1.
gTLD Update
ICANN
signs registry agreement for .name
The
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
this week announced a key step forward towards a new top-level
domain that will make it easier for individuals to register
their names as personal domain names on the Internet. ICANN
has signed an agreement for the introduction of a new Internet
top-level domain (TLD) designated as .name. Individuals
will be able to request domain names of the form john.smith.name
after the registration process opens in late August.
In September,
registrations will be submitted to the central registry,
which will conduct a randomised selection process among
multiple submissions of the same name.
Registered
.name domains are expected to become operational on the
Internet around November 1. .name is the third of seven
new gTLDs selected last November by the ICANN Board of Directors
for the first introduction of new generic top-level domains
since the 1980s.
The
.name registry was recently criticised for its plans to
sell email addresses at the second level e.g. john@smith.name.
2.
Industry
News
.eu
goes for a Spring launch
After
a long and drawn out process, the European Union has decided
that the .eu domain suffix will finally see the light of
day in Spring 2002.
The
top level domain will be for companies wanting to create
a pan-European presence on the Net. Like the current new
batch of gTLDs being created, .eu will open with a Sunrise
period, during which companies and individuals that already
have rights to a particular name (such as trademark holders)
may stake out their claim in the .eu domain.
ICANN
considers anonymous registration
ICANN
is conducting a review of the Whois database for domain
name registrants, to assess the feasibility of allowing
individuals and companies to register domain names anonymously
in the future.
An online
survey invites people to comment on the existing practice
of publishing the personal details of registrants to the
public, which is often used for commercial purposes. The
comment period is open until August 14, and will question
current rules that prevent people from signing up for domain
names anonymously.
ICANN states, "the questions are designed to focus
on the purpose, use, and accuracy of the Whois service to
establish the appropriate balance between competing interests."
The
Whois service currently contains registrants' domain name
registration information, which is gathered from the databases
of either ICANN-accredited registrars or at the registry
of the appropriate country code. The Whois database is a
publicly searchable resource and is used to determine the
identity of domain name registrants and the technical and
administrative contacts associated with the domain name
or Internet Protocol (IP) block. For further details, please
visit the ICANN web site at www.icann.org.
3.
NIC News
.ph
Domain Row to be Resolved by End of August
Amidst
a series of proposals and counter-attacks over how to effectively
solve the longstanding row over the .ph domain, the Filipino
Department of Trade and Industry has confirmed that a resolution
will be sought by end of August.
A little over three months ago, the Philippine Domain Authority
Convenors Group and the Philippine League for Democratic
Telecommunications, Inc. jointly documented complaints against
local domain registry DotPH, Inc. Some of the grievances
include non-consultation with the local Internet community
on .ph policies, sudden price increase, and non-issuance
of receipts. The organisations also highlighted their concern
over .ph being a "phone" domain.
4.
NetNames News
This
week NetNames submitted the first batch of .info domain
names to the registry, in the initial 'round robin' stage
of the process. Remember, if you're a trademark holder,
it's not too late to put in your 'Sunrise' submission.
Just go to www.gtld.com
and click on the '.info' button.
5.
Fact of the week
Internet
still a man's domain
Although
the percentage of women surfing the Net has been steadily
increasing, only in the US and Canada are women actually
in the majority. Of the 26 countries measured by Nielsen//NetRatings,
Germany, with the world's third largest online population,
had the largest male audience, at 63 percent.
Other
countries with a high percentage of male surfers included
France, at 62 percent, and Italy, at 61 percent. The UK's
Internet population is split with 57 percent male, and
43 percent female.
