In an interesting move several members of the ICANN community formed an "informal" Working Group to discuss the concept of "expressions of interest" in new TLDs. This all happened very quickly, which is more or less the opposite to how most ICANN related activities progress.Earlier this evening the group submitted its report / paper to ICANNThe report, which runs to about 11 … [Read more...] about Informal Working Group Publish Report On New TLDs
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ICANN Registrars Switching to new RAA Update
ICANN staff informed the Registrar Stakeholder Group at the meeting in Seoul, Korea, that 638 registrars have either signed the new RAA or are in the process of signing it. While it may prove difficult to encourage all registrars to signup voluntarily ie. prior to contract expiry it's encouraging to see that the bulk of domain registrations are now covered by the new … [Read more...] about ICANN Registrars Switching to new RAA Update
PIR Releases Domain Report
PIR, the organisation behind .org (dotOrg), has released its first biannual domain report - The Dashboard. The report, which runs to 10 pages, goes into detail on the type of websites that opt for .org as their domain extension. Not surprisingly a lot of non-profit or non-commercial sites are using .org.What's also interesting to see, and will come as positive news to industry … [Read more...] about PIR Releases Domain Report
EU IDNs – Some Governments Still Don’t Get It!
Image via WikipediaWhen .eu launched a couple of years ago all member states were given the chance to put names down on a "reserve list". The idea being that these names should only be registered either by the state or its organs. Unfortunately some governments didn't take advantage of this, with the end result being that the .eu launch led to domains like cork.eu and dublin.eu … [Read more...] about EU IDNs – Some Governments Still Don’t Get It!
Bob Parsons Now Sells MotorBikes
Bob Parsons, the CEO / founder and owner of GoDaddy, has launched a new business venture.This time round it has absolutely nothing to do with domains or the internet. He's selling motorbikes!Check out the interview on Fox Business:Watch the latest business video at FOXBusiness.comHe's got some interesting reflections on how the current economy is going as well, so it makes for … [Read more...] about Bob Parsons Now Sells MotorBikes
Give Your Opinion – Post-Expiry Domain Name Recovery
ICANN's Post-Expiry Domain Name Recovery Working Group (bit of a mouthful!) has opened a comment period.The questions being asked are as follows: 1. Whether adequate opportunity exists for registrants to redeem their expired domain names; 2. Whether expiration-related provisions in typical registration agreements are clear and conspicuous … [Read more...] about Give Your Opinion – Post-Expiry Domain Name Recovery
DNS.be Release Figures Of Domain Usage
DNS.be, the registry operator for the .be namespace, has released figures on .be usage.According to the report, which was released earlier today, there are over 600 thousand websites using .be. In real terms this means that roughly 7 out of 10 .be domains is actively being used for websites. Of course, as the report points out, just because a .be doesn't direct to a website … [Read more...] about DNS.be Release Figures Of Domain Usage
Swiss Registry To Compete Against Its Clients
The Swiss ccTLD operator, Switch, has announced the launch of a new company and service called "SwitchPlus".The new entity is a wholly owned subsidiary of Switch and is aimed at providing a range of services that would, essentially, compete against the registry operator's clientele - namely registrar, hosting providers and IT service companies.The Swiss operator claims that … [Read more...] about Swiss Registry To Compete Against Its Clients
ICANN Seeks Expressions of Interest For SimplyNamed’s Portfolio
As was to be expected ICANN is now seeking expressions of interest in the bulk transfer of the recently deaccredited registrars.The first one "up for grabs" is SimplyNamed's, which numbers less than 300 domains.Expect to see the other two being listed very shortly ...Of course with portfolios that small you'd have to wonder if many registrars will "bite". The amount of hassle … [Read more...] about ICANN Seeks Expressions of Interest For SimplyNamed’s Portfolio
DK Registry To Close For 24 Hours!
All registry operators have maintenance windows. In some cases they last a few minutes, while in others they can last a few hours.But DK Hostmaster has to "take the biscuit".They're shutting down all operations for a full 24 hours! While existing domains will continue to function as normal, the registry will be closed for all other operations for a full 24 hours.Is this some … [Read more...] about DK Registry To Close For 24 Hours!