ICANN’s Analysis On The Rights Protection Processes
Latest draft documents from ICANN come with comments about protection mechanisms as they were pinpointed by the latest gTLD Program and it is meant to offer an idea on how efficient these mechanisms are.
The documents try to highlight the data obtained from important areas connected to the protection rights, which include, among others, Trademark Clearinghouse and Uniform Rapid Suspension system.
There is also a link provided for comments on these safeguarding mechanisms here:
https://www.icann.org/public-comments/rpm-review-2015-02-02-en
DNA Survey Shows Increased Interest For New gTLDs
According to a press release from the DNA (The Domain Name Association) and based on a survey they have conducted, a few conclusions were drawn from interviewing approximately 5000 users in ten countries. Among these conclusions, the most important ones are:
New internet domain names continue to be popular between young people and remain relevant when they access or search for websites. The percentage in such cases rise up to 85%.
The users from all over the world are very receptive to use new extensions for domain names. They are more likely to click on them than on classic .com or local ccTLDS, even if they are not aware of the new gTLD program, because they look more interesting to them in point of better reflecting the content and being easier to memorize.
Therefore, the general conclusion of the survey is that this market is on continuous expansion, the lesser degree globally being of 50% which still shows a high potential for the newest products, even if most of the users remain unaware of the possibilities offered by the latest gTLD Program.
Agreement Between ICANN and EURid to Develop DNS Sector in Africa and Middle East
A new partnership between EuRid, the owner of the .EU extension and ICANN, has been signed for the purpose of developing a collaboration on increasing the development of domain names industry propagation in Africa and Middle East.
The memorandum is meant to improve the local expertise in the DNS field so that new business opportunities arise and allow for a new strategy to increase efforts for the implementation of best practices in registry operations.
Another goal of this partnership is supporting the internship sessions for the young specialists in the DNS industry both in the Middle East and Africa, and their participation in regional forums or educational workshops, and ultimately to promote a wider use of the IDNs.
Expansion of ICANN’s gTLDs Program
A new list of gTLDS has been released by ICANN, with .NTT being number 500 on it, at the rate of about one new gTLD string each day being published.
The program that ICANN is running on new strings has known quite a success because of the top level names which were introduced, the first four being released on the 23rd of October 2014.
ICANN continues to invest in competition and innovating programs and invites users to contribute with ideas and comments in order to enable registries to be delegated faster.
A link for this has been provided:
http://newgtlds.icann.org/en/reviews#overview
Alert from the US Trade Office on Counterfeit Pharmacy Products
The Office of the United States Trade has issued an alert on websites which allegedly sell counterfeit medical products, thus not only avoiding paying taxes but also putting the health of those who buy them at risk (some of them even contain toxic substances). The report shows that there is a number of domain names that allow such products to be commercialised and it urges registrars to take action in order to solve this situation.
This is also seen as an attack to brand owners and the above mentioned institution urged for a coordinated program which could prevent this issue to continue. A report from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy shows that almost 96 percent of the online stores that sell medical products are breaking the copyright law and there is a constant policy that these websites hide their IP address so that they can avoid being caught.
There is also a problem in finding the law resources in applying necessary measures and apparently some of the registrars are reluctant in taking actions. Such is the case for Tucows who answered to these accusations that they try to make sure first that the rights of their users are protected and all the complaints they receive are carefully examined and actions are taken only if justified.
Leaving aside the economical aspect, the revenues that these illegal stores get every month, the main concern remain the health of those who venture in buying these ineffective or dangerous products.
