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Internet News

NETWORK NEWS

* ICANN COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS CREATION OF NEW GTLDs

A committee of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers 
(ICANN) has recommended the creation of new generic top-level domain
names 
(gTLDs). Current gTLDs include .com, .net, .org, and .edu. The
committee, 
the Domain Name Supporting Organization (DNSO) Names Council,
recommended 
to ICANN's board of directors that a policy for the creation of new 
categories be formed in an effort to better categorize Web sites. The 
Names Council stated that new gTLDs should be introduced "in a measured 
and responsible manner" and that any new policy should try to minimize 
cybersquatting. For more information see http://www.icann.org/dnso/gtld-
topic-20apr00.htm (Wired News, 19 April 2000)

* FRENCH PARLIAMENT CONSIDERS WEB OWNER REGISTRATION

The French parliament is considering a bill that would require Web page 
owners to register their identities with their Internet service
providers. 
Those who failed to register their personal details would risk up to six 
months in prison or up to 7,000 Euros in fines (approximately US$
6,500). 
Although the bill apparently is meant to apply to Web page owners,
nothing 
in its wording mentions such a limitation. EuroISPA, the European
Internet 
Service Providers Association, fears that the bill could apply to anyone 
who writes anything on a message board or in a chat room. For more 
information see
http://www.theregister.co.uk/000328-000007.html (Global Internet Liberty 
Campaign Newsletter, 24 April 2000)


* MICROSOFT SOUTH AFRICA NABS SOFTWARE PIRATES

In a sting operation, Microsoft South Africa's "secret shoppers" have 
caught ten computer dealers in the act of selling pirated software. Of
25 
machines bought, 22 contained pirated software, including copies of the 
Windows 2000 operating system and Microsoft Office applications.
Mark Reynolds of Microsoft SA was "shocked" at the results of the 
operation, calling the amount of pirating "outrageous and extremely 
alarming." Software dealers could not be excused on grounds of ignorance 
of the law, he said, though he was reassured by the fact that many leads 
had come from honest dealers. Microsoft SA's two-month "Come Clean 
Campaign," giving amnesty to people who register their pirated software, 
begins in early May. For more information see 
http://www.sa.internet.com/saNews.htm (Netspruit, 20 April 2000)


* G-8 TO DISCUSS CYBERCRIME

Leaders of the G-8 will meet in Paris from 15-17 May to discuss ways to 
fight cybercrime, according to the French Foreign Ministry. Presided
over 
by France and Japan, the conference will examine cybercrime, look at 
possible solutions to it, and explore how much users should trust 
technology. The conference will occur two months before the annual
summit 
of the Group of Eight nations in Okinawa, Japan. The G-8 consists of 
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and
the 
United States.
(Associated Press, 26 April 2000)


* JAPANESE COURT FINDS SOME WEB LINKS ILLEGAL

A district court in Osaka, Japan, has found that the creator of a
computer 
program violated the law because the program linked to sites containing 
pornographic images that were illegal under Japanese law. The links were 
included so that users of a computer graphics program could download
JPEG 
files and test its editing software. The court ruled that it is illegal
to 
link to a Web site containing illegal material, even if the linking site 
itself contains nothing else illegal. The decision holds Internet users 
liable even if they are unaware that a linked site contains illegal 
content. For more information, see
http://www.nikkeibp.asiabiztech.com/wcs/leaf?CID=onair/asabt/news/99001 
(Global Internet Liberty Campaign Newsletter, 24 April 2000)




-- 
Howard Flack        http://www.unige.ch/crystal/ahdf/Howard.Flack.html
Laboratoire de Cristallographie               Phone: 41 (22) 702 62 49
24 quai Ernest-Ansermet             mailto:Howard.Flack@cryst.unige.ch
CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland                   Fax: 41 (22) 702 61 08

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