The URS (Uniform Rapid Suspension System) is a new rights protection mechanism that was introduced as part of ICANN's New TLD rollout. Unlike the UDRP (Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy), if a complainant prevails in a URS they do not get the domain. All a URS can do is result in the domain being suspended for the rest of its registration period. Two URS decisions that were … [Read more...] about Lufthansa & WeightWatchers Win URS
Convention Centre Dublin Extends Warm Welcome To ICANN 54
When Dublin was announced as the venue of the ICANN 54 meeting this October I posted some details about the venue and the meeting itself. Last week ICANN's meeting team were in town for some advance preparatory work so I dropped over to say "hi". The venue is a fantastic building: You can also find more photos of the venue over on Stephane's blog. Earlier today … [Read more...] about Convention Centre Dublin Extends Warm Welcome To ICANN 54
Nominet Non-Exec Elections
This year there are two seats up for election as non-executive directors of Nominet, the .uk registry. Nora Nanyakara is stepping down, as is Clive Grace. So of the existing roster of non-executive directors the only one standing for re-election is Dickie Armour There are several other candidates running, so at least Nominet's members will have choice. The … [Read more...] about Nominet Non-Exec Elections
APWG Phishing Report Reveals Crimeware Increase
The APWG (Anti-Phishing Working Group) has released their report for Q4 of 2014. It makes for fairly depressing ready, as you'd expect, but it's worth taking the time to have a look over it. So which TLDs are most (ab)used in phishing and malware attacks? It's hardly surprising that .com is the most (ab)used (46%) - it's also the most popular domain extension. What is a … [Read more...] about APWG Phishing Report Reveals Crimeware Increase
ICANN Board Member and Former GAC Chair To Give Evidence in .Africa Case
The controversy over the competing .africa TLD applications has been going on for some time. A recent decision by the International Centre For Dispute Resolution (ICDR) said that ICANN had breached its own by-laws and has questioned why ICANN won't allow a current board member and the former GAC Chair to speak to them and provide evidence. A letter that was published on the … [Read more...] about ICANN Board Member and Former GAC Chair To Give Evidence in .Africa Case
Carly Fiorina Fails To Protect Her Personal Brand
Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of HP, has announced that she's running for the US presidency. Unfortunately, for her, she hadn't secured all the obvious domains that she should have. I stress for her, as the person who registered carlyfiorina.org has given the internet a rather humorous gift. The subject isn't that humorous - how many people Fiorina laid off during her … [Read more...] about Carly Fiorina Fails To Protect Her Personal Brand
HostingCon Europe Early Bird Special
HostingCon is returning to Europe this September. The event will be held in Amsterdam's Passenger Terminal on September 22 - 23 The organisers are currently offering "early bird" tickets for a mere EUR40, which is very good value. Full details on the official site. … [Read more...] about HostingCon Europe Early Bird Special
DotSucks Takes The Prophylactic Metaphor Further Than INTA Member Might Like
This week INTA, the International Trademark Association, is meeting in San Diego. As can be expected with any trademark show a lot of domain industry companies are in attendance. What, however, seems to be catching more attention than many others is the presence of the .sucks registry. As others have mentioned, Vox Populi have a big billboard on the side of a truck near … [Read more...] about DotSucks Takes The Prophylactic Metaphor Further Than INTA Member Might Like
Which Domains Are The Campaigners Using In the Marriage Equality Referendum?
I'm obviously fascinated by domain names, hosting and related topics, so I thought I'd do some digging into the current marriage equality referendum in Ireland. The country goes to the polls on May 22nd and a yes vote is being supported by all the Irish political parties. (Disclosure - I've also made it pretty clear where I stand on this and where my company stands) With … [Read more...] about Which Domains Are The Campaigners Using In the Marriage Equality Referendum?
IP Rights Enforcement Gone Wrong: MarkMonitor Pursues UK Village Over Its Own Name
IP rights enforcement might be seen as a necessary evil. It depends who you ask. However sometimes the companies who do the rights enforcement for big brands screw up and screw up badly. A recent case involves the village of Copthorne, which is located in Sussex, England. The village has a population of about 5 thousand and has been around for about a thousand years (it's … [Read more...] about IP Rights Enforcement Gone Wrong: MarkMonitor Pursues UK Village Over Its Own Name