Over 6000 requests for 30,000 previously banned domain names such as islam.fr and internet.fr have been received by the French registry since a new law came into being on 1 July authorising their release. This follows the French Constitutional Council declaring unconstitutional section L. 45 of the French Electronic Communications and Telecommunications Act and giving the legislature until 1 July to amend it. “More than 6,100 requests have been made,” since July 1, Mathieu Weill of the French Association for Internet Naming and Cooperation (AFNIC) told AFP. “By far the most sought after are terms like ‘internet.fr’, ‘url.fr’ and ‘entreprise.fr’ (business),” Weill said. “Anyone who can demonstrate a ‘legitimate interest’ and was the first to put in a request since the new law came into effect will get the domain name they want,” reported AFP. For sensitive names such as those of religions, an applicant can be refused because of the risk of “disturbing public order,” Weill also told AFP. On 22 March 2011, the Act replacing the article was passed, establishing a new legal framework for domain names under the .FR ccTLD, with the main changes coming into effect on 1 July. The changes introduced by the Act included the easing of registration requirements for terms previously classified as prohibited and reserved. AFNIC will give responses to the applications for the requested domain names by 29 August. In addition, the decree specifies the accreditation criteria with which registrars will now have to comply. AFNIC will begin considering the introduction of this process in the coming weeks. During the transition phase, the decree provides that registrars under contract with AFNIC will continue to carry out their business in accordance with the conditions specified in the contract. To register your .FR domain name, check out Europe Registry here .

ICANN is today publishing a proposed version 3.0 of the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) Implementation Guidelines [PDF, 196 KB] for public comment. The IDN Guidelines are a list of general standards that all top-level domain registries deploying IDNs are required to follow based on the Internationalized Domain Names for Applications (IDNA) protocol standard from the IETF. This draft was developed by the IDN Guidelines Revision Working Group (comprised of ccTLD and gTLD registry representatives with IDN experience supported by ICANN staff). The new draft modifies the current Version 2.2 to reflect the IDNABIS revision (”IDNA2008 protocol”) of the initial IDNA protocol (”IDNA2003″). ICANN previously published a discussion draft prior to the ICANN meeting in Cartagena, Colombia in November 2010 (see www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-4-15nov10-en.htm ). Section II: Background The current version of the IDN Guidelines is available at www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/implementation-guidelines.htm (version 2.2 published 26 April 2007). A redline of changes in version 3.0 against the version published November 2010 is also available at www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/idn-guidelines-discussion-draft-redline-25jul11-en.pdf [PDF, 348 KB]. Section III: Document and Resource Links Comments are welcomed from the community on version 3.0 and may be submitted to at idn-guidelines-v3-revision@icann.org by 26 August 2011 23:59 UTC. Comments may be viewed at forum.icann.org/lists/idn-guidelines-v3-revision . Section IV: Additional Information The Internationalized Domain Names for Applications (IDNA) protocol is the technical standard for the implementation of IDNs for TLD registries, registrars and software developers that make IDNs available for their customers. The IDNA protocol references and further detail about the 2008 revision can be found here: www.icann.org/en/topics/idn/rfcs.htm . Comment Period Deadlines Open Date: 27 July 2011 Close Date: 26 August 2011 Important Information Links Public Comment Box To Submit Your Comments (Forum) View Comments Submitted This ICANN announcement was sourced from: www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-27jul11-en.htm

Free online resources outline opportunities for dot.BRAND TLDs in today’s new Internet environment [news release]  In a historic move, ICANN approved its long-discussed New gTLD Program. This program allows any brand or community of interest to apply for a unique “right of the dot” top-level domain. For example, instead of “.com,” a brand like Nike could apply for “.nike” to reinforce its brand on the Web. “The ICANN program creates opportunities for brand builders to re-invent how customers experience brands on the Internet,” said Roland LaPlante, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Afilias. “However, there are a variety of challenges in applying for, winning and running a dot.BRAND Web space. One significant issue is time. The program application period starts on January 12, 2012, and will end on April 12, 2012. Once the application window is closed, the opportunity to apply for a dot.BRAND TLD is gone. There are no firm plans to accept new applications after this round of submissions closes.” To help global brand builders understand the complex ICANN application process — as well as the many benefits of owning and operating a unique dot.BRAND TLD — Afilias has created an easy-to-digest video and e-book to explain the program. “Afilias is ideally positioned to offer this information,” LaPlante said. “Afilias is among the world’s largest providers of diverse domain registry services, and has supported the applications for and launches of numerous new TLDs under ICANN processes — including the highly successful .INFO, .MOBI and .ASIA domains. This also means we are uniquely qualified to help organizations apply for new dot.BRAND TLDs as well as launch and manage new dot.BRAND Internet spaces.” Organizations interested in pursuing a dot.BRAND investment will need to act quickly to assemble a team of experts, which will likely include the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), a brand advisor, the ad agency, a trademark lawyer and a domain registry technology partner. Properly assembled, this team will be able to prepare and submit an application that will meet ICANN’s stringent requirements and be awarded their own dot.BRAND. To access the free Afilias e-book, Envisioning Your .BRAND New World: A Field Guide for Brand Builders , as well as the educational video, Welcome to Your .Brand New World , visit www.afilias.info/dotbrand . About Afilias Afilias is a global provider of Internet infrastructure services that connect people to their data. Afilias’ reliable, secure, scalable, and globally available technology supports a wide range of applications, including Internet domain registry services and Managed DNS. For more information on Afilias, visit www.afilias.info . This Afilias news release was sourced from: www.afilias.info/news/2011/06/20/afilias-launches-campaign-educate-“brand-builders”-icann-new-tld-progra

A screenshot of the Web Desktop’s “app grid” navigation (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — With the explosion of cloud technologies moving the industry forward, and with companies increasingly developing applications in the cloud, hosting providers, and the services that deal with the hosting business, are looking for new ways to use the cloud in distributing or supporting their services. Messaging and collaboration provider Open-Xchange ( www.open-xchange.com ) is just one of the many companies embracing the cloud

A video from Horizon DCS’ website shows CEO Lance Black (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) – Colocation firm Horizon Data Center Solutions ( www.horizondcs.com ) announced on Wednesday that it has teamed up with TKC Integration Services ( www.tkcis.com ) to provide cloud computing solutions to government agencies through a NASA SEWP IV (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement) contract. TKCIS is a contractor in the Washington, D.C. area that provides a range of lifecycle technology solutions to the federal government.

A video from Horizon DCS’ website shows CEO Lance Black (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) – Colocation firm Horizon Data Center Solutions ( www.horizondcs.com ) announced on Wednesday that it has teamed up with TKC Integration Services ( www.tkcis.com ) to provide cloud computing solutions to government agencies through a NASA SEWP IV (Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement) contract. TKCIS is a contractor in the Washington, D.C.

SunGard Availability Services VP of product management Rob Walters discusses the company’s new enterprise cloud services (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — While many managed service providers are partnering with third-party infrastructure companies to help introduce cloud solutions, some MSPs are taking on the daunting task of building out their own cloud solutions. One such MSP is SunGard Availability Services ( www.sungardas.com ), which recently introduced its Enterprise Cloud Services to the North American market . SunGard’s new Enterprise Cloud Services is powered by Vblock technology from VMware, Cisco and EMC.