Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association

Bi-monthly e-newsletter - March - April - 2006

APTLD || Members' Corner || ICANN || Generic, TLD and IDN Names || Governance || .EU || .XXX || General || Research || Contact

 
APTLD

Next Meeting
The next meeting for APTLD will be held in Hong Kong, around 20 June 2006. More details will be provided shortly.

General Manager
The Recruitment Panel is still deliberating on the matter of the APTLD General Manager. An announcement will be made immediately a decision is reached.

 
Members’ Corner
 
.au

TLDs to be released on 21 May 2006
Under auDA's Reserved List Policy (2002-30), it is not possible to register a domain name that matches an existing gTLD (eg. net.com.au or com.net.au) or ccTLD (eg. au.com.au or uk.net.au).
http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-21042006/

Domain regulator restrains SiteGeneral
Web hosting services company SiteGeneral.com has been slapped over the wrist by the nation's domain regulator for unauthorised transfer of domain names between registrars.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Domain_regulator_restrains_SiteGeneral/0,2000061791,39249559,00.htm
http://www.optusnet.com.au/news/story/zdnet/20060405/09/tech/0,2000061791,39249559,00.inp

SiteGeneral.com breaches transfers policy (news release)
auDA has found that Publish Media Pty Ltd (trading as SiteGeneral.com) has breached the Transfers Policy (2003-03).
http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-04042006/

Domain administrator criticised over consultation
NetRegistry has called on the Australian domain regulator to change its public consultation processes to get more input from domain name purchasers.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Domain_administrator_criticised_over_consultation/0,2000061791,39247829,00.htm

.au Considers Click-Through Advertising
Australia's domain name administrator .au Domain Administration (auda.org.au) announced last week it has called for public comment on domain monetization--the practice of registering numerous domain names in an effort to sell click-through advertising.
http://www.thewhir.com/marketwatch/032706_au_Considers_Click-Through_Advertising.cfm

auDA establishes .au Community Domains Trust
auDA has established .au Community Domains Pty Ltd (auCD), a not-for-profit company to act as trustee of the .au Community Domains Trust.
http://auda.org.au/news-archive/auda-20032006/

auDA seeks public’s opinion on domain monetisation (news release)
auDA announces the release of an issues paper that asks for public comment on whether or not domain monetisation should be included within the meaning of auDA’s "close and substantial connection" rule.
http://auda.org.au/news.php?newsid=54

auDA wants input on domain rules
Australia's domain name administrator today called for public comment on the practice of registering large numbers of domain names for the purpose of selling click-through advertising.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/auDA_wants_input_on_domain_rules/0,2000061791,39247511,00.htm
http://smh.com.au/news/breaking/howard-spoof-site-caught-in-crossfire/2006/03/22/1142703433900.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/20/oz_satire_site/

auDA seeks comment on 'monetisation' of .au domains
The Australian domain name regulator, au Domain Administration (auDA), has released an issues paper seeking comment on whether it should issue .au domain names to organisations whose sole aim is to raise advertising revenue from people accessing those domains, and not to provide any meaningful content.
http://www.webhostdir.com/news/articles/shownews.asp?id=15136
http://www.optusnet.com.au/news/story/zdnet/20060324/09/tech/0,2000061791,39247511,00.inp
http://domaintimes.net/newseng.php?mhnews_id=306&mhnews_newsid=7934&mhnews_page=1

Government orders spoof site shut
A spoof John Howard website that featured a soul searching "apology" speech for the Iraq war has been shut down under orders from the Australian Government.
http://smh.com.au/articles/2006/03/17/1142098638843.html
http://smh.com.au/news/breaking/howard-spoof-site-vanishes/2006/03/16/1142098589270.html

Censorship in cyberspace?
Social commentator and author of satirical hoax website www.johnhowardpm.org, Richard Neville, circulated this update earlier today: It's funny; I'm about as much threat to the state as smelly socks. And yet something happened at 8pm on Tuesday night, Sydney time, that gave me the shivers. Maybe it's a technical problem, I kept telling myself, which is why I've waited 36 hours before making it public. As most of you who received my email on Monday now realise, JOHN HOWARD'S SPEECH (a pdf of the disappeared page has been posted on richardneville.com – let's see how long it lasts) was an act of satire and culture jamming.
http://crikey.com.au/articles/2006/03/16-1514-115.html

.cn

14 Chinese Websites Advocate Civilized Online Behavior
Fourteen websites in China have together put forward proposals regarding the healthy management of their online domains.
http://chinatechnews.com/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=3794

China domain tampering feared
INTERNET experts have warned that China is "manipulating" the domain name system in an attempt to censor its citizens' access to the web.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18914802%5e15306%5e%5enbv%5e,00.html

ICANN Says China Not Transferring Domain Names Onto Single Root
ICANN will start the trial testing of IDNs in the TLD system, in the third quarter of 2006, Paul Twomey, President and CEO of ICANN says.
http://chinatechnews.com/index.php?action=show&type=news&id=3699

China.com sells sub domains
China.com is to franchise part of its web domain to brands, countries and cities as part of a move to get people to publish more information in Chinese.
http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39157286,00.htm
http://www.interfax.cn/showfeature.asp?aid=11025&slug=INTERNET

China and the break-up of the net
Chinese ideas about the setting up its own domain name system could change the global nature of the internet, argues internet law professor Michael Geist.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4779660.stm

Hot domain name registration refer to legislative sessions
As China's two annual legislative and advisory sessions proceed in full swing this week there seems to be a race to register internet domain names relating to the meetings
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-03/08/content_4275993.htm

China will not break away from global internet
In response to media reports that China might create its own TLDs to create its own intranet, a spokesperson from CNNIC clarifies that China will not create its own root servers.
http://domaintimes.net/newseng.php?mhnews_id=306&mhnews_newsid=7798&mhnews_page=1

China seeks a US-free web full of new characters
Internet authorities in China have set up a new family of Chineselanguage alternatives to .com and other popular internet address domains. It's a move that bypasses the US-sponsored organisation that controls address information for the global internet, and some analysts fear it could enhance China's ability to censor its citizens' access to the internet.
http://smh.com.au/news/breaking/china-seeks-a-usfree-web/2006/03/05/1141493547626.html

Chinese walls: China threatens to fracture the internet
THE internet is supposed to be strong enough to survive a nuclear war, but nothing can protect it from politics. Since its inception, its technical underpinning—the handling of addresses such as .com or .org—has been based on an informal consensus among (mainly American) engineers. Yet as governments have come to appreciate the importance of the internet, those delicate agreements are starting to unravel.
http://economist.com/business/displayStory.cfm?story_id=5582257

ICANN disputes China domain report
A report on an official Chinese news site that China's government has established its own Internet top-level domain names is not true, says ICANN.
http://infoworld.com/article/06/03/01/76004_030106HNicannchina_1.html
http://news.com.com/2061-10796_3-6045396.html

China denies creating its own TLDs
China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) as the registry of .CN ccTLD has issued a statement on recent report that China had created its own Top Level Domains, and might be planning to break away from ICANN and the DNS.
http://english.people.com.cn/200603/03/eng20060303_247684.html
http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/business/userobject1ai1890762.html

Chinese control of domain names
It is rumored that China has recently created its own top-level domain root servers for .cn, .com and .net extensions, ostensibly in order to avoid having to "surf the Web via the servers under the management of ICANN of the U.S." I somehow doubt that is the real reason. China is not known for its respect for a free press, and it occurs to me that "American control" is a useful fig leaf to hide an attempt to grab even more control over where a link takes you.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/carroll/index.php?p=1546

China sets up system for Internet domains
The Internet authorities in China have set up a new family of Chinese-language alternatives to .com and other popular Internet address domains. It is a move that bypasses the U.S.-sponsored organization that controls address information for the global Internet, and some analysts fear that it could enhance China's ability to censor its citizens' access to the Internet.
http://iht.com/articles/2006/03/01/business/chinet.php

China adds top-level domain names
China's Ministry of Information Industry (MII) has made adjustment to China's Internet domain name system in accordance with Article 6 of China Internet Domain Names Regulations. After the adjustment, ".MIL" will be added under the top-level domain (TLD) name of "CN".
http://english.people.com.cn/200602/28/eng20060228_246712.html
http://domaintimes.net/newseng.php?mhnews_id=306&mhnews_newsid=7709&mhnews_page=1

China's New Domain Names: Lost in Translation
This morning Rebecca MacKinnon got a bunch of alarmist messages from friends asking about this English-language People’s Daily article titled: China adds top-level domain names.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/chinas_new_domain_names_lost_in_translation/

Chinese Alternate Root as a New Beginning and Real Internet Governance
I suppose not many have been listening to Paul Vixie or surfing from China, I have done both. The Chinese "alternate root" has been going on for a while. China is creating an alternate root, which it can control while using the Chinese language. I doubt I need to tell any of you about ICANN, VeriSign, Internet Governance, alternate roots or the history of these issues. Everyone else will. Unlike most of my colleagues, I hold a different opinion on the subject and have for some time. China launches an alternate root? It's about time they do, too!
http://www.circleid.com/posts/chinese_alternate_root_as_a_new_beginning_and_real_internet_governance/

.cx

IANA Report on the Redelegation of the .CX Top-Level Domain
This report gives the findings and conclusions of the IANA on its investigation of various requests for redelegation of .CX, the ccTLD for Christmas Island – an external territory of Australia.
http://www.iana.org/reports/cx-report-07mar06.pdf

.jp

JPRS Expands CO.JP Eligibility Coverage (news release)
JPRS will modify JP Domain Name regisrtration services, expanding CO.JP eligibility coverage to include a new form of Japanese company, "Godo Gaisya" which is defined in the new Japanese Corporate Law. The new service will become effective on May 1, 2006, in line with enforcement of the law on the same date.
http://jprs.co.jp/en/topics/060419-2.html

JPRS Implemented Shortening of Processing Time for JP DNS Updates (news release)
As announced in February, JPRS implemented shortening of processing time for JP DNS updates from April 3, 2006.
http://jprs.co.jp/en/topics/060419-1.html

Total Number of JP Domain Name Registration Reaches 800,000 (news release)
On March 2, 2006, JPRS announced that the accumulated total of registered JP domain name as of March 1, 2006 exceeded 800,000, marking 801,997. The number of registered Japanese JP domain name reached 118,450, hitting a record high. This number of Japanese JP domain name, which accounts for 15% of whole JP domain name, is the second largest number of registered IDN among the 248 ccTLDs worldwide next to .de (Germany), tying for second place with .tw (Taiwan).
http://jprs.co.jp/en/topics/060303.html

.kr

.KR domain names to be forced to 2-nd level
Starting September, all Korean 2LD, such as .CO.KR, .OR.KR, .GO.KR and others will be covered by .KR names.
http://domaintimes.net/newseng.php?mhnews_id=306&mhnews_newsid=7867&mhnews_page=1

.my

Domain Name Registrations in Malaysia - Coherent With Or Dismisses Intellectual Property Rights?
In Malaysia, the Internet commenced with the inception of the first internet service provider that in turn gave rise to the inception of the Malaysian Domain Name Registrar being the Malaysian Network Information Centre (MYNIC). This entity was entrusted with the primary purpose of regulation and subscription of domain names unique to Malaysia or better known as “Country Code Top Level Domain Name” (ccTLD) bearing the domain name extensions “.com.my”, “.gov.my”, “.net.my”, “.org.my”, “.edu.my”, “.mil.my” and the impending “.my” Second Level Domain Names. Todate, more than 30 million domain names has been registered worldwide, including those in Malaysia.
http://www.mirandah.com

Local registry service provider to operate Congo's ccTLD
Qinetics Solutions Bhd has been appointed the Registry Service outsourcing provider by the Democractic Republic of Congo.
http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2006/3/24/technology/13769434&sec=technology

.nu

On a tiny island, catchy Web name sparks a battle
The arrival of the Internet brought a rare bit of good fortune to Niue, a tiny, impoverished island in the South Pacific. Its national Internet suffix, dot-nu, has become a big hit in Sweden, as "nu" means "now" in Swedish. An entrepreneur in Medfield, Mass., named Bill Semich, who acquired the rights to operate and sell the dot-nu domain name in the late 1990s, has plowed some of the profits from Sweden into making Niue (pronounced New-Ay) the world's first nation with free wireless Internet for all of its citizens, about 1,200 people.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06088/677770-96.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/04/02/wisland02.xml

.nz

InternetNZ considers certification authority role
InternetNZ may seek additional income streams to complement its main revenue from the dividend on domain-name fees, at a time when it is under pressure for a fee reduction.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/F20C031020719945CC25714E0081837D

Hacked: 33 .nz websites per month
On average 33 .nz websites are hacked every month, says Ken Low, senior security manager of 3Com Asia Pacific, secure networks vendor.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/7243E0AF730DA0A9CC25713B00003AD1
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3616112a28,00.html Expert Panel appointed to resolve .nz domain name disputes

Expert Panel appointed to resolve .nz domain name disputes
Eight people, including three former High Court judges, have been appointed to the Expert Panel which will, from 1 June, determine disputes over .nz domain name registrations.
http://dnc.org.nz/story/30252.html

.ph

Not a money settlement, PLDT says on domain name case
THE PHILIPPINE Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) said it has decided to drop its six-year domain and trade name dispute against Gerry Kaimo, owner of the "pldt.com" domain name, in exchange for the latter's agreement to turn over several domain names he owns.
http://news.inq7.net/infotech/index.php?index=1&story_id=73156

.tv

Testing time for tiny Tuvalu
The South Pacific country of Tuvalu is perhaps best known for its internet domain name - .tv - which it leases out for several million dollars a year. But who can blame them when, as Nick Squires explains, the tiny country's distinctive way of life is under threat because of climate change.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4864748.stm

ICANN

ICANN Chooses Privacy for Whois
ICANN has voted to adopt a policy protecting the privacy of domain holders' personal information.
http://epic.org/privacy/whois/
http://gnso.icann.org/issues/whois-privacy/prelim-tf-rpt-18jan06.htm
http://gnso.icann.org/mailing-lists/archives/council/msg02393.html

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ICANN ALAC Announcement
Members of the ALAC created a new website -- www.icannalac.org -- for the At-Large community. It is intended to help inform and encourage a dialogue among members of ICANN's At-Large community about domain name system issues that affect the world's Internet users. At-Large community members are encouraged to register and share thoughts, announcements, news and commentary relating to ICANN and the interests of individual Internet users. (Note: this website is not part of www.icann.org and is not operated by ICANN. It is run by members of the ALAC.
http://alac.icann.org/announcements/announcement-30mar06.htm

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Vint Cerf's Keynote at Domain Roundtable
I had the pleasure of eating breakfast with Vint Cerf, chairman of ICANN’s board and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, prior to his keynote address this morning. It was great to discuss some of the issues domainers are facing with regards to registrar practices, expiring domains, etc. directly with Cerf.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/vint_cerf_keynote_domain_roundtable/

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ICANN consultation process could learn from InternetNZ
ICANN and other bodies concerned with internet governance could learn from InternetNZ’s model of consultation, says Marilyn Cade, of ICANN’s business and commercial constituency.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/UNID/4EAF276785A2F142CC25714900015134

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Icann gives Verisign the nod
The board of ICANN has approved a controversial contract under which Verisign will manage the ".com" domain, with the board's Kiwi member dissenting. Peter Dengate Thrush, a former New Zealand barrister who has been involved in Icann since it was created in 1998, joined four other board members in opposing the contract with domain registrar Verisign.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3593297a28,00.html

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ICANN board approves settlement, price hikes
In a rare show of internal discord, the group that sets domain name regulation has approved a controversial proposal extending VeriSign's lucrative .com monopoly and allowing for price increases for those domains.
http://news.com.com/2100-1030_3-6044587.html

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Neustar

NeuStar Announces Agreement to Acquire UltraDNS, a Recognized Industry Leader of DNS and Directory Services
NeuStar, Inc. , a leading provider of essential communications services to the global communications and Internet industry, announced today that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire UltraDNS Corporation of Reston, Virginia, for $61.8 million in cash, subject to customary closing conditions.
http://www.neustar.biz/pressroom/announcements/press_release.cfm?press_id=554

 
Generic, TLD and IDN Names
Internet agency considers domain name to organize contacts
Reaching out and touching someone used to be as simple as dialing a string of numbers. But now there are home, cell and work phone numbers from which to choose, and sometimes work extensions to remember. There are also e-mail addresses — at home and at work — and instant messaging handles, perhaps separate ones for the various services, some of which now do voice and video besides text.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2006-04-14-tel-name_x.htm

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Timetable for Testing IDNS in Top-Level Domains Announced
ICANN released today a statement outlining a proposal by the President’s Committee on IDNs (co-chaired by Hualin Qian, Mouhamet Diop and Paul Twomey) for a timetable leading to the technical testing of IDNs at the TLD level.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/timetable_for_testing_idns_top_level_domains/

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Icann tests global domain names
Icann is to test Arabic, Chinese and other non-Roman characters in domain names.
http://networks.silicon.com/webwatch/0,39024667,39157361,00.htm

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Answers from Vint Cerf: The Road Ahead for Top-Level Domains
Earlier this year we requested your questions on one of ICANN's most heated discussions -- issues involving TLDs -- which we passed on to Vint Cerf, Google's VP and Chief Internet Evangelist and chairman of the board of ICANN. Despite an understandably heavy schedule, Vint Cerf has taken the time to personally respond to more questions than we had originally anticipated. So with our special thanks, here are his responses.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/answers_from_vint_cerf_on_top_level_domains/

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Governance
Unease over how the net is run by Michael Geist
Internet governance issues usually attract the attention of a relatively small number of net users. However, concerns associated with the current system have begun to grow, writes internet law professor Michael Geist.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4871638.stm

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Internet Governance: Asia-Pacific Perspectives
This publication, with a foreword by Nitin Desai, provides an overview of the key debates on Internet governance. It presents the work of the Open Regional Dialogue on Internet Governance, an APDIP initiative that has collected perspectives from regional experts and end users.
http://apdip.net/news/igovperspectives

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.EU
Top countries for .eu registrations: Germany, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Cyprus
ipWalk issued a report on top countries with .eu domain registrations. Among 1,595,192 domain names registered since April 7, 2006, 514,984 are registered to German addresses.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/ITFacts/index.php?p=10703

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eu: Politicians find .eu website addresses gone to squatters
A number of politicians and political parties have become the latest victims of "cyber squatting", writes John Collins.
http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/7886840?view=Eircomnet

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.XXX
ICM Registry Submits Revised Proposed .XXX Registry Agreement to ICANN; New Comment Period Commences
A revised proposed .XXX Registry Agreement was submitted to ICANN by ICM Registry yesterday, for consideration by the Board of Directors in a meeting May 10.
http://freespeechcoalition.com/newicmagreement.htm

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ICANN to Respond to Government Advisory Committee Regarding New TLDs and .XXX
ICANN confirmed today that it will be formally responding to the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee's "GAC Meeting XXIV Communiqué" dated 28 March 2006 and in particular relating to the GAC's questions and concerns on New TLD's and .XXX. ICANN's response to the GAC is expected to be provided within the next week.
http://icann.org/announcements/announcement-20apr06.htm

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au: Govt opposes adult internet domain
The federal government has written to the international internet domain name body to protest against moves by a United States company to establish the adult content domain .xxx.
http://theage.com.au/news/National/Govt-opposes-adult-internet-domain/2006/04/15/1144521529649.html
http://smh.com.au/news/technology/coonan-moves-to-block-adult-internet-domain/2006/04/14/1144521508885.html
http://zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Feds_oppose_adult_Internet_domain/0,2000061744,39252126,00.htm

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A Hot Domain on Ice
Under pressure from policymakers, ICANN delays plans to give pornography an Internet domain: It's easy to find porn on the Net. Yet those who wanted to make it even easier just suffered a big setback, and the EU is none too pleased about it.
http://businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2006/tc20060403_979619.htm

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General
Netcraft April 2006 Web Server Survey
There are now more than 80 million web sites on the Internet, as the April 2006 survey received responses from 80,655,992 sites, an increase of 3.1 million hostnames from March 2006. The web has doubled in size in the past three years, as the survey hit the 40 million mark in April 2003.
http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2006/04/06/april_2006_web_server_survey.html

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How Domain Name Traffic Testing/Tasting Works by Frank Michlick
Starting from an old article (dated July 21st, 2005) published at Computer Business Review, (and following a more recent entry on GoDaddy’s Bob Parson’s blog) I would like to touch a bit more on the topic of ‘traffic testing’ or ‘traffic tasting’ of domains. This topic has been discussed at ICANN meetings since last year and is also referred to by the name of ‘add/delete’ or ‘add/drop’ storms.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/how_domain_name_tasting_works/

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How millions of .COM names are used but never paid for
We Americans have a big problem – actually it’s everybody’s problem — and it has something in common with the .EU Landrush abuse I just finished writing about – no one wants to talk about it. The problem I’m talking about is abuse of the ADD Grace Period (AGP) by a number of key registrars right here in the good ole U.S.A.
http://addict3d.org/index.php?page=viewarticle&type=news&ID=21313

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City Identifiers on the Net: A Closer Look by Dirk Krischenowski
Cities are among the largest regional authorities and natural human communities we know. Of course there are countries like China, India or the USA which count some hundred million or even a billion inhabitants. But there are also countries with far less than 100,000 inhabitants, like Tuvalu, Andorra or Barbados. If city communities are ranked by the number of inhabitants as independent entities among country communities, cities like Tokyo, New York, Shanghai or London head the ranking because they have more citizens than many countries. London for instance has more inhabitants than the Netherlands and Tokyo outpaces Canada in that respect. Interestingly, there are only around 400 cities worldwide with more than 1 million inhabitants. Population wise, the average metropolis outranks 50% of all countries.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/city_identifiers_net_tld/

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de: Düsseldorf edges ahead of Munich in Domain Numbers (news release)
DENIC's domain statistics for 2005: Statistically one in ten of Germany's inhabitants now has a domain registered – Big cities in the western part of Germany remain domain strongholds
http://www.denic.de/en/denic/presse/press_75.html

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Bad-faith domains grow
THE number of "bad faith" domain-name registrations raises concerns that trademarks are increasingly being infringed online, the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property has found.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18843463%5E15343%5E%5Enbv%5E15306%2D15317,00.html

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Perens pushes for open source domain parking
Open source advocate Bruce Perens has launched an initiative to discourage owners of undeveloped Web domains hosting them on servers running proprietary software.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Perens_pushes_for_open_source_domain_parking/0,2000061733,39252393,00.htm

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Bad-faith domains grow
THE number of "bad faith" domain-name registrations raises concerns that trademarks are increasingly being infringed online, the Advisory Council on Intellectual Property has found.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,18843463%5E15343%5E%5Enbv%5E15306%2D15317,00.html

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Perens pushes for open source domain parking
Open source advocate Bruce Perens has launched an initiative to discourage owners of undeveloped Web domains hosting them on servers running proprietary software.
http://zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Perens_pushes_for_open_source_domain_parking/0,2000061733,39252393,00.htm

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Interesting facts about domain names
Some interesting facts about domain names such as that of of the 676 possible two-letter sequences - they're all taken. And then even allowing for digits, giving 1296 combinations, again every single variation is taken. Als, there are 253,000+ non-IDN domains that are 32 characters or longer, including 538 that are 63 characters long. For more, see
http://yafla.com/dennisforbes/Interesting-Facts-About-Domain-Names/Interesting-Facts-About-Domain-Names.html

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DNS Cache Poisoning - The Next Generation
The old problem of DNS cache poisoning has again reared its ugly head. While some would argue that the domain name system protocol is inherently vulnerable to this style of attack due to the weakness of 16-bit transaction IDs, we cannot ignore the immediate threat while waiting for something better to come along.
http://www.it-observer.com/news/6071/dns_cache_poisoning_next_generation/

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Reinventing the internet (sub req'd)
New initiatives aim to overhaul the internet. But how can a “clean slate” redesign ever be implemented?
http://economist.com/science/tq/displayStory.cfm?story_id=5571596

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Microsoft to Hunt Down Typo-Squatters Using URL Tracer
Microsoft Research has released a new tool to help pinpoint large-scale typo-squatters that are known to be gaming pay-per-click domain parking services.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/microsoft_hunts_typo_squatters_strider_url_tracer/

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Research
Working with IP Addresses by Russ White, Cisco Systems
IP addresses, both IPv4 and IPv6, appear to be complicated when you first encounter them, but in reality they are simple constructions, and a using a few basic rules will allow you to find the important information for any situation very quickly—and with minimal math. In this article, we review some of the basics of IPv4 address layout, and then consider a technique to make working with IPv4 addresses easier. Although this is not the “conventional” method you might have been taught to work with in IP address space, you will find it is very easy and fast. We conclude with a discussion of applying those techniques to the IPv6 address space.

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Online Dispute Resolution and Bargaining by YANNICK GABUTHY
Abstract: The automated negotiation process seems to be a powerful mechanism to resolve disputes arising from Internet-based transactions. Automated negotiation is an online blind-bidding process in which an automated algorithm evaluates bids from the parties and settles the case if the offers are within a prescribed range. Following the arguments of the dispute resolution professionals, the main advantage of this procedure is to promote natural agreements by restoring the parties' right to negotiate on their own, without the presence of a third party in the shadow of negotiations. Our purpose is to investigate this issue by modelling the automated negotiation process as a two-person bargaining game under incomplete information. A first result states that, given incomplete information, not all mutually beneficial agreements can be attained via the procedure. Furthermore, the settlement rule has a drastic effect on the players' strategies, which induces that the automated negotiation process does not significantly increase the likelihood of a settlement. The ability of the procedure to generate efficiency is only due to the costs imposed on parties if a disagreement occurs, that is the combination of player' risk aversion and uncertainty.
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=891056

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Published on 11 May 2006