University
<http://theconversation.com/domain-name-expansion-signals-political-shift-of-internet-22865>

IRB closer to securing .Rugby domain name
<http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/mediazone/pressrelease/newsid=2070290.html>

New gTLD domains top 41,000
<http://domainincite.com/15767-new-gtld-domains-top-41000>

de: Domain Registrar Liable for Torrent Site Infringement, Court Rules
<http://torrentfreak.com/domain-registrar-liable-torrent-site-infringement-court-rules-140206/>

au: IPv6 Roadshow
<https://www.sage-au.org.au/events/ipv6-roadshow>

Verisign Reports 10 Percent Year-Over-Year Revenue Growth in 2013
<http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/internet-technology-news/verisign-press-releases/articles/index.xhtml?artLink=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLm13bmV3c3Jvb20uY29tL2FydGljbGUvcnNzP2lkPTE4MDYwMjU%3D>

APTLD 2014 Board Elections
<https://centr.org/news/aptld/02-07-2014/3253/aptld-2014-board-elections>


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GOVERNANCE
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Cyberlaw Review 2014: Internet Governance
Bloomberg BNA asked leading attorneys, government officials, and online experts for their views on the most important legal developments in online law during 2013 and on what policy areas they believed would be the most important to their practices in 2014. We asked that the responses be short and to the point, similar to a ?tweet? or status update. The result is the collection of brief insights published below, many of which have been lightly edited and categorized by subject matter.
<http://www.bna.com/cyberlaw-review-2014-b17179881938/>

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DOMAIN NAMES
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 - ICANN
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Request for Information on Contact Data Validation and Verification Systems (Available Until 7 March 2014)
ICANN is publishing a Request for Information (RFI) to identify any commercially-available services and software that might be capable of validating or verifying domain name registration contact data (such as WHOIS).
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-07feb14-en.htm>

Stephen D. Crocker, Chair | ICANN Board of Directors, to Mehdi Abbasnia
AGIT New gTLD Applications for .ISLAM and .HALAL
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/crocker-to-abbasnia-07feb14-en>

New EE, IE Results Published: 2 Applications Complete Extended Evaluation, 1 Held Application Completes Initial Evaluation
<http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-2-07feb14-en>

Christine Willett, Vice President, gTLD Operations | ICANN, to Ralf Ganser
New gTLD Application for .BERLIN
<http://www.icann.org/en/news/correspondence/willett-to-andruff-et-al-04feb14-en>

ICANT Cope With ICANN!
I?m angry, frustrated and unhappy. Why? Due to ICANN. ICANN has put us and other European Union based registrars in an utterly ridiculous situation. We are expected to ask ICANN for permission to comply with Irish and EU data privacy law.
<http://blog.blacknight.com/blow-fuse.html>

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 - ccTLD & gTLD NEWS
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ch: Slight fall in number of malware cases: trend towards new techniques
Some 2,700 Swiss websites were cleaned of malware in 2013. While this represents a slight fall compared with 2012, SWITCH stresses that malware continues to pose a threat to Internet users and will give rise to new challenges in 2014. Almost 10 million new types of malware were discovered worldwide in 2013.
<http://www.switch.ch/about/news/2014/malware-050214.html>

Verisign .COM/.NET Domains And Financials Grow Strongly In Q4, 2013
Verisign added 1.29 million new names during the fourth quarter, ending with 127.2 million active domain names in the zone for .com and .net, a five percent increase over the fourth quarter in 2012, the company reported in its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2013 and year ended 31 December, 2013, the company reported Thursday.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/02/07/verisign-domains-financials-grow-strongly/>
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=21835

The NIX.CZ Association has launched a new project that will make Czech Internet safer
ACTIVE 24, CESNET, CZ.NIC, Dial Telecom, Seznam.cz and Telef?nica Czech Republic are the six companies that joined the new project called Secure VLAN.
<http://nix.cz/en/news#9>

German court finds domain registrar liable for torrent site's copyright infringement [IDG]
A domain name registrar can be held liable for the copyright infringements of a website it registered if it is obvious the domain is used for infringements and the registrar does nothing to prevent it, the Regional Court of Saarbr?cken in Germany has ruled.
<http://www.cio.com.au/article/537761/german_court_finds_domain_registrar_liable_torrent_site_copyright_infringement/>

.ES Grows 5% In 2013
The Spanish ccTLD .es grew by 5.1 percent in 2013 to 1,696,538 domains under management from 1,614,149 12 months ago the registry announced recently.
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/02/09/es-grows-5-in-2013/>

.EU Is TLD With Highest Proportion Of Business Websites
A new EURid report finds .eu has a higher proportion of business websites than other TLDs. According to the report, 37.8 percent of .eu domains resolving to a website are used for business purposes, compared with an average of 30.5 percent for gTLDs such as .com, .biz and .net, according to the new website categorisation report.
<http://goldsteinreport.com/article.php?article=21836>
<http://www.domainpulse.com/2014/02/07/eu-highest-proportion-business-sites/>

According to current knowledge, the legislation on fi-domain names will change on 5 September 2016.
According to current knowledge, the legislation on fi-domain names will change on 5 September 2016. After the relevant provisions in the Code for Information Society and Communications Services have entered into force, only registrars can make changes to domain name information.
<https://domain.fi/info/en/index/tietoa/ajankohtaista/2014/P_2.html>

Case shows difficulties for international companies seeking to recover ?.fr? domain names [subscription]
AFNIC, the registry for ?.fr? domain names, has issued a decision under the Syreli procedure in a case brought by the French subsidiary of a Chinese company. The decision illustrates the difficulties international companies may face in attempting recovery of ?.fr? domain names further to the modifications to the French domain name legislation in 2011.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=e466748d-cb39-4120-9072-d3fd58f1d5d4>

.eu has most business websites
37.8% of .eu websites are used for business purposes, compared with an average of 30.5% of websites under gTLDs like .com, .biz and .net, according to a new website categorisation report published today by the registry for the .eu TLD EURid.
<http://www.eurid.eu/en/news/feb-2014/eu-has-most-business-websites>

Kenya?s lobby opposes move to commercialize ?. ke? internet identity
Telecommunications lobby on Thursday opposed changes by the industry regulator to transit out Kenya Network Information Center (Kenic)-the .ke domain manager.
<http://www.coastweek.com/3706-special-report-06.htm>

nl: A link between domain name growth and the economy? by Michiel Henneke, Marketing Manager
Our sector's umbrella group CENTR recently published the findings of research into the growth of domain name extensions (TLDs) such as .nl in the period 2008 to 2013. The aim of the study was to identify and explain patterns in the development of TLDs. Particular attention was given to the relationship between developments in the number of domain names and developments in the global economy. The key findings are summarised below.
<https://www.sidn.nl/en/weblog/news/article/verband-tussen-aantal-domeinnamen-en-economie-1/>

qa: Regulatory Authority issues IPv6 National Implementation Strategy
ictQATAR has issued the IPv6 National Implementation Strategy to facilitate and manage the transition to the new Internet Protocol enabling future growth in Qatar.
<http://www.ictqatar.qa/en/news-events/news/regulatory-authority-issues-ipv6-national-implementation-strategy>

Turkish Parliament approves Internet bill despite concerns
Turkey?s Parliament has passed a much-debated omnibus bill that includes controversial arrangements concerning the protection of online privacy amid concerns raised by the European Union as well as Turkish NGOs and opposition parties. ... Measures approved by the Parliament would allow the president of the T?B to make decisions on his own initiative to block websites for a privacy violation without seeking permission from a court. The bill will also force Internet providers to keep records on web users? activities for two years and make them available to authorities on request.
<http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-parliament-approves-internet-bill-despite-concerns.aspx?pageID=238&nID=62088&NewsCatID=339>

Turkey pushes through new raft of 'draconian' internet restrictions
The Turkish government has been accused of imposing draconian censorship after pushing harsh new internet curbs through parliament. The internet law was met with outrage in Turkey on Wednesday night, with opposition parties accusing the government of wanting to introduce ever tighter control by bypassing the courts.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/06/turkey-internet-law-censorship-democracy-threat-opposition>

Turkey tightens internet controls as govt battles graft scandal
Turkey's parliament has approved internet controls enabling web pages to be blocked within hours in what the opposition decried as part of a government bid to stifle a corruption scandal with methods more suited to "times of coups".
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/uk-turkey-internet-idUKBREA1509H20140206>
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/06/turkey-internet-idINDEEA1504O20140206>

uk: First cyber security support service aimed at small firms to be piloted by Nominet
Nominet Cyber Assist, a pilot cyber security support and advice service aimed at small businesses, was announced today by Nominet, the internet company best known for running the .uk internet infrastructure. The three-month pilot, which will run in the summer and be the first of its kind in the UK, will research whether an independent and authoritative advice service could effectively help businesses detect and combat cyber crime.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/first-cyber-security-support-service-aimed-small-firms-be-piloted-nominet>
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/press-releases/first-cyber-security-support-service-aimed-small-firms-be-piloted-nominet>

Nominet Pilot Program Hopes to Help SMBs Combat Cyber Threats with Support, Advice
Nominet is running a three-month pilot of a cybersecurity support and advice service for SMBs called Nominet Cyber Assist. According to Nominet, the pilot will run over the summer and involve 1,000 businesses across different sectors.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/nominet-pilot-program-hopes-help-smbs-combat-cyber-threats-support-advice>

uk: Knowthenet launches The Social Age campaign
Nominet?s internet advice site, knowthenet.org.uk has launched a campaign aimed at supporting parents so they can keep up with their kids and help them stay safe online.
<http://www.nominet.org.uk/news/latest/knowthenet-launches-social-age-campaign>

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 - NEW TLDS
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Tech fears shadow campaign to seize global control of Internet
Fearing a power grab for control of the Internet, members of the tech industry are pleading with Congress to pay attention to the domain name expansion that is underway at a little-known nonprofit.
<http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/197786-tech-fears-shadow-campaign-for-global-control-of-internet>

Domain name expansion signals political shift of internet by Philip Steinberg, Professor of Political Geography; Director, IBRU: Durham University's Centre for Borders Research at Durham University
ICANN has begun rolling out what could eventually become more than 1,000 new gTLDs ? the part of an internet address that comes after the ?dot?. It?s a move that will change how the internet as we know it looks and feels and has significant political implications to boot.
<http://theconversation.com/domain-name-expansion-signals-political-shift-of-internet-22865>

The name game: New web domain names hit the market
AFTER the dotcom boom of the 1990s, the world is about to experience a boom in dots. Over 1,000 new gTLDs are set to join the 22 existing ones, such as .com and .org, and the 280 country-specific ones, such as .uk, that now grace the end of web addresses. ICANN, the non-profit organisation that manages the web?s address book, reckons this will boost competition and innovation. It will also increase the cost to businesses of protecting their brands.
<http://www.economist.com/news/international/21595931-new-web-domain-names-hit-market-name-game>

IRB closer to securing .Rugby domain name
The IRB has moved a step closer to securing the .RUGBY internet domain name after the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ruled that the Game?s global governing body is the appropriate steward for the key property.
<http://www.irb.com/newsmedia/mediazone/pressrelease/newsid=2070290.html>

IRB moves closer to securing Dot Rugby domain name
International Rugby Board: February 7, 2014 - The IRB has moved a step closer to securing the .RUGBY internet domain name after the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ruled that the Game?s global governing body is the appropriate steward for the key property.
<http://boxscorenews.com/irb-moves-closer-to-securing-dot-rugby-domain-name-p71499-68.htm>

Brands Facing Dot-Com Domain Identity Crisis
Companies looking to protect their brand identity on the Internet from phishers and cybersquatters will soon be faced with a dot-com identity crisis.
<http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/brands-facing-dot-com-domain-identity-crisis-148291>

Building a robust Arabic domain name market
The Middle East?s domain name industry is now entering a significant phase with the two Arabic TLDs - .shabaka (in Arabic means .web) and .mawque (in Arabic means .site).
<http://gulfnews.com/business/technology/building-a-robust-arabic-domain-name-market-1.1287711>

Conflicting gTLD objection decisions to get appeals process?
ICANN seems to be considering an appeals process for new gTLD applicants that feel they?ve been wronged by dubious String Confusion Objection decisions.
<http://domainincite.com/15782-conflicting-gtld-objection-decisions-to-get-appeals-process>

ICANN puts .islam and other gTLD bids in limbo
Or should that be Barzakh? Rather than making the tricky decision on whether to approve .islam and .halal new gTLD applications, ICANN seems to have place both bids into permanent limbo.
<http://domainincite.com/15774-icann-puts-islam-and-other-gtld-bids-in-limbo>

ICANN approves reworked GAC advice over US concerns
No sooner had we reported on the US government?s complaint about ICANN?s reinterpretation of GAC advice on new gTLDs than it emerged that ICANN has already approved the plan.
<http://domainincite.com/15775-icann-approves-reworked-gac-advice-over-us-concerns>

US unhappy with ICANN, urges more delay to many new gTLDs
The US government is not pleased with ICANN?s rather liberal interpretation of Governmental Advisory Committee advice on new gTLDs and wants more talks about ?safeguards?.
<http://domainincite.com/15765-us-unhappy-with-icann-urges-more-delay-to-many-new-gtlds>

New gTLD domains top 41,000
Donuts? first seven new gTLDs are still growing at a pretty rapid clip, albeit from a small base, a couple of days after they hit their baseline pricing.
<http://domainincite.com/15767-new-gtld-domains-top-41000>

First eight gTLDs have 26,000 names so far
After n years of debate, policy-making, delay, application, testing, delegation and newfangled launch processes, there are eight new gTLDs that are open for business.
<http://domainincite.com/15729-first-eight-gtlds-have-26000-names-so-far>

Verisign: we?re not afraid of new TLDs, and IDN transliterations will be delayed
On its investor conference call yesterday afternoon, Verisign CEO James Bidzos explained why he isn?t afraid of new TLDs. Also, in a blow to IDN.com investors, the company said it will take a longer for them to hit the market than many are hoping for.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/02/07/verisign-newtlds-idns/>

Learn to launch (on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, at 10 A.M. Eastern)
There's a lot more to launching a new TLD than coming up with a unique gTLD (or even your own dot Brand). Here a just a few of the many items you have to be ready to handle: ... To help you, on Tuesday, February 11, 2014, at 10:00 A.M. Eastern, Afilias SVP and CMO Roland LaPlante will host a free webinar to discuss these key issues, learned from the original New gTLD launch (.INFO) and New gTLD launches since then.
<http://registrypro.pro/blogs/vhedderel/learn-launch-tuesday-february-11-2014-10-am-eastern>

Another step to the sunrise phase for .????
The .???? (Russian for "children") TLD successfully passed its pre-delegation testing, according to ICANN's letter to the Smart Internet Foundation, the .???? registry. The pre-delegation testing is the final step before a new gTLD is delegated. The TLD has to pass a number of tests, including checking the DNS infrastructure, EPP and other parameters affecting performance of the new TLDs.
<http://cctld.ru/en/news/news_detail.php?ID=5423>

More Problems Crop Up With Universal Acceptance of TLDs by Ram Mohan
I've often found truth in the famous George Santayana quote, "Those that cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." That's an apt warning for what is currently happening ? again ? with the hundreds of new gTLDs that are launching ... and failing to work as expected on the Internet.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140207_more_problems_crop_up_universal_acceptance_of_top_level_domains/>

You Can't Tell the Players Without a Program: New Tools for Keeping Track of All of the New gTLDs
When they go to a basketball game many fans pick up a program so they can figure out who is who - and they only have about a dozen players on each team to keep track of. With hundreds of new gTLDs scheduled to arrive in the domain world this year (and many already on the scene), we will be seeing more than a dozen extensions introduced almost every week throughout 2014.
<http://www.dnjournal.com/archive/lowdown/2014/dailyposts/20140207.htm>

U.S. Government weighs in on .wine debate
Lawrence Strickling, Administrator of the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), has sent a letter to ICANN regarding additional protections for .wine and .vin domain names.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/02/06/u-s-government-weighs-in-on-wine-debate/>

TMCH sees cybersquatting in 1&1?s pre-reg requests
Would-be cybersquatters have pre-registered new gTLD domains matching many famous brands, according to the Trademark Clearinghouse.
<http://domainincite.com/15751-tmch-sees-cybersquatting-in-11s-pre-reg-requests>

IBM files URS complaints against guy who spent $2,500 on two domains
If you were a cybersquatter, would you spend $2,500 on just two domain names without doing even the most basic research into whether you?d get to keep the names?
<http://domainincite.com/15755-ibm-files-urs-complaints-against-guy-who-spent-6000-on-two-domains>

IBM files first Uniform Rapid Suspension case for new TLDs
IBM has filed what I believe is the first dispute under Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) for new TLDs.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/02/06/ibm-files-first-uniform-rapid-suspension-case-for-new-tlds/>

Yes, there is cybersquatting in new gTLDs
With new TLDs, comes cybersquatting. It?s inevitable. And it?s also true of the new gTLDs that hit general availability this week.
<http://domainincite.com/15735-yes-there-is-cybersquatting-in-new-gtlds>

And so it begins ? the first reports of gTLD cybersquatting emerge [subscription]
The new era of cybersquatting appears to have begun, with reports suggesting that cybersquatters have wasted no time in grabbing brand-related domains in newly-released gTLD strings. For trademark counsel, the policing challenge is very much alive.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=5b096ff0-db09-4eb0-a343-4ea7ce56f49b>

EU to ICANN: Go Back to Drawing Board on Auctions! by St?phane Van Gelder
The European Commission is not a big fan of the David versus Goliath ICANN new gTLD auction scenario. On December 12 last year, ICANN released a set of revised public auction rules. These auctions are presented as the avenue of last resort for resolving new gTLD contentions. As is ICANN's custom, the rules were put out for public comment. The EU submitted its statement on the very last day of the comment reply period.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140206_eu_to_icann_go_back_to_drawing_board_on_auctions/>

Asia Pac Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress
The Asia Pac Digital Marketing & gTLD Strategy Congress for first and prospective second round applicants will be held in Hong Kong and timed to take place in conjunction with the International Trademark Associations? (INTA) 136 Annual Conference at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) starting on May 10.
<http://momentumevents.com/domainasia/>

Verisign CEO: ?I Don?t See Anybody Who?s Going to Abandon The .Com For a New gTLD
The CEO and President of Verisign James Bidzos had some pretty interesting comments regarding the new gTLD?s and the effect they may have on .com and .net registrations during its earnings call today.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2014/02/06/verisign-ceo-i-dont-see-anybody-whos-going-to-abandon-the-com-for-a-new-gtld/>

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 - DNS SECURITY
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U.S. warns of cybersecurity, privacy threats at Sochi Olympics
The United States on Friday issued a fresh travel alert for Americans attending the Sochi Winter Olympics, citing cybersecurity threats and warning them to have "no expectation of privacy" using Russian communications networks.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/08/uk-olympics-usa-travel-idUKBREA1700X20140208>
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/08/olympics-usa-travel-idINDEEA1700N20140208>

The Internet is Broken?Act Accordingly
Costin Raiu is a cautious man. He measures his words carefully and says exactly what he means, and is not given to hyperbole or exaggeration. Raiu is the driving force behind much of the intricate research into APTs and targeted attacks that Kaspersky Lab?s Global Research and Analysis Team has been doing for the last few years, and he has first-hand knowledge of the depth and breadth of the tactics that top-tier attackers are using.
<http://threatpost.com/the-internet-is-broken-act-accordingly/104141>

Governments Need to Discuss Use of Cyber Weapons
Attacks on critical infrastructure have been grabbing headlines for years now, long before sophisticated operations such as Stuxnet and Flame hit the scene. But we?re probably still in the early stages of the evolution of such attacks, and the use of so-called cyber weapons in these operations is likely going to increase in the near future, Eugene Kaspersky said.
<http://threatpost.com/governments-need-to-discuss-use-of-cyber-weapons/104097>

China's cyber security needs internationalism
A widespread DNS outage hit China between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on January 21, leaving millions of domestic and international online domains completely inaccessible. The reason behind the incident was a hack attack on the root servers, something that is believed to pose an even further-reaching threat in the future.
<http://www.china.org.cn/wap/2014-02/08/content_31403655.htm>

Cybercriminals compromise home routers to attack online banking users
Attacks recently observed in Poland involved cybercriminals hacking into home routers and changing their DNS settings so they can intercept user connections to online banking sites.
<http://www.pcworld.com/article/2095860/cybercriminals-compromise-home-routers-to-attack-online-banking-users.html>

Adobe Pushes Fix for Flash Zero-Day Attack
Adobe Systems Inc. is urging users of its Flash Player software to upgrade to a newer version released today. The company warns that an exploit targeting a previously unknown and critical Flash security vulnerability exists in the wild, and that this flaw allows attackers to take complete control over affected systems.
<http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/02/adobe-pushes-fix-for-flash-zero-day-attack/>

Target Hackers Broke in Via HVAC Company
Last week, Target told reporters at The Wall Street Journal and Reuters that the initial intrusion into its systems was traced back to network credentials that were stolen from a third party vendor. Sources now tell KrebsOnSecurity that the vendor in question was a refrigeration, heating and air conditioning subcontractor that has worked at a number of locations at Target and other top retailers.
<http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/02/target-hackers-broke-in-via-hvac-company/>

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 - DOMAIN DISPUTES
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Domain Registrar Liable for Torrent Site Infringement, Court Rules
A court in Germany has ruled that a domain registrar can be held liable for the copyright-infringing activities of a torrent site using its services. Registrar Key-Systems informs TorrentFreak that if allowed to stand, the ruling will have dire consequences for the kind of services domain registrars are able to provide in future.
<http://torrentfreak.com/domain-registrar-liable-torrent-site-infringement-court-rules-140206/>

WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center End Report on Legal Rights Objection Procedure 2013
Introduction: On September 11, 2013, the last Expert Determination was rendered in the 69 Legal Rights Objection procedures administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization?s Arbitration and Mediation Center under the New gTLD Dispute Resolution Procedure forming part of Module 3 of the gTLD Applicant Guidebook approved by ICANN on June 20, 2011 and as updated on January 11, 2012 for the first round of ICANN?s New gTLD process.
<http://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/amc/en/docs/lroreport.pdf>

BidPal cybersquatting lawsuit is either misleading or poorly researched. You decide.
In December I wrote about a UDRP for BidPal.com filed by BidPal, Inc.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/02/07/bidpal-cybersquatting-lawsuit-is-either-misleading-or-poorly-researched-you-decide/>

UDRP panel: two wrongs do not make a right [subscription]
Timbermate Products Pty Ltd has failed to obtain the transfer of the domain name ?timbermate.com? under the UDRP. Among other things, the panel found that, although the respondent was using the domain name in bad faith, there was no bad-faith intent at the time of registration. The fact that the respondent was using the domain name in bad faith could not counter-balance any bad-faith intent behind the filing of the complaint.
<http://www.worldtrademarkreview.com/daily/Detail.aspx?g=0967af4b-cf50-4520-be20-3d66f0c2c76d>

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 - IPv4/IPv6
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Touching / Seeing / Feeling IPv6 in the World of Solutions at Cisco Live Milan
As Cisco Live Europe 2014 draws to a close I wanted to reflect on what has (for me) been a personal campaign to raise the visibility of IPv6 in the World of Solutions / WoS (the demonstration / show floor of the event)
<http://blogs.cisco.com/getyourbuildon/touching-seeing-and-feeling-ipv6-in-the-world-of-solutions-at-cisco-live-milan/>

Liberalization comes to IP address market in RIPE region by Brenden Kuerbis
Despite a title tweak to assuage a few stakeholders? sensitivities, policy proposal 2013-03 ?Post Depletion Adjustment of Procedures to Match Policy Objectives, and Clean-up of Obsolete Policy Text? has been accepted by the RIPE community and is now policy. The gist of the proposal removes the requirement for organizations engaged in the trading market for IP numbers, or assigning IP number blocks to customers, to prove their need for a specific quantity of numbers.
<http://www.internetgovernance.org/2014/02/05/liberalization-comes-to-ip-address-market-in-ripe-region/>

au: IPv6 Roadshow
SAGE-AU and platinum event sponsor Megaport are pleased to present the National IPv6 Roadshow.
<https://www.sage-au.org.au/events/ipv6-roadshow>

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 - MISCELLANEOUS
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Extreme Vulnerability at the Edge of the Internet - A Fresh New Universal Human-Rights Problem by Paul Vixie
By design, the Internet core is stupid, and the edge is smart. This design decision has enabled the Internet's wildcat growth, since without complexity the core can grow at the speed of demand. On the downside, the decision to put all smartness at the edge means we're at the mercy of scale when it comes to the quality of the Internet's aggregate traffic load. Not all device and software builders have the skills - and the quality assurance budgets - that something the size of the Internet deserves.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140206_extreme_vulnerability_at_the_edge_of_internet_universal_problem/>

Verisign Reports 10 Percent Year-Over-Year Revenue Growth in 2013
VeriSign, Inc. ... reported financial results for the fourth quarter of 2013 and year ended Dec. 31, 2013. "2013 was a strong year for the company capped by solid performance across several metrics. We recorded double digit revenue growth, increased cash flows, expanded margins, and returned over $1 billion to shareholders in share repurchases while continuing to provide uninterrupted availability of the .com and .net domain name system (DNS) for over 16 years. We look forward to 2014 from a strong position," commented Jim Bidzos, executive chairman, president and chief executive officer.
<http://www.verisigninc.com/en_US/internet-technology-news/verisign-press-releases/articles/index.xhtml?artLink=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLm13bmV3c3Jvb20uY29tL2FydGljbGUvcnNzP2lkPTE4MDYwMjU%3D>

Verisign reports revenue growth and 8.2 million new domain registrations in Q4
.Com and .net domain name registry Verisign reported earnings after the bell today.
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/02/06/verisign-q4-financials/>

VeriSign Beats on Q4 Earnings by a Nickel
VeriSign Inc. reported fourth-quarter 2013 earnings of 59 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a nickel. Earnings (minus stock-based compensation) increased 8.0% year over year and 7.0% on a sequential basis.
<http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verisign-beats-q4-earnings-nickel-164005487.html>

Cautious shoppers need not fall victim to Olympics scams
Thousands of fans traveling to the Olympic Games and millions more watching around the world will purchase Olympics merchandise to support the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Much of that spending with take place online, and the International Trademark Association (INTA) wants fans to shop safely and confidently as they support their teams and enjoy the festive occasion. A cautious Internet shopper need not fall victim to cybercrime.
<http://www.inta.org/Press/Pages/WinterOlympics2014.aspx>

The African Union Commission Selects the Internet Society for the Regional Internet Exchange Points and Regional Internet Carrier Workshops of the African Internet Exchange System (AXIS) Project
The Internet Society today announced that it has been selected by the African Union Commission (AUC) for the Regional Internet Exchange Points and Regional Internet Carrier Workshops of the African Internet Exchange System (AXIS) project. The AXIS project is focused on keeping Africa?s Internet traffic local to the continent by providing capacity building and technical assistance to facilitate the establishment of National Internet Exchange Points and Regional Internet Exchange Points in Africa.
<http://www.internetsociety.org/news/african-union-commission-selects-internet-society-regional-internet-exchange-points-and>

ARIN 33 Registration Now Open
Registration is now open for the ARIN 33 Public Policy and Members Meeting, 13-16 April 2014 at The Drake Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. ARIN holds open, biannual Public Policy and Members Meetings where attendees gather to discuss draft Internet number resource policies, network with colleagues, and attend workshops and tutorials.
<https://www.arin.net/announcements/2014/20140206.html>

APTLD 2014 Board Elections
APTLD 2014 Board Election voting period has closed on Feb. 2nd, 2014.
<https://centr.org/news/aptld/02-07-2014/3253/aptld-2014-board-elections>

TRA hosts the Middle East DNS Forum in Dubai in collaboration with ICANN
The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) hosts the Middle East DNS Forum in Dubai on February 3-4, 2014 Dubai. This event comes in collaboration with ICANN and aims to establish a platform for the DNS community in the Middle East and to advance the domain name industry and domain name registrations overall. It also provides a platform for exchanging insights and best practices and promotes the efforts aimed at growing this sector in all its aspects.
<http://tra.gov.ae/news_TRA_hosts_the_Middle_East_DNS_Forum_in_Dubai_in_collaboration_with_ICANN-593-1.php>

Namecoin Decentralized DNS Research by Chris Baker
The holidays open up a block of time to catch up on "I meant to read that" bookmarks, RSS feeds, and all the favorited and forgotten tweets. I made it through 50 before a NormanShark blog post kicked off a research project. The analysts found a malware sample which was using .bit domains in their communications infrastructure, but .bit ... what is that? .bit is a TLD operating outside of ICANN. Some would say they are TLD squatting, but I leave that opinion up to the reader.
<http://www.circleid.com/posts/20140207_namecoin_decentralized_dns_research/>

Neustar Recognized for its Best-in-Class Lead Scoring and Lead Verification Solutions by LeadsCouncil
Neustar, Inc. ... announced that it has been recognized by LeadsCouncil, a fully-independent alliance of lead generation experts, for its ?best-in-class? lead scoring and lead verification solutions.
<http://www.neustar.biz/about-us/news-room/press-releases/2014/neustar-recognized-for-its-best-in-class-lead-scoring-and-lead-verification-solutions-by-leadscouncil>

GoDaddy starts using GoDaddy.uno domain name
Domain name registrar GoDaddy has started using GoDaddy.uno, although perhaps not in the way the .uno registry intends for it to be used:
<http://domainnamewire.com/2014/02/06/godaddy-starts-using-godaddy-uno-domain-name/>

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 - WEBHOSTING
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How Web Hosts Can Battle the Escalating Threat of DDoS Attacks from Inside and Out
In a recent report on its attack data, Distributed Denial of Service mitigation provider Black Lotus saw the average DDoS attack size swell to 3.1 Gbps and 1.5 million packets per second, which is enough to flood many organizations with requests and prevent legitimate traffic from reaching its intended destination.
<http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/web-hosts-can-battle-escalating-threat-ddos-attacks-inside>

Are there really lots of vulnerable Apache web servers?
Apache has been the most common web server on the internet since April 1996, and is currently used by 38% of all websites. Most nefarious activity takes place on compromised servers, but just how many of these Apache servers are actually vulnerable?
<http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2014/02/07/are-there-really-lots-of-vulnerable-apache-web-servers.html>

Most Reliable Hosting Company Sites in January 2014
All of the top five hosting company sites started the year with only two failed requests each. The average connection times were used to break the tie for first place.
<http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2014/02/05/most-reliable-hosting-company-sites-in-january-2014.html>

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 - DOMAINING & AFTERMARKET
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Wan More Time! For the 2nd Week in a Row the Three Biggest Domain Sales Total Over $1.3 Million
Last week's sales chart was led by a trio of 6-figure sales totaling more than $1.3 million. As legendary linguist Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again!" Once more this week, the top three on our latest all extension Top 20 Sales Chart weigh in at over $1.3 million. All three reached six figures, two contain the same Chinese keyword and one now ranks as the biggest sale reported so far in 2014.
<http://dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2014/20140205.htm>

New gTLD?s Aftermarket: Sedo Is Ready & Has New gTLD?s For Sale; Afternic Does Not
I did a check to see if the major aftermarket houses were ready and listing new gTLD?s for sale. The short and simply answer: Sedo.com is. Afternic.com is not.
<http://www.thedomains.com/2014/02/08/new-gtlds-aftermarket-sedo-is-ready-afternic-does-not/>

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INTERNET USE
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Super Bowl 2014: Denver Broncos fans turn to porn following defeat to Seattle Seahawks
It was America?s most-watched TV event of the year ? and it turns out the massive popularity of the Super Bowl led to a huge decline in that other popular US pastime ? watching porn. 
<http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/super-bowl-2014-denver-broncos-fans-turn-to-porn-following-defeat-to-seattle-seahawks-9106893.html>

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CHILD PROTECTION & ONLINE SAFETY
*********************************
au: Sexting may be driving rise in children charged with pornography offences
A threefold increase in the number of South Australian children charged with child pornography offences has prompted the state attorney general John Rau to seek a national response to what he believes could be the cause: a rise in sexting between teenagers and children.
<http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/07/sexting-by-children-rise-in-child-pornography-charges>

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MOBILE/WIRELESS
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Five Predictions for the Future of Wi-Fi and Mobile
New devices, changes in customer behaviors, and technological advances are rapidly changing the mobile market and consumers? expectations of mobility. A recent Cisco study of mobile consumers reveals how much, and how quickly the world of mobility is changing. The survey uncovers some startling revelations about what consumers are doing on their mobile devices, how and where they are using them, and how they are connecting them to the Internet. Highlights of the research are revealed in my recent blog Discover What Consumers Want from Wi-Fi and Mobile.
<http://blogs.cisco.com/sp/five-predictions-for-the-future-of-wi-fi-and-mobile/>

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ONLINE CRIME & LEGAL
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Cautious shoppers need not fall victim to Olympics scams
Thousands of fans traveling to the Olympic Games and millions more watching around the world will purchase Olympics merchandise to support the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Much of that spending with take place online, and the International Trademark Association (INTA) wants fans to shop safely and confidently as they support their teams and enjoy the festive occasion. A cautious Internet shopper need not fall victim to cybercrime.
<http://www.inta.org/Press/Pages/WinterOlympics2014.aspx>

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PRIVACY & SURVEILLANCE
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French court orders Google to display fine for privacy breach
Google will have to display on its French search page a notice saying it has been fined by the local data-protection watchdog over how user information is tracked and stored, France's top administrative court ruled on Friday.
<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/02/07/uk-google-privacy-france-idUKBREA161BV20140207>
<http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/02/07/google-privacy-france-idINDEEA160ER20140207>

New surveillance technology can track everyone in an area for several hours at a time
Shooter and victim were just a pair of pixels, dark specks on a gray streetscape. Hair color, bullet wounds, even the weapon were not visible in the series of pictures taken from an airplane flying two miles above.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/new-surveillance-technology-can-track-everyone-in-an-area-for-several-hours-at-a-time/2014/02/05/82f1556e-876f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html>

Tim Berners-Lee: we need to re-decentralise the web
Twenty-five years on from the web's inception, its creator has urged the public to re-engage with its original design: a decentralised internet that at its very core, remains open to all.
<http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2014-02/06/tim-berners-lee-reclaim-the-web/viewgallery/332234>

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GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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Google, the EU and antitrust: The third attempt at a settlement is likely to be the last
In November 2009 Foundem, a price-comparison website, first complained to the European Commission about Google. The American company, Foundem argued, was exploiting its dominance of online search to the detriment of both competitors and consumers. The commission began an investigation a year later. On February 5th Joaqu?n Almunia, Europe?s competition commissioner, said that he and Google, which carries out more than 90% of online searches in Europe, had reached an agreement. (Google?s chairman, Eric Schmidt, is a member of The Economist Group?s board of directors.) This is Mr Almunia?s third attempt at a settlement in just under a year. He is confident that this one will stick.
<http://www.economist.com/news/business/21595966-third-attempt-settlement-likely-be-last-search-over>

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MISCELLANEOUS
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Sony's exit from the PC market will not be the last
Sony's decision to exit the PC business means that after 17 years in the industry, the Vaio brand will probably disappear from western retailers before the end of 2014.
<http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/06/sony-vaio-exit-pc-market-analysis>

------
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