SIDN and Simplerinvoinving Join Forces

SIDN, the company behind .NL extension, announced recently that they will be working closely together with the Simplerinvoincing Foundation to expedite the introduction and adoption of electronic invoices.

You can read the press release after the jump :

“The Simplerinvoicing Foundation and SIDN, the company behind .nl, will be working closely together to expedite the introduction and adoption of electronic invoices that conform to the European standard (PEPPOL). SIDN will initially take over a number of operational tasks from Simplerinvoicing, with a view to assuming full responsibility for management of the Simplerinvoicing package system in due course. By entering into the partnership, the Simplerinvoicing Foundation aims to further professionalise and future-proof the administration of e-invoicing standards and the fulfilment of its governance tasks.

SIDN has the expertise that Simplerinvoicing needs
Set up by a consortium of e-invoicing service providers, Simplerinvoicing is the new standard for sending and receiving electronic invoices using e-invoicing, ERP or accounting software. Bram Kuijper, CEO of the Simplerinvoicing Foundation said, “Simplerinvoicing has been operating since November 2013 and now has a solid basis. We have built up a network that includes the main service providers active in the field. The point has now been reached where the standard can be adopted and used much more widely by the Dutch business community. With that aim in mind, we have been looking for a partner to help us take Simplerinvoicing forward. SIDN is an ideal prospective partner organisation for us. SIDN has enormous expertise of the kind that we need and SIDN’s track record as the .nl registry can be a real asset to Simplerinvoicing.”

A logical partnership
SIDN’s CEO Roelof Meijer commented, “We are very pleased to be partnering Simplerinvoicing. It’s a great opportunity for us to take the experience and unique expertise that we’ve built up by running .nl and utilise it for other purposes, increasing our own added value. The work that the Simplerinvoicing Foundation does has a lot in common with the running of an internet domain. The development and administration of technical standards, the cooperation with a network of agents and stakeholders and the definition and maintenance of policy and procedures – there are numerous areas of overlap. What’s more, our two organisations have a shared understanding of how we can best work together and a shared vision of the future. Partnership with Simplerinvoicing also dovetails with our ambition to play a role within trust frameworks, which are going to be very important in relation to internet use and public confidence in the internet, as well as for the wider community.”

Phased transfer
Bram Kuijper: “The plan is to transfer management of the Simplerinvoicing package system to SIDN in phases. To begin with, SIDN will be a sort of subcontractor, with responsibility for operational activities. Over time, SIDN’s role will be expanded to include more strategic activities. Ultimately, we envisage SIDN assuming full responsibility for management of the Simplerinvoicing package system.” Roelof Meijer: “Although the two organisations are very similar in operational terms, e-invoicing is of course a new field for SIDN. The phased transfer will enable us to familiarise ourselves with the e-invoicing world and its market processes, and to adapt our organisation to accommodate the new role.”

Igloo.com Acquires Aftermarket.com

Igloo.com , a domain name brokerage company, announced today that it has acquired the domain name marketplace Aftermarket.com from Thought Convergence.

You can read the press release after the jump:

” Igloo.com Limited, the leading Domain Brokerage & Consultancy Firm, has acquired the business of Aftermarket.com, a premier online marketplace for buying and selling Internet domain names, from Thought Convergence, Inc. This acquisition builds upon Igloo’s recent news of entering into an exclusive agreement with Rook Media to provide brokerage and related services for their newly acquired Domainsponsor portfolio.

This move brings together an extraordinary offering of domain name aftermarket inventory in combination with the most advanced features and an intuitive user experience, enabling buyers to purchase their domain names quickly and easily. Visitors to Igloo.com’s marketplace will have access to millions of names appealing to every type of buyer. Whether it’s to add to your investment portfolio or for your personal website, start-up or Fortune 500 company, finding the right domain will get you one step closer to realizing your goals.

On the flip side, selling names with Igloo.com couldn’t be easier. Igloo’s sales platform will offer custom templates, the ability to negotiate online with offer/counteroffer functionality, BuyNow for immediate procurement, and most importantly, a dedicated domain advisor to assist you at any point in the sales process. Moreover, customer service and sales assistance for buyers will soon be just a click away with the addition of an online chat feature.

“With Igloo’s acquisition of the Aftermarket.com platform, we are incredibly excited to roll out a more comprehensive suite of services, offering a wider range of opportunities to our customers,” says Tessa Holcomb CEO and Co-Founder of Igloo.com. “Our clients will not only be able to acquire and sell domains, but will of course still have access to the high-touch, consultative sales team for which Igloo.com is already well known.”

Ammar Kubba, CEO and Co-Founder of Aftermarket.com and its parent company, Thought Convergence, Inc., said “The domain name aftermarket is a multi-faceted and complex ecosystem of individuals, businesses, and technology; Igloo.com’s integration of our advanced and intuitive Aftermarket platform will serve to further round out, diversify, and scale their suite of brokerage services.” Kubba added, “We know that our Aftermarket will be in good hands with Tessa and her talented team, and we look forward to witnessing the next evolution of Igloo.com, powered by Aftermarket.”

The Igloo team is pleased to welcome Aftermarket.com clients to the Igloo.com family.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. “

ICANN: Results Available for 17 September 2014 Auction

On 17 September 2014, an Auction conducted by ICANN’s authorized Auction service provider, Power Auctions LLC, was held to resolve string contention sets for three new generic Top-level Domain (gTLD) strings; BUY, TECH, and VIP. String contention occurs when more than one applicant has applied for the same or a confusingly similar gTLD.

The applicants for these strings were unable to resolve the contention sets among themselves, and thus proceeded to an auction, which is the method of last resort to resolve string contention sets as prescribed in Module 4 of the Applicant Guidebook. Subject to payment of the Winning Price and meeting all other criteria for eligibility, the winner will begin the contracting process to sign a Registry Agreement to operate the respective gTLD.

Four applicants for BUY participated in the Auction. Amazon EU S.à r.l. prevailed in the Auction with the winning price of $4,588,888.

Six applicants for TECH participated in the Auction. Dot Tech LLC prevailed in the Auction with the winning price of $6,760,000.

Five applicants for VIP participated in the Auction. Top Level Domain Holdings prevailed in the Auction with the winning price of $3,000,888.

Akram Atallah, President of ICANN’s Global Domains Division noted “The proceeds from these Auctions will be separated and reserved until the Board determines a plan for the appropriate use of the funds through consultation with the community. We continue to encourage parties to reach agreements amongst themselves to resolve contention.”

Additional bidding information is available in the Auction Reports which can be found on Auction Results page within the New gTLD Microsite.

Subsequent auctions are scheduled [PDF, 250 KB] to occur on a monthly basis throughout 2014 and into early 2015. The auction events are intended to resolve multiple contention sets simultaneously.

For information about ICANN Auctions please see the Auctions landing page on the New gTLD Microsite.

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-2-17sep14-en

ICANN: Public Interest Commitments Dispute Resolution Procedure Standing Panel Identified

ICANN has selected and entered into contracts with members of the Public Interest Commitments Dispute Resolution Procedure (PICDRP) Standing Panel. The PICDRP was developed to address reports that a Registry may not be complying with the Public Interest Commitment(s) in Specification 11 of their Registry Agreement.

Upon receipt of a Public Interest Commitments (PIC) report, ICANN may call upon the Standing Panel to evaluate compliance by the Registry Operator with its obligations under Specification 11 of its Registry Agreement. The Standing Panel has 15 days to make a determination and submit a report to ICANN.

ICANN would like to thank everyone who responded to the call for Expression of Interest. A second call for Expression of Interest will be announced shortly to increase the pool of standing panel members.

Members of the current PIC DRP Standing Panel:

Dr. Christopher To is a Chartered Information Technology Professional, a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Arbitrator, an accredited Mediator, a Law Professor and is currently the Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators-East Asia Branch. He has over 20 years experience in handling and resolving disputes.”
Mr. David JA Cairns is a partner in a legal firm in Madrid specializing in international dispute resolution. He has extensive experience in trademark disputes involving domain names, including disputes pursuant to the UDRP, the new gTLD program, and in arbitrations pursuant to WIPO’s Expedited Arbitration Rules.
Mr. Richard Hill has been involved in the technical, legal, and governance aspects of the Internet since the mid 1990s. He has been a UDRP arbitrator since the inception of the UDRP.

View the call for Expression of Interests for PIC Dispute Resolution Procedure announcement:

View the announcement

Learn more about:

Public Interest Commitments Dispute Resolution Procedure [PDF, 208 KB]

This ICANN announcement was sourced from:
newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-2-17sep14-en

ICANN: Pre-ICANN 51 Policy Update Webinar

The ICANN Policy Development Support Team will provide a Policy Update Webinar on Thursday 2 October 2014 at 10:00 UTC and 19:00 UTC, summarizing policy activities across the ICANN policy development community including the ongoing Transition of Stewardship of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority ( IANA ) Functions and the ICANN Accountability track efforts.

Updates will also be provided on topics from ICANN ‘s Support Organizations and Advisory Committees:

Address Supporting Organization ( ASO ) and Regional Internet Registries ( RIR ) Activities
Generic Names Supporting Organization ( GNSO ) Inter- Registrar Transfer Policy Part D Working Group
GNSO Policy and Implementation Working Group
GNSO Privacy and Proxy Services Accreditation Issues Working Group
Country Code Names Supporting Organization ( ccNSO ) Framework of Interpretation Working Group Final Report
At-Large Advisory Committee ( ALAC ) Policy Advice Activities
Government Advisory Committee’s ( GAC ) Remaining Advice on new generic Top-Level Domains
GAC ‘s Implementation of the Second Accountability and Transparency Review Team’s (ATRT2) Recommendations
Root Server System Advisory Committee ( RSSAC ) Caucus Work Parties
Security and Stability Advisory Committee ( SSAC ) Advisories and Activities

The two sessions are duplicates, scheduled to accommodate different time zones. Each session runs for 90 minutes and will be conducted in English only. The webinar will be conducted in Adobe Connect along with a dial-in conference bridge for audio.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of each session. During the course of the webinar, questions may be submitted using the chat function in Adobe Connect.

Recordings of the webinars will be made available. The Policy Development Support Team is always available to answer any questions via email at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.

Please RSVP via this form by 26 September 2014.
Remote participation details will be sent the week of 29 September 2014.