The African Registry Consortium (ARC), a pan-African consortium that aims to administer the .AFRICA domain by Africans and for Africans, was publicising its case saying several of the players involved in ARC are also involved in the administration of the co.za domain name space in South Africa, which is currently under the administration of UniForum SA. Meanwhile Njeri Rionge, one of Kenya’s most successful and revered serial entrepreneurs and also adviser to another contender for .AFRICA, DotConnectAfrica , was described as Africa’s most successful women by Forbes magazine. “We see .AFRICA as the ideal opportunity to highlight African know-how and expertise”, said ARC Spokesman and founding member, Koffi Fabrice Djossou. “One only has to look at how the co.za domain funds are applied by UniForum SA, to see the benefits of having the .AFRICA domain administered by an African organization,” said the ARC. “UniForum`s co.za social responsibility initiative, for instance, launches at least two new computer labs at previously disadvantaged schools every single month, with more than 200 labs having already been completed.” “This new domain will give the continent a truly African identity for the first time and will allow companies and organisations operating here to proudly highlight their African operations and identity,” says Djossou. However having a truly African identity online is the same goal as the DotConnectAfrica consortium. According to ARC the goal is to promote an African identity for the continent while at the same time improving the security aspects around such a domain. “ARC is seeking the backing of the African Union, as the AU has also recognised the commercial and social benefits that the .AFRICA domain may present,” he says. At present, continues Djossou, ARC includes representatives from Senegal, Kenya, Benin and South Africa, and the door remains open to other African nations that may express interest in getting involved with ARC. Both parties will be aiming to submit bids for .AFRICA when ICANN begins taking applications in its three months application window that commences on 12 January 2012. However it would be anticipated that due to costs, the bids would be able to work out a way forward together. It is anticipated the winning consortium, or a collaboration, would have .AFRICA up and running in 2013 and that internationalised domains in French and Arabic would also be available some time in the future.

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 .

33.com topped the weekly sales list compiled by Domain Name Journal in the week to 22 May, selling for $358,000 through DomainAdvisors, being one of two six-figure sales for the week. The second six-figure sale was cupidon.com (“cupid” in French) that sold for £175,000 ($285,250) in a private sale. Overall .COM sales dominated, taking 12 of the top 20 places while Sedo also took its usual dominant position being responsible for 11 of the top 20 sales. There were four ccTLD sales including business.co and a duo of .DE domains with gaertnerei.de and gärtnerei.de (“greenhouse” in German) selling for the equivalent of €11,781 ($16,493) each. To read the full list and analysis from Domain Name Journal, go to: dnjournal.com/archive/domainsales/2011/20110601.htm

ICANN has accused Luxembourg-based registrar EuroDNS of breaching their Registrar Accreditation Agreement according to a letter dated 20 April. The breach, disputed by EuroDNS, involves the domain name facebok.com, that a WIPO Panel ordered to be transferred to Facebook, the complainant

In 2010, trademark holders filed 2,696 cybersquatting cases covering 4,370 domain names with the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO Center) under procedures based on the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), an increase of 28 per cent over the 2009 level, compared to an increase in domain registrations of 6.3 per cent in 2009, and of 16 per cent over the previous record year, 2008. The WIPO Center is the organisation that deals with the largest number of dispute resolutions dealing with domain names

Web giant Google Inc. announced Tuesday it will be providing websites and hosting services free of charge to Canadian businesses. Google has partnered with Rogers Communications Inc., Royal Bank of Canada, the free website builder tool, Yola Inc., based in San Francisco, and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) in the initiative called Get Your Business Online (gybo.ca or ecsel.ca in French)

Hosting Reviews – LONDON – A total of 46 per cent of British consumers have cancelled plans to spend with a small business after finding a poor quality website, according to research released today by 1&1 Internet Ltd, a global leader amongst web hosts.  From a study of more than 1800 UK adults, 37 per cent have walked away completely whilst a further 9 per cent have opted to spend less as a direct result.  Many consumers feel that small business websites today are mostly unattractive and often contain errors.  Whilst 1 in 3 consumers are willing to provide valuable feedback to business owners, a further study of small firms finds that half have never asked clients about their experiences of using their website. The majority of UK businesses have now taken steps to launch a website and battle for valuable online visibility.  However, 1&1’s ’2011 Digital High Street Audit’(1) finds worryingly low levels of consumer satisfaction with the small business websites available to them.  The risk to firms from providing a bad online experience is clear – 49 per cent of consumers believe that a bad website makes a worse impact than a business having no website at all.  This conclusion has led 37 per cent to walk-away from companies completely, in favor of using a competitor.  An additional 9 per cent of Britons have found themselves reducing their spend with small companies as a direct result of being deterred by a poor company website. Oliver Mauss, CEO 1&1 Internet Ltd.