ICANN pulled the plug on AlpNames yesterday. The action was swift and from informal conversations I've had with multiple registrars it's pretty clear that very few people will mourn their demise. But what will happen with the domains currently linked to AlpNames? ICANN has a process for moving the names of a de-accredited registrar to a new home. Normally ICANN staff would … [Read more...] about ICANN is Trying to Find a Registrar for AlpNames’ Domains
ICANN Terminates AlpNames
AlpNames has been sent a notice of termination by ICANN. Unlike many termination notices that specify a future date the one they were sent is has immediate effect. As reported in multiple fora over the last few days AlpNames had gone offline, and at time of writing still is. They've also become unresponsive. It's on the basis of this that ICANN decided to terminate their … [Read more...] about ICANN Terminates AlpNames
CENTR Releases Q4 2018 Stats
CENTR has published the 2018 Q4 edition of their global domain statistics. The report, which is available both as a static document as well as an interactive page, is available here. Overall domain name volumes globally continue to grow, but that growth has slowed. In the European ccTLD space there's been a decline in growth trends, though the growth continues for now. … [Read more...] about CENTR Releases Q4 2018 Stats
NamesCon Europe Basic Schedule Published
NamesCon Europe is being held this year in Portugal, about 35 km from Lisbon. The event organisers have released an outline agenda, which is probably helpful if you're trying to plan how many days to be there for etc., For now it's not known who will be speaking at the event, nor if there will be any specific "hot" topics on the agenda. However there are discounts … [Read more...] about NamesCon Europe Basic Schedule Published
ICANN 64 Kobe Kicking Off This Weekend
ICANN 64 is being held in Kobe, Japan starting (officially) this weekend. If you're not attending in person you can follow most of the sessions using a variety of "remote" tools that ICANN offers. The live audio (and often video) streams for each session are available on the event schedule. The GNSO Council voted on the final report of the EPDP on whois yesterday, so … [Read more...] about ICANN 64 Kobe Kicking Off This Weekend
IEDR Policy Advisory Committee Election Results
The IEDR's Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) was setup back in 2015. It's made up of representatives from the registrar channel and various stakeholder groups of Irish business and society including the Irish Internet Association, The ISP Association of Ireland, The Irish Computer Society, the Irish government and others. (See PDF) For the registrars there are four seats, … [Read more...] about IEDR Policy Advisory Committee Election Results
IGF 2019 Dates & Venue Confirmed
The 2019 IGF will be held in Berlin, Germany from November 25th to November 29th. This year's event is being hosted by the German government and will take place in the Estrel Congress Centre. The local host is using a .berlin domain name for the event site, which is available in both German and English. Attendance at IGFs is free, but registration is compulsory, as … [Read more...] about IGF 2019 Dates & Venue Confirmed
Data Transfers Post-Brexit Are Going to get Complicated
If the UK proceeds with a "no deal" Brexit, or any kind of Brexit at the end of March data transfers to the UK from EU countries will become much more complicated. At present all members of the EU are covered by the same laws (more or less) so transferring data around with the EU's boundaries isn't a problem. After Brexit the UK will be considered a "3rd country" and if you … [Read more...] about Data Transfers Post-Brexit Are Going to get Complicated
PIR Hiring Associate Counsel
PIR, the .org domain name registry, is hiring for a position on their legal team. The role of "associate counsel" will involve a mixture of legal strategy, domain name policy as well as dealing with their anti-abuse program Full details of the role and how to apply can be found here. … [Read more...] about PIR Hiring Associate Counsel
A Detailed IE Domain Dispute Decision
Reading domain dispute decisions is a rather odd way to spend your day, but I'll admit that I do read quite a few of them. Why? Because it's fascinating to see why and how people win or lose these disputes. The .ie ccTLD traditionally has had a very low volume of complaints, with it being rare for them to get more than a handful of complaints per year. With the … [Read more...] about A Detailed IE Domain Dispute Decision