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Do new TLDs and IDNs mean tighter government control?
Thursday, July 30. 2009
Pay to be told when new TLDs come out!
Tuesday, July 28. 2009
Forbes really gets new TLDs
Monday, July 27. 2009
In a recent article on the proposed expansion of the Internet through the creation of new Top Level Domains, Forbes.com paints a balanced picture of what this could mean for the future of the web.
It's nice to see the "mainstream media" taking a positive look at the wealth of opportunities new TLDs might open up. Of course, concerns such as cost and the protection of intellectual property rights are also part of the article, as they should be.
But with an intro which talks about the dot-com era giving way to the world of the dot-brand, Forbes clearly understands what could be at stake here. "What does that mean?" asks author Laurie Burkitt. "Houston's police department can drop its clunky Web address, www.houstontx.gov/police/index, and switch to police.houston."
Exactly.
The Forbes piece does raise one worry with me however. ICANN VP Paul Levins is quoted as saying "It's likely that companies may band together to form domain groups (…) cellular phone companies may police the ".mobile" name."
I sure hope that's a misquote. If not, the guys at .MOBI may not take too kindly to a senior member of the ICANN staff listing as an example of a possible new gTLD a domain so close to their own…
Porsche CEO to leave
Thursday, July 23. 2009
Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking is leaving the company. Photo Porsche AG.
Today (July 23rd), sports car manufacturer Porsche announced it is dismissing its star CEO Wendelin Wiedeking with immediate effect.
Why am I talking about this? This has nothing to do with domain names, does it? True, but although my blog may be domain centric, it is first and foremost the blog of an entrepreneur. And this Porsche story is fascinating for anyone interested in the world of business.
What has my interest so spiked? The lightning fast way in which fortunes can turn around in business. A year ago, Porsche was hailed as a modern miracle. Although a producer of niche sports cars in the premium segment, it was the most profitable carmaker in the world. Period. And yet, when Wiedeking became CEO on October 1, 1992, Porsche was on its last legs.
The miracle turnaround Wiedeking orchestrated reached its pinnacle with the attempted takeover of Volkswagen. In classic David vs Goliath style, tiny Porsche was about to buy one of the biggest automakers in the world.
Then the recession hit and it all went south. Crippled by the debt (in excess of 9 billion euros) that it had run to buy a large enough holding in VW to be able to take control, Porsche went from very top to rock bottom in a matter of weeks. Today, it looks almost certain to be bailed out by VW, set to pay off the largest portion of Porsche's debt and acquire the company in the process.
Wiedeking, considered a few years ago the auto industry's golden man, is now on the dole. Oh don't worry about him, he was the highest paid executive in the industry and he leaves Porsche with 50 millions euros in "severance pay".
But there are lessons to be learned from this. There's an obvious one that all entrepreneurs know only too well. Even when things are going extremely well, disaster may never be far away so you need to adjust your strategy to suit.
I take away a more personal lesson as well: be passionate and knowledgeable about the product you sell. It's not that Wiedeking could have anticipated the recession, but maybe just concentrating on Porsche's core business instead of becoming more trust fund than sports car maker would have helped (just before the downfall, Porsche was making more money from dealing in VW shares than it was from selling cars). No-one will be surprised to learn that Wiedeking, undoubtedly a brilliant CEO, is said to not even like cars! Therein may lie the root of Porsche's problems…
National Arbitration Forum can no longer handle credit disputes
Tuesday, July 21. 2009
Polish registry embroiled in financial scandal
Thursday, July 9. 2009
Former NASK Director Maciej Kozłowski was replaced on July 1st after it was reported that the polish registry lost over 3 million euros on bad investments.
NASK, the entity in charge of Poland's .PL Internet suffix, has reportedly lost up to 14 millions zloty (around 3.2 million euros) on failed FOREX futures investment.
The polish press is reporting this as a potential case of fraud. NASK is a public entity and is therefore seen to have invested – and lost – taxpayers' money. NASK is said to have an annual budget of around 70 million zloty (approx 16 million euros).
NASK director Maciej Kozłowski was fired over the growing scandal by Science and Higher Education Minister Barbara Kudrycka. Former NASK Research Director Krzysztof Malinowski took over as Director on July 1st 2009.
INDOM signs new ICANN registrar contract
Tuesday, July 7. 2009
INDOM (4th from the right) is the first French registrar to sign ICANN's new contract designed to bring consumers an even higher level of protection.
During last month's Sydney ICANN meeting, INDOM became the first French registrar to sign the new RAA (Registrar Accreditation Agreement). The RAA is the contract binding ICANN and its official registrars.
The current RAA goes back to the creation of ICANN in 1998, was last updated in 2001, and is now clearly outdated. The various stakeholders within the GNSO (Generic Names Supporting Organisation – ICANN's policy-making body for generic Top Level Domains) have long wanted to bring consumers enhanced protection as part of a revamped RAA.
After lengthy negotiations within the community, the GNSO Council (of which I am a member), voted in favour of the new RAA last March during the Mexico ICANN meeting. The RAA was subsequently given a green light by the ICANN Board.
The new RAA toughens registrar requirements for compliance and clear business practices. It is a stronger enforcement tool for ICANN to ensure consumers are treated fairly and registrars reach the high standards ICANN now comes to expect of those companies it accredits.
A handpicked number of registrars were selected by ICANN to be part of the inaugural signing ceremony for the new RAA in Sydney. The only company in France to be asked was INDOM. "Together, the signatories represent about 50 percent of the 110 million generic top-level domains registered on the Internet," says ICANN in its official press release.
INDOM is proud to be amongst those flagship registrars working to bring an even higher level of service to domain name registrants the world over.
