Category: Industry News

The Web Hosting and Domains industry is dynamic in nature with new policies, mergers & acquisitions, important ICANN announcements, New gTLD updates, cyber attacks, etc. creating a stir from time to time. To give you a quick lowdown on all these fresh industry updates and trends that matter to you through, we collate all major newsworthy events into simple 2-minute long reads.

Industry News, Registries

Afilias and CERT-In Sign MoU to Improve Internet Security in India

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Cooperation and knowledge sharing will help emergency response to cyber-security threats

New Delhi, India–February 12, 2008 –Afilias, a global provider of registry services, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) to share critical information and resources to enhance cyber-security in India and world-wide, increase awareness of important security issues, and to cooperate in emergency response to critical threats.

“The Internet is a global network, security threats are best addressed through cooperation between organizations and across borders. Afilias’ global expertise will help us improve our ability to report on and respond to threats that affect India, and the sharing of data will help in protecting core Internet infrastructure and the domains that Afilias supports in India.” said Dr. Gulshan Rai, Director of CERT-In.

Industry News, Registries

Asia Sunrise Completed with Over 30,000 Domain Applications

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Hong Kong, China, February 07, 2008 –(PR.com)– Application periods for .Asia Sunrise successfully completed according to schedule last week on January 31, 2008. At the time of closing, DotAsia received a total of 30,780 domain name applications. These include domain names received through Pre-Sunrise, Sunrise 1, Sunrise 2, Sunrise 3, as well as the Pioneer Domains Programs. .Asia Landrush (open public registration) is set to launch at 12:00 noon UTC, February 20, 2008.

Industry News, Registries

Historical First Batch of .Asia Auctions Completed with Success

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Hong Kong, 25 January 2008 – DotAsia Organization is pleased to announce today the historical smooth completion of the first batch of domain auctions for the .Asia “Sunrise” (i.e. priority registration period intended for intellectual property rights owners).

The auctions proved to be a massive success in contrast to previous chaotic rushes for domain names that leave brand owners frustrated. The average winning price for the first batch of contended auctions netted over US$1500.00 per domain, with high bids for domain names reaching beyond a few ten-thousand dollars, signifying great interest from companies to invest into the new .Asia cyberspace. A total of over 600 domain names received more than one application during the first phase of Sunrise (Sunrise 2a) which totaled around 15,000 applications.

Industry News

ICANN issues plea for liberty from US government

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ICANN has asked the US government to be freed from official control according to a report prepared by ICANN and sent to the Department of Commerce. The report addresses the objectives set by the US government that had to before it could become independent. These included that ICANN “has put in place means of being accountable to parties with an interest in the internet, including other governments, and that the process should now be completed” according to The Times.

Paul Twomey comments in the report to the Department of Commerce: “Has the process of the MoU and JPA towards building a stable, strong organization which can do this transition, has that been successful? … The board is effectively saying yes.” While Peter Dengate Thrush’s letter sent with the report says: “The Board proposes that the JPA is no longer necessary and can be concluded.”

The Times also quotes Dr Milton Mueller, a partner in the Internet Governance Project, a group of academics specialising in internet governance issues, who said: “Compared with other international organisations ICANN is very transparent, but at times it still feels a bit more like a private club, with not enough checks and balances. This new ‘no confidence vote’ procedure is definitely the direction they need to move in.”

Industry News, Registries

Landrush for .Asia Domain Begins February 20, 2008

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Go Live on schedule for March 26, 2008 as .Asia outpaces .EU in quality and quantity

Individual companies and the general public will soon be eligible to register for available .Asia domain names when the Landrush phase kicks off on February 20, 2008. Landrush concludes on March 12, with Go Live (i.e. start of normal First-Come-First-Served registration process) scheduled for March 26, 2008.

During the Landrush phase anyone around the world can apply for any available .Asia domain, representing a golden opportunity for individuals looking to invest in the most prestigious and potentially profitable cyber real estate in Asia. Domain names receiving more than one application during the Landrush period will be auctioned between the applicants in an equitable process that would encourage the adoption of the .Asia domain. Popular “keyword” domains, such as names consisting of common terms are expected to generate the most intense bidding.