This is the January edition of Anchovy News. Here you will find articles concerning ICANN, the domain name industry and the recuperation of domain names across the globe. In this issue.
ICANN's response to the European Union's Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2) is a litmus test on whether its policy processes can address the needs of all stakeholders, instead of only satisfying the needs of the domain industry. Early indications from the ICANN Hamburg meeting point to another disappointment for law enforcement, cybersecurity professionals, and the many businesses seeking to reinstate WHOIS as required by NIS2.
The domain name registrar Freenom, whose free domain names have long been a draw for spammers and phishers, has stopped allowing new domain name registrations. The move comes just days after the Dutch registrar was sued by Meta, which alleges…
Court Gives “Thumbs Down” to Domain Name Proxy Service’s Motion to Dismiss Facebook’s ACPA Complaint Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Considering allegations under the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act and trademark infringement, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona allowed a case to proceed against a domain name proxy service. Though the merits of the case have yet to be decided, the case offers a ray of hope to brand owners addressing cybersquatted domain names registered by unknown domain registrants.
Defendant Namecheap is a domain name registrar that allows its customers to opt into defendant WhoisGuard’s proxy service. WhoisGuard keeps a domain registrant’s WHOIS contact information concealed from the public by registering Namecheap’s customers’ domain names in the name of WhoisGuard (i.e., displaying WhoisGuard’s name and contact information in WHOIS records). It then licenses the domains back to Namecheap’s customers.