internet news - 10 December

ITU Workshop on Member States' Experiences with ccTLDs
The purpose of this open workshop is to begin to work with
Member States and Sector Members, recognizing the
activities of other appropriate entities, to review Member
States' ccTLD and other related experiences, in accordance
with Resolution 102 as revised at the Plenipotentiary
Conference in Marrakesh (2002).
 http://www.itu.int/ITU-T/worksem/cctld/index.html
 http://www.demys.net/news/02_nov_29_itu.htm
  
Keep ICANN Open
In late October, the international body that regulates
critical components of the Internet met for the first time
in China. The Shanghai meeting offered a historic
opportunity to resolve questions surrounding international
governance of the Internet and to focus attention on the
tight controls China still exercises over the Internet
within its borders. 
 http://www.nlj.com/oped/112502sapiro.shtml

ICANN Director Responds to Critics
Responding to an article in Wired News, ICANN director
Jonathan Cohen defends ICANN's role in managing the
Internet and fights back against its critics. The Internet
authority has come under fire after accusations that
changes to its structure discussed at their last major
meeting in Shanghai are undemocratic and end "at large"
representation on the ICANN board. The original intention
when ICANN was formed was that half of its board would be
elected "at large" representatives of the Internet
community after a transitional stage. However, only five,
including outspoken ICANN critic Karl Auerbach - were ever
appointed. The proposed changes at Shanghai - to be
approved next month at Amsterdam - will remove directly
elected "at large" representation from the ICANN board.
 http://www.demys.net/news/02_nov_25_wired.htm

ICANN Special Meeting of the Board
The ICANN Board of Directors held a meeting by
teleconference on 2 December 2002. The Board adopted the
following resolutions: Amendment to .name Registry
Agreement and Amendment to .pro Registry Agreement, ccTLD
Agreement for .uz (Uzbekistan)
 http://www.icann.org/minutes/prelim-report-02dec02.htm

.org Agreement Signed; Transition Plans Announced
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) President and CEO, Stuart Lynn has signed the
finalized agreement for the Public Interest Registry (PIR)
to operate the .org top-level domain. PIR takes over from
VeriSign, the current .org registry operator, as of 1
January 2003.

http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-03dec02.htm

ccTLD Governance Project
This project reviews the relationship between country code
Top Level Domains (ccTLDs) and governments in 45 countries.
Included are 1) tables which highlight the main
relationships, and 2) country-specific information. The
preliminary findings include:
 http://www.cctldinfo.com/

BIND flaws not fixed after five years
The most recent vulnerabilities identified in BIND and
several other Domain Name Server implementations, including
Microsoft and Apple variants, may not be fixable, and were
identified in security vulnerabilities as long ago as 1997.

http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/security/story/0,2000024985,20270349,00.htm

An ADR Remedy for Cybersquatting
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers
(ICANN) has devised a quick and relatively low-cost method
for resolving one of the most common Internet legal
difficulties: disputes between trademark owners and domain
name registrants.

http://www.law.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/View&c=LawArticle&cid=1036630513981&t=LawArticleIP
 http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1036630513981

Nominet wins injunction against DRS
Nominet UK has won an interim injunction order in the High
Court against Domain Registrar Services Limited (DRS),
banning the company from using the Nominet name and logo.
 http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28411.html
 http://www.vnunet.com/News/1137313

FTC settles domain name suit
The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it reached a
settlement with five parties accused of selling bogus Web
site domains.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-975904.html

http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/657614p-4937289c.html
 http://www.internetnews.com/xSP/article.php/1551341
 http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/12/tld3.htm
  
Michael Douglas Files .name Case
Actor Michael Douglas has filed a case with the National
Arbitration Forum under the Eligibility Requirements
Dispute Resolution Policy for .name. Four decisions have
been issued under the ERDRP, all resulting in transfer or
cancellation.
 http://www.udrplaw.net

NAF Panel Discusses Rights to Trademarks of Multiple
Parties in Celebrex Case - from www.udrplaw.net
NAF Panelist Hon. Carolyn Marks Johnson issued an
interesting decision on the ability to proceed against a
domain name containing the marks of multiple trademark
owners in G. D. Searle & Co. v. Vioxx & Celebrex Arthritis
Help, NAF Case FA126831 (Dec. 2, 2002).
 http://www.arbforum.com/domains/decisions/126831.htm

'Dot-Usa' Internet Name Seller Plans Appeal
A British entrepreneur who sold Internet domain names with
a ".usa" suffix that did not work on most computers has
agreed to give back the roughly $350,000 he collected, the
Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=1845220

ICANN General Counsel's Opinion vs. Reality
In a "quick-look" evaluation of RegistryPro's discovery of
the principle that a turkey of a new TLD may still be able
to extract "protection" money from nervous trademark
owners, ICANN's General Counsel demonstrates the need for
the "new TLD evaluation process" to provide him with some
reality therapy.
 http://www.icannwatch.org/article.php?sid=1040
 
VeriSign to revamp secondary domain biz
VeriSign Inc next month will re-launch its GreatDomains
domain name resale service, dropping its retail auction
model in favor of a wholesale system that will be made
available to all of its registrar channel partners,
ComputerWire has learned.
 http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28396.html

Dormant domains can prove bad faith
Proving registration in bad faith is not enough to retrieve
a domain name. Trade mark owners must also show that the
name was used in bad faith, which includes non-use.

http://www.legalmediagroup.com/MIP/default.asp?Page=1&SID=1717

Crichton wins 'cybersquatting' case
Best-selling author Michael Crichton, the writer of
Jurassic, wins a case against a so-called cybersquatter.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2542055.stm

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=1843409

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/12/03/cyber.squatting.reut/index.html

Domain Name Theft Part II: Did ICANN Leave Foxes Guarding
the Chicken COOP?
Harris selected the generic word "email" for his domain
name and registered 'email.coop' for a two year period. He
registered his domain name as part of a business model,
which provides email services for cooperatives desiring a
presence in electronic commerce without carrying the burden
of developing and managing a website. Shortly after
successfully registering email.coop and spending a
substantial sum of money to establish a business, Harris'
domain disappeared...
 http://www.circleid.com/articles/2555.asp

Examining Stuart Lynn's Domain Name Plans - Part I
In the past, ICANN has made some fundamental errors
implementing new generic top-level domains (gTLDs), most of
which stemmed from a failure to enforce rules to ensure
fairness and public accountability. Although it seems
highly unlikely that ICANN will improve the fairness of
future gTLD rollouts, given ICANN's increasing isolation
from external input, it is nonetheless important to
question the three parts of Stuart Lynn's plan for action.
 http://www.circleid.com/articles/2556.asp

Michael Furdyk Is Taking His Domain Global
Michael Furdyk is a young man and domain name owner with a
vision and a compassionate heart. He has a unique
understanding that the Internet has the power to create
positive change if used responsibly and with a purpose. In
the Internet world, Michael Furdyk is a domain name owner
who I root for. I'm excited to share his story and new
domain venture with you.
 http://www.circleid.com/articles/2557.asp

Dialog Adds Domain Names Database
Dialog has joined with SnapNames to offer a master
directory of domain name information. At 65 million records
and counting, the database becomes the largest single file
on Dialog. The Domain Names Database (File 225) carries
both current URL records and historical ownership records
for Internet domain names. The source matches records held
in WhoIs and WhoWas files. Records can contain as many as
78 fields; more than 50 are fully searchable. Fields
include registrant name, domain name, e-mail address, phone
number, ZIP code, etc.
 http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb021202-1.htm

Council Of European National Top-Level Domain Registries -
Vacancy: General Manager
CENTR is a not for profit organisation, incorporated in the
UK, and with staff currently based in Oxford and Salzburg.
CENTR was created and funded by country code top level
domain registries (ccTLDs) in Europe and beyond. CENTR's
members manage the national Internet domain name registries
for names registered under their two-letter code (.fr, .uk,
.de etc).
 http://www.centr.org/news/vacancy-6.html

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Anti-Abortion Web Site May Bring Free Speech Case to
Supreme Court
The so-called Nuremberg Files case, a contentious First
Amendment dispute over a virulent anti-abortion Web site,
goes before the U.S. Supreme Court for review at its
private conference on Friday. At issue is whether the
Nuremberg Files Web site and "Wanted" posters listing
abortion providers amounted to threats and intimidation
that are not protected speech under the First Amendment.
 http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1039054404286

Internet Hate-Speech Ban Called 'Chilling'
As European leaders move to ban Internet hate speech and
seek support from the United States, civil liberties groups
charge that the proposal would violate free-speech rights.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&ncid=1212&e=4&u=/pcworld/20021202/tc_pcworld/107499&sid=95612658

Understanding Information - Laws: A Sociological Approach
Abstract - The popular view that information is of great
importance in modern societies is in large part due to the
development of distinctive conceptual frameworks for
analysing information in a wide range of academic
disciplines. Surprisingly there have been few attempts in
legal scholarship to either map the laws that impact on
information or to analyse them from any particular
standpoint. This article argues that information is
essentially a social phenomenon and that law, as a
regulator of social relations, directly affects the
production, content and communication of information. A
holistic understanding of 'information laws' is therefore a
useful aid for considering the composition of so-called
information societies. Drawing from communication studies
the article presents a broad conception of the meaning of
information and provides a cross-section of 'information
laws'. It argues that a scientific approach to the meaning
of information is helpful for both identifying legal
measures that effect information and for revealing how they
impact on the communication of information. Finally the
article argues that a sociological analysis of information
laws is desirable and proposes a framework for carrying out
such an analysis under the headings -polity, economy and
culture.
 http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/02-3/cahir.html

Virtual Representation: Australian Elected Representatives
and the Impact of the Internet
Abstract - This paper examines the impact of the Internet,
specifically the World Wide Web and electronic mail on
Australian elected representatives in three key areas: (1)
representatives' use of Internet technology as part of the
work lives: to what extent has the technology been adopted
by these public functionaries? (2) online consultation:
have representatives adapted Internet technologies for the
purpose of democratic communication with their constituents
and stakeholders? And (3) online voting: do representatives
see value in 'virtualising' traditional voting practices?
Based on a survey issued to every elected representative in
Australia, data is presented to illustrate the current use,
salience, and potential value of these activities for
Australia's political leaders. The findings show, first,
that generalised use of online services by elected
representatives is substantially higher than that of the
Australian population average, and interest in the use of
online services, online consultation, and online voting is
also quite high. Second, the application of online
consultation remains limited for some groups of
representatives. Using Rogers's theory of the diffusion of
innovation, the difficulty and magnitude of change required
to implement some forms of online democratic practices is
explained, through use of a number of adoption curves.
 http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/02-3/chen.html

Turn off the Internet!
Is the global computer network to blame for the current
electricity crisis? Lackeys of the power industry want us
to think so.

http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/01/17/net_power/index.html

Parents, kids reminded of online 'stranger danger'
The Australian Broadcasting Authority and website
Cybersmart Kids have launched a brochure giving tips on how
children can chat safely online.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/scitech/2002/12/item20021209153336_1.htm

An Inside Look at China Filters 
China is far more interested in censoring political sites
than pornography -- but the government's filters aren't
even consistent on that, a new study shows.
 http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,56699,00.html

Blocked Browsing - Iraq Censors Web Surfing For Few With
Internet Access
The Sheherezade Bar in the Al Rasheed hotel has become a
hangout for many journalists in Baghdad. That's not because
of any libations served there. (Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein's government banned alcohol in public places
several years ago.) Rather, it's because of what it says on
the cardboard sign at the front door.

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/baghdad_internet021205.html

Man Kills Arkansas Girl, 13, He Met in Chat Room
A man who abducted a 13-year-old Arkansas girl who he met
in an Internet chat room has shot and killed both the girl
and himself, state police said on Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=1861284

France Arrests Close to 30 in Child Porno Probe
French police arrested close to 30 people nationwide as
part of an investigation into Internet distribution of
child pornography, judicial sources said Thursday.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNews&storyID=1855916

Searching Through The Great Firewall Of China
This report describes a simple technique which can be used
with some search engines to bypass censorware bans on
searching for forbidden words. Particular emphasis is
placed on the situation of the Great Firewall Of China.
 http://sethf.com/anticensorware/general/china.php

Feds Label Wi-Fi a Terrorist Tool 
Speaking at an 802.11 conference, experts who participated
in government-sponsored working groups to examine Wi-Fi's
security holes say the message is clear: Secure your
wireless networks or face federal meddling.
 http://www.wired.com/news/wireless/0,1382,56742,00.html

Privacy delays cybercrime code
THE Australian Internet Industry Association's cybercrime
code has been delayed because of concerns raised by the
Privacy Commissioner, Malcolm Crompton.

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,5628313%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

E-Mail Overload Is a Myth, Study Says
Most American workers are not overwhelmed by stuffed e-mail
inboxes or vast amounts of spam, according to a study that
contradicts conventional wisdom that e-mail has become a
major burden on people's lives.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24684-2002Dec7.html

Spam doesn't kill appetite for e-mail
Spam hasn't killed enthusiasm for e-mail among U.S.
workers, according to a new study on e-mail use in the
workplace.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1023-976399.html

Challenges ahead for media watchdog
Questions are raised over whether Ofcom will devote most of
its time to regulating broadcasting at the expense of the
UK's telecoms industry.
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/2547075.stm

Workplace seen as an escape from 'spam', report shows
Despite a rising tide of get-rich-quick scams and herbal
Viagra offers on people's home computers, American workers
say they receive relatively little unwanted "spam" email at
work.
 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3008484

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=1871317

High hopes for new spam-buster
New software that generates a unique email address for
every message sent could help cut down spam, a US computer
scientist believes.
 http://www.internet-magazine.com/news/view.asp?id=2977
 http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993152

Regulator unlikely to ban spam
An MP’s call for action against the rise of pornographic
spam is likely to be rejected by the regulator Ofcom. MP
Derek Wyatt told the House of Commons on Tuesday evening
that Ofcom should make ISPs tackle the issue of unsolicited
pornographic emails, reports ZDNet. He also wants a law
brought in to protect children from such material.
 http://www.internet-magazine.com/news/view.asp?id=2975

How China Is Making the Pen as Mighty as the PC
For more than a year, Wang Jian and his team at Microsoft
Corp.'s research lab here fed a computer a diet of
handwritten documents -- scribbled lecture notes,
back-of-the-envelope diagrams, shopping lists. The computer
grew smarter, until it was finally able to perform a
mundane yet crucial task: It could distinguish words from
most everything else on the page, then turn the letters
into neatly typed text.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5527-2002Dec3.html

Casting a Wider Net: Integrating Research and Policy on the
Social Impacts of the Internet
The Oxford Internet Institute, the world's first truly
multi-disciplinary Internet institute based within a major
university, held its launch conference on the 27th
September with nearly 300 people attending and incredible
support expressed for the new department. The conference
focused on the need to ensure closer integration between
research and policy-making in this field. As a first step
in this process this conference brought together key
figures from industry, academia and politics to discuss how
this might be achieved.
 http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/conference/index.html

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Check out http://www.auda.org.au/about/news for the latest
domain news. The domain name news is supported by auDA.

Also see
http://greta.electric.gen.nz/mailman/listinfo/internet-news
or http://www.alfa-redi.org/noticia for an archive or to
subscribe to the general news.

Sources include Quicklinks (www.qlinks.net), Moreover
(www.moreover.com) and BNA Internet Law News
(www.bna.com/ilaw)".


=====
David Goldstein
 email: Goldstein_David-/[email protected]
 phone: +61 418 228 605 - mobile; +61 2 9665 0015 - home

http://www.yahoo.promo.com.au/hint/ - Yahoo! Hint Dropper
- Avoid getting hideous gifts this Christmas with Yahoo! Hint Dropper!