internet news - 17 December

ICANN 2002 Annual Meeting in Amsterdam
ICANN's 2002 annual meeting will be held on Saturday and
Sunday, 14 and 15 December 2002, at the Sheraton Amsterdam
Airport Hotel & Conference Center at Schiphol (Amsterdam)
Airport, the Netherlands.
 http://www.icann.org/amsterdam

Amsterdam Meeting Topic: A Plan for Action Regarding New
gTLDs
At its 23 August 2002 meeting, the ICANN Board of Directors
directed ICANN President Stuart Lynn to produce a plan for
action concerning the implementation of the Report of the
New TLD Evaluation Process Planning Task Force. On 18
October 2002, Dr. Lynn posted for comment A Plan for Action
Regarding New gTLDs in response to the Board's direction.
That plan is a topic for the ICANN Public Forum in
Amsterdam on 14 December 2002 and will be considered by the
ICANN Board at its 15 December 2002 meeting.
 http://www.icann.org/amsterdam/gtld-action-plan-topic.htm

A Plan for Action Regarding New gTLDs (by Stuart Lynn,
ICANN President)
At its August 23rd meeting, the ICANN Board of Directors
directed me to produce a "plan for action" with respect to
the implementation of the Report of the New TLD Evaluation
Process Planning Task Force. This document and its
attachments are in response to that request.

http://www.icann.org/committees/ntepptf/new-gtld-action-plan-18oct02.htm

Proposed Transition Article of New Bylaws
On 24 November 2002, the Evolution and Reform Committee
(ERC) posted and invited comments on a proposed Transition
Article (Article XX) to specify the steps in the transition
from the present structures and processes of ICANN to the
structures and processes described by the New Bylaws
adopted by the ICANN Board on 31 October 2002 in Shanghai.
Several very helpful comments were received, prompting the
ERC to make various changes to the language it proposed for
the Transition Article.

http://www.icann.org/committees/evol-reform/proposed-transition-article-08dec02.htm

Proposed Corrections and Modifications to New Bylaws
The Evolution and Reform Committee (ERC) recommends that
the Board adopt the following corrections and modifications
to the New Bylaws adopted by the Board in Shanghai on 31
October 2002.

http://www.icann.org/committees/evol-reform/proposed-bylaws-corrections-08dec02.htm

Preliminary Recommendation on ccNSO Membership
Consistent with the 29 October 2002 ccNSO Assistance Group
Communiqué, the Assistance Group has prepared its
preliminary recommendation on Membership. The Assistance
Group requests feedback within the coming two weeks (until
24 December 2002) for comments to be given utmost
consideration. The preliminary recommendation on Membership
can be found in Annex A. The ccNSO Assistance Group will
consider feedback received on this preliminary
recommendation and its effect on other recommendations.

http://www.icann.org/committees/evol-reform/ccnsoag-report-10dec02.htm

IANA Report – Redelegation of the .org Top-Level Domain
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (the IANA) is
responsible for various administrative functions associated
with management of the Internet's domain-name system root
zone, including reviewing the appropriateness of
contemplated changes to the content of the root zone and
preparing reports on those changes. This report gives the
findings and conclusions of the IANA on the redelegation of
the .org top-level domain (TLD) from operation by VeriSign,
Inc., to operation by Public Interest Registry.
 http://www.iana.org/reports/org-report-09dec02.htm

Karl Auerbach: ICANN "Out of Control"
This month, Richard talks to Karl Auerbach, a public board
member of ICANN and one of the Internet governing body's
strongest critics.

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/policy/2002/12/05/karl.html

Domain Name Reseller to Provide Refunds Following ACCC
Federal Court Action
Internet Registrations Australia Pty Ltd will provide
refunds to recipients of its misleading 'renewal notices'
who respond to its apology, following settlement of an
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Federal
Court action.

http://203.6.251.7/accc.internet/digest/view_media.cfm?RecordID=887

ACCC slugs Australian domain name reseller over dodgy
invoices
Australia's domain name administrator has welcomed a legal
settlement requiring a reseller to apologise and provide
refunds to customers who responded to misleading notices
requesting payment for renewal of domain name services.

http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/ebusiness/story/0,2000024981,20270526,00.htm

Domain names competition opens with a twist
The registration of internet domain names has opened up to
competition, with a twist. The previous monopoly supplier,
Domainz, will operate as a special "stabilising registrar",
to help the changeover rather than compete on price.
 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3008592

Geeks push for second-level domain
Internet professionals in New Zealand want their own
second-level domain, geek.nz, as a way of deploying
experimental services.
 http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2127266,00.html
 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3008701
 http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2134308a28,00.html

China Opens Doors To .cn - from www.udrp.net
Beginning Sunday, December 15, 2002, on a first come, first
served basis, domain names in China's .cn country code will
be available for registration. See Neustar.com.cn for more
information. UDRP Panelist and Task Force Member M. Scott
Donahey has published an interesting article on dispute
resolution in China's .cn ccTLD as well.
 http://www.dnso.org/clubpublic/nc-udrp/Arc00/doc00043.doc

Kuwait Airways Grounded in UDRP - from www.udrp.net
Last week, the National Arbitration Forum issued a
surprising decision against Kuwait Airways, allowing Indian
registrant Mario Noronha to retain ownership of
KuwaitAirways.com.
 http://www.arbforum.com/domains/decisions/127713.htm

Expansion of .cn spells danger for trade mark owners (reg
req'd)
A relaxation of the rules allowing foreign registrars to
sell .cn domain names could lead to trouble for trade mark
owners, according to domain name specialists.

http://www.legalmediagroup.com/default.asp?Page=1&SID=11615&CH=5&CN=&CountryName=Hong%20Kong&Type=News
 
Is .LA the new .TV?
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority has announced the
redelegation of .la - the country code top level domain
corresponding to the People's Democratic Republic of Lao
allowing it to be marketed as the new domain for Los
Angeles, Latin America and Louisiana.
 http://www.demys.net/news/02_dec_12_la.htm

Domain service providers fight for survival (reg req'd)
Korea's major Internet domain service providers are going
all-out to stay afloat and maintain market share.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2002/12/12/200212120076.asp

Microsoft wants WindowsXP.nu domain from hobbyist
A Dutch computer enthusiast who runs a popular Windows XP
gossip Web site has been summoned by Microsoft Corp. to
hand over the WindowsXP.nu domain name.
 http://www.itworld.com/Tech/2987/021210msdomain

Insurance giant taps start-up to manage domain names
Nominum, a 3-year-old start-up specializing in Internet
name and addressing technologies, last week announced its
first enterprise software licensing deal.
 http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2002/1209nominum.html

MyDomain and NamesDirect Web sites offline
Technical problems have taken up to 600,000 Web sites of
MyDomain.com and NamesDirect.com customers offline.

http://www.zdnet.com.au/newstech/ebusiness/story/0,2000024981,20270567,00.htm

Hijacked? Fight over Poker.com URL
Poker.com Inc said its eponymous domain name was hijacked
and traffic redirected to another business on December 6 in
an act of "technological piracy".
 http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28500.html

Mydomain.com, NamesDirect.com felled by DOS Attack
Mydomain.com and NamesDirect.com are back on air, after
recovering from a "HUGE" Denial of Service attack.
 http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28503.html
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Defamation in cyberspace: Reactions to the High Court's
decision in Dow Jones v Gutnick 
Sydney city, 18 December 2002 - Seminar by Baker & McKenzie
Cyberspace Law and Policy Centre and Communications Law
Centre.

http://www.bakercyberlawcentre.org/2002/Gutnick_seminar.htm

German court orders immediate ban on Nazi Web site
A German state government has won one battle in its efforts
to ban Web sites carrying neo-Nazi content, but has yet to
win the war.
 http://virus.idg.net/ic_989608_1794_9-10000.html

Liikanen: convergence and interoperability of web services
must be user-centered
During a conference on 12 December, Commissioner Liikanen
stated that convergence and interoperability of web
services must be user-centered to benefit society.

http://www.euractiv.com/cgi-bin/cgint.exe/2686624-24?targ=1&204&OIDN=1504426&-home=home

Internet traffic grows five-fold in 12 months
The total amount of internet traffic passes through the
Ukrainian internal traffic exchange network (UA-IX), is now
5 times more than in the beginning of the year, according
to Artur Gabovitch, president of Lucky Net ISP.
 http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=14209

Tattoos, Britney top Web search list
If Japanese cartoons, music-sharing and tattoos were on
your mind the last time you did a Web search, then you're
onto the latest trend.

http://europe.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/12/13/lycos.search/index.html

Yahoo told to cancel Saddam's son's email account
The US government has ordered Yahoo to cancel the email
account of Saddam Hussein's son, Uday, according to
Geostrategy Direct.
 http://www.internet-magazine.com/news/view.asp?id=2999

Va. Court Throws Out Internet Libel Suit
A federal appeals court threw out a Virginia prison
warden's lawsuit against two Connecticut newspapers on
Friday, saying articles posted on the Internet were not
aimed at a Virginia audience.

http://news.findlaw.com/ap_stories/high_tech/1700/12-13-2002/20021213160023_26.html

http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/674265p-5031575c.html

http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,5685582%5e16123%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=4th&navby=case&no=012340P

A jurisdictional tangle
A RULING by Australia’s high court on Tuesday December 10th
has further complicated the already murky question of which
laws and whose courts have jurisdiction over the Internet.
In a closely watched libel case, the court has confirmed a
lower-court ruling that Dow Jones can be sued in the
Australian state of Victoria over an article that appeared
on its website. The court rejected the American company’s
claims that any libel action should be heard in New Jersey,
where its web servers reside. A range of media groups and
Internet firms—including CNN, Yahoo!, the New York Times,
the Washington Post, Britain’s Guardian, Reuters and
Amazon—had joined the case on Dow Jones’s side, fearing
that a ruling against the firm would set an important
precedent which could make all Internet publishers open to
lawsuits in any of the 190 countries where the Internet can
be accessed and so curb free speech everywhere.

http://www.economist.com/agenda/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1489053

Court misses Internet opportunity
The High Court has missed a unique opportunity to bring the
law of defamation, in so far as it relates to the Internet,
into the 21st century.
The court has relied on principles set down in the Duke of
Brunswick case in England in 1849. We have seen a
communications revolution since then that requires a review
and, where appropriate, a change in our laws.

http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/14/1039656257342.html

Other C'wealth members expected to apply Australian Net
ruling
A landmark decision by Australia's highest court extends
the reach of its libel laws well beyond its borders,
creating a global precedent that could subject Internet
publishers to lawsuits regardless of their geographical
location.

http://theage.com.au/articles/2002/12/16/1039656328963.html

LARRY MAGID: Filter fuss
Every study of Internet filters - software that keeps kids
away from pornography and other inappropriate Web sites -
has shown that they are flawed, but a new study
commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation and published
by The Journal of the American Medical Association points
out that their effectiveness depends on how they are
configured.

http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/673634p-5027314c.html

IDC: Cyberterror and other prophecies
Among one technology research firm's predictions for 2003
is this sobering thought: A major cyberterrorism event will
disrupt the economy and bring the Internet to its knees for
a day or two.
 http://news.com.com/2100-1001-977780.html

For Chinese Internet dissident, protest runs in the family
Liu Heng, 81, is no different from many Chinese, proud of
her country and fiercely optimistic over the worst kinds of
problems.

http://www.nandotimes.com/technology/story/675150p-5034664c.html

Developers Meet to Discuss Present, Future of Ultra
Wideband Technology 
The Ministry of Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and
Telecommunications on Dec. 9 held a symposium on ultra
wideband (UWB) technology with a theme of sophisticated
utilization.

http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/222374

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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

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