From: [email protected] on behalf of BNA Highlights [[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 10:02 AM
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Subject: BNA's Internet Law News (ILN) - 10/26/01
BNA's Internet Law News (ILN) - 10/26/01
Compiled by Professor Michael Geist, BNA Consulting Editor.
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SENATE PASSES SURVEILLANCE BILL
The US Senate has given the final congressional approval to
the antiterrorism surveillance bill, landmark legislation
that would expand the power of law enforcement to track down terrorists. President
Bush, who has sought such legislation since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks
on the United States, is expected to sign the measure into law today. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171520.html
http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/017978.htm
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47893,00.html
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47901,00.html
GERMAN TELCOS MUST START SNOOPING
The German government has rushed through proposals forcing telcos to install
cyber-snooping technology that would give police and security agencies access
to most German communications. The government passed the proposed legislation
with an important amendment, however, that its provisions would only apply to
fixed and wireless telcos, but not to ISPs. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171516.html
MSN DOES QUICK BACKTRACK ON SITE ACCESS
Users trying to experience Microsoft's MSN.com without a Microsoft browser got
a surprise yesterday -- the site was locking out alternative browsers such as
Opera, Mozilla and some versions of Netscape. The move quickly spread throughout
net discussion groups and by the end of the day, Microsoft reversed course by
allowing all to access the site. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7655334.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7660935.html
WINDOWS XP LAUNCHES INTO LIONS DEN
On Tuesday, the Electronic Privacy Information Center Junkbusters and more than
a dozen other anti-Windows XP groups took the opportunity to censure the FTC's
apparent inaction to investigate the new operating system. Consumers Union and
the Consumer Federation of America waited until yesterday to do the same. The
Computer and Communications Industry Association also released a statement that
said Microsoft, despite its ongoing antitrust lawsuit settlement talks, is continuing
to lock users into its "fiefdom." http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171521.html
ICANN SIGNS CCTLD AGREEMENT WITH DOT-AU
ICANN has signed its first formal agreement with a ccTLD operator. Yesterday
it announced the signing of a contract with auDA, the dot-au registrar. http://www.icann.org/announcements/announcement-25oct01.htm
DOT-BIZ INJUNCTION LIFTED; NEULEVEL CONSIDERING OPTIONS
As reported in yesterday's ILN, the injunction prohibiting dot-biz registrar
NeuLevel from assigning over 50,000 dot-biz domains has been lifted after the
plaintiffs failed to post the necessary bond. NeuLevel is now considering whether
to hold off allocating the domains in light of the pending litigation. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/046100.htm
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2098080,00.html
WHILE DOT-INFO ENJOYING SOME SUCCESS
Despite the controversy over the allocation of some dot-info domains during
the sunrise period, Afilias, the dot-info registrar, reports that the new domain
suffix is proving to be popular. Afilias says it hit the 500,000 mark in its
first 90 days of operation. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2820232,00.html
UDRP CONSIDERS CRITICIZING PUBLIC DEP'T AND DIFFERENT
TRADEMARK USE
Two recent ICANN UDRP decisions of note -- in
dorsetpolice.com the registrant was allowed to keep a domain used to criticize
the local police force. The registrant had offered to sell the domain, but based
the price on what he believed his dispute with the police force had cost him.
In brucetrail.com, a dispute over the oldest hiking trail in Canada, the registrant
was allowed to keep the domain as the panel ruled that a registrant can have
a legitimate interest in a domain even where the complainant has a trademark
in the name. Legitimate interest in those cases depends upon whether the domain
is being used for a purpose that differs from the trademark purpose. Coverage
at http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171529.html
Decisions at http://www.eresolution.com/services/dnd/decisions/0942.htm
http://arbiter.wipo.int/domains/decisions/html/2001/d2001-1021.html
FORMER AOL CHAT ROOM HOSTS SUE FOR PAYMENT
Three former volunteer AOL chat room hosts have launched a class action suit
against the company in California. The suit is the second brought against AOL
for failing to pay volunteers who are required to work a minimum number of hours
each week. <http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-000084992oct25.story>
ASIAN LEADERS AFFIRM COMMITMENT TO WIPO TREATIES
Asian leaders have expressed their commitment at a WIPO workshop to bring the
two Internet-related WIPO treaties into national law. WIPO attempting to convince
members to sign the two pacts that require ratification from 30 countries before
taking effect. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171502.html
INTERNET GAMBLING LANGUAGE BECOMES STANDALONE BILL
The House Financial Services Committee is planning to hold a session to vote
on legislation that would prohibit most forms of Internet gambling. Initially,
the bill's language was part of an anti-money-laundering bill, but it was removed
after the Bush administration objected to its attachment because it wanted a
clean, relatively pared-down bill. The removed language stated that Internet
gambling has proven itself a haven for money laundering and specifically forbade
gambling businesses from accepting bank instruments in connection with unlawful
Internet gambling. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171526.html
WHERE ON THE WEB IS OSAMA BIN LADEN?
Britain's MI5 security service has launched a special
Internet operation to track down terrorist supporters of
Osama bin Laden working in the country. The service has
begun inserting messages on the discussion boards of Web
sites catering to Muslim extremists in the hope of
unearthing terrorists with links to the September 11
attacks. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/reuters_wire/1597988l.htm
DEMOCRATIC GROUP FLOATS IDEA FOR VIRTUAL CONGRESS
The Democratic Leadership Council, a Democratic policy
group, has suggested that Congress develop the technological capability to convene
over the Internet in the event that a terrorist attack ever again threatens
the safety of Capitol Hill. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171528.html
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,47841,00.html
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BNA's Internet Law News is published weekdays by The Bureau
of National Affairs, Inc., 1231 25th St., NW, Washington, DC 20037. Michael
Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa Law School and Director of
E-commerce Law at the Toronto law firm of Goodmans LLP, may be reached at [email protected].
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