ICANN Unleashing Single-letter and Single-digit Domain Names, Seeking Best Method

ICANN will be seeking proposals for potential allocation methods of single-letter and single-digit domain names at the second level in generic Top-Level Domain registries. Examples include a.com, i.info, 4.mobi, 8.org. Comments regarding the potential uses for revenue generated from the sale of such domains are also requested. more»

CNET Report Calling all Domainers "Cybersquatters", Blaming Cheap Domains

Despite strong criticisms from the domain name industry against labeling all Domainers as "Cybersquatters", comes the latest CNet report saying... "The cheaper the domain (name), the more active the cybersquatting activities," Lam said, noting that cybersquatters have now earned a new moniker, "domainers."... more»

ICANN to Start Sample Internationalized Domain Trials in 11 Languages

On Oct. 15, ICANN plans to unveil mechanisms for individuals and businesses to try out the new sample Top-Level Domains in nearly a dozen languages. The 11 domains now under review will read "test" in Arabic, Persian, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Russian, Hindi, Greek, Korean, Yiddish, Japanese and Tamil. At this point, these 11 domain names are meant primarily for software developers and website designers to test the new system, but they are the first such names entered in the root servers after years of discussions and limited-access tests. more»

Federal Government Removes California's ca.gov Domain, Causing Chaos with State Agencies

The Federal government pulled the plug on the ca.gov domain used by the State of California on Tuesday, setting into motion a chain of events that threatened to grind government business to a standstill within the state. State IT staffers were able to fix the problem within a few hours, narrowly averting disaster, but the situation shed light on what observers are calling a shocking weakness in the state's IT infrastructure. more»

Dot Name Domain Registry Charging for Whois Access, Security Researchers Not Happy

The company that manages the .name top-level domain registry is charging for access to domain registration information (Whois data), a step that security researchers say frustrates their ability to police the Internet and creates a haven for hackers who run internet scams. more»

Russian Groups Urge ICANN to Keep Old Soviet Union's .su Domain Alive

Some Russian Internet users are struggle with ICANN to save the .su country code top-level domain (ccTLD) that was assigned to the country just before the Soviet Union collapsed. ICANN says that the name is out of date and is planning to remove it from the root servers. On the other hand, thousands of Internet users are still using .su ccTLD -- figures reported indicate nearly 10,000 registered domain names with approximately 1,500 new ones added this year alone. more»

The .TK Domain Generates 10% of Tiny Pacific Nation's Wealth

Tokelau, a non-self-governing colonial territory of New Zealand that comprises three tropical coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, has come up with a novel way of making money via its country code top-level domain name .TK. Tokelau may only have 1,500 inhabitants and be a two-day boat trip from its nearest neighbor but selling its .TK domain is reaping benefits. A Dutch entrepreneur who bought the address now offers a free domain name service in return for targeted ads. The deal has allowed Tokelau to add 10% to its GDP as well as gain personal computers and net access for residents. more»

10,000 .EU Domains Suspended, Registrant Accused of Cybersquatting

A Chinese woman, Zheng Qingyin, who registered 10,000 .eu domain names, is facing a lawsuit from Eurid, the Belgian-based domain registry that manages the .eu top-level domain. Qingyin, whose 10,000 domain names are currently suspended, has retaliated by bringing her own legal complaint according to Eurid's legal adviser. more»

Dispute Over Western Sahara's .EH

Is Western Sahara a part of Morocco or is it truly independent? Never really settled in the real world, an old dispute now has repercussions on the Internet as two governments fight for one of the last unassigned country codes. Undelegated extensions -- ones that haven't been assigned to anyone yet -- are like 2 character .COMs: extremely rare... more»

Domain Names Registered Globally Now Over 138 Million

VeriSign has published its second quarter 2007 Domain Name Industry Brief where it reports that the number of new domain name registrations have hit an all time high in the second quarter of 2007 with 14.5 million new registrations, exceeding the previous high mark hit in the fourth quarter of 2006. From the report: "At the midpoint of 2007, the total base of domain name registrations worldwide was 138 million across all of the Top Level Domain Names (TLDs). This represents a 31 percent increase over the same quarter last year and an eight percent increase over the first quarter 2007..." more»

The .EU Domain Popular with Cross-Border Merger Groups

A recent report says that the .eu top-level domain, launched a year ago, has proven particularly popular with groups that have been created as a result of cross-border mergers. Example groups given include Dexia, the Franco-Belgian group, as well as companies registered outside their home country for regulatory reasons. Cyprus, a popular destination for company registrations, has boasted the seventh-highest number of .eu domain names. more»

North Korea Expected to Get Approval for ".KP" from ICANN

It has been reported today that North Korea is gradually moving towards opening its door to embrace the Internet as the tension on the Korean Peninsula eases after the South-North summit. A professor from the Dongguk University quoted in the North Korea Times says: "It is a natural choice for the self-enclosed nation to connect its network to the global Internet if it wants to be a member of global society." more»

MSN Messenger is Censoring .info Domains

Reports have been surfacing on various blogs about Microsoft's MSN messenger users who have recently found URLs containing the .info top-level domain extension blocked entirely. Moreover the censorship is not limited to the URL in question, but any string in your message that contains the string ".info". Although significant number of spam sites have notoriously made use of cheaply available .info domains, users are raising serious concerns regarding Microsoft's privacy and censorship policies... more»

Go Daddy, Afilias Announce Joint Venture, Plan to Revitalize .US Domain

In a press release issued today an announcement has been made about the Alliance Registry, a joint venture between Afilias and Go Daddy, which is stated to combine the best in secure technology and marketing capabilities to revitalize the .US top-level domain name. more»

Massive Internet Impact Possible Due to Relaxed TLD Application Process

Kieren McCarthy's latest column at Guardian Unlimited discusses the massive impact -- and controversies -- that the new top-level domain (TLD) names will bring about. The rules for the creation of TLDs are being relaxed starting next year. From the article: "From 2008, anyone wanting their own piece of the internet is welcome to apply for it. It won't be cheap (there will an application fee of around $100,000) and it won't be simple (you have to prove you are capable of running a complex piece of the net's infrastructure) -- but it could mean a change in the way the online world works." more»