Registering domain names in a country code top level domain often has benefits to that country’s local internet community. In the case of Canada’s ccTLD, Byron Holland, President and CEO of CIRA who manages .ca, recently explained how in a post on the company blog. Continue reading CIRA Explains Why Registering ccTLD Domains Benefits the Local Internet Community
Tag Archives: Internet Foundation in Sweden
DNS Belgium: Can A Judge Seize A .BE Domain Name?
The Swedish government has long been waging a struggle against âThe Pirate Bay,â an online platform for the illegal downloading of music, films, games and software. On 12 May 2016, the Swedish Court of Appeal ruled in a case against Punt SE, the Swedish registry, about the domain names of âThe Pirate Bayâ. It upheld an early decision by a judge who had confiscated two domain names of âThe Pirate Bayâ (thepiratebay.se and piratebay.se). Punt SE was required to transfer the ownership of the domain names to the Swedish state.
Could that happen in Belgium as well?
Whether that can happen in Belgium depends on the specific context and on whether there are legal grounds for it: is there infringement on intellectual property rights? Economic fraud or misleading practices? A criminal offence, e.g. child pornography? A judge will investigate each time whether there is a possibility pursuant to the underlying legislation.
A second important difference between Belgium and Sweden is that confiscation can be carried out on the holder of a domain name, and not the registry. The registry is responsible for the technical and administrative management only.
When the crown prosecution service issues a requisition to get a domain name offline, the domain name in question is withdrawn. The 2 leading registries in Belgium, DNS Belgium and EURid, comply with the requisitions of the crown prosecution service in each case.
BAF vs. Telenet & Belgacom
A court has already ordered the withdrawal of a domain name in the past. In 2011, BAF, the Belgian Anti-piracy Federation, won a case against Telenet and Belgacom concerning some domain names of âThe Pirate Bayâ. Belgacom and Telenet had to make surfing to those websites impossible by either blocking the IP addresses or by blocking traffic to the domain name.
Alas, this measure is not the most efficient. Just a few days after the ruling, the company behind âThe Pirate Bayâ registered the domain name âdepiraatbaai.beâ and started using it. In Sweden âThe Pirate Bayâ can be reached âthepiratebay.orgâ, the domain name with which it all began for them all those years ago.
To be continued
The saga of the Swedish domain names of âThe Pirate Bayâ has not run its course yet with the ruling of the court of appeal. One of the co-founders of âThe Pirate Bayâ, Fredrik Neij, did not agree with the ruling and has appealed the decision to the highest judicial body of Sweden, the âHögsta domstolenâ. The essence of the case: should the confiscation be directed against Fredrik Neij or Punkt SE? To be continued without any doubt.
This DNS Belgium post was sourced from:
http://www.dnsbelgium.be/en/news/can-judge-seize-be-domain-name
IIS Releases .SE & .NU Zone Files
[news release] As of today (16 May), IIS will be providing information about .se and .nu domain names that are visible to the internet public. This means that the registered and delegated domains in the Domain Name System (DNS) will now be visible as the zone files for the IIS top-level domains are being released to the public and made available for download for the first time.
The underlying reason for making the zone files for .se and .nu available is our endeavor at IIS to promote transparency and openness. IIS has made the assessment that the zone files do not contain any confidential information and, therefore, there is no reason not to make this information available.
âOur hopes are that services will be built that enable laymen to use the information and that disclosure will positively impact research into the Swedish internet infrastructure,â says Patrik Wallström, IT security expert at IIS.
What is a zone file?
A zone file is a text file that contains all of the delegated domain names for a top-level domain and the related information. Domain names require the information in the zone file to be able to function at a technical level. In addition to the domain names that IIS administers, a zone file also contains its associated name servers and all the DNSSEC information.
What does this mean for domain name registrants?
In practical terms, this has no practical implications for existing owners of .se or .nu domains. The information in the zone file has never been considered confidential, even if zone files have never previously been published in full.
However, this could have an impact on parties that, for various reasons, do not wish to publish a domain name that is not in use. New brands and temporary campaigns are typical examples of names that many wish to keep under wraps before their launch. If the owner of a .se or .nu domain wishes to keep the domain name secret, no delegation should be written to the zone file. The registrar (reseller of .se domains) that the domain name is registered with can assist with this.
https://www.iis.se/english/press/pressreleases/iis-releases-zone-files/
.SE Changes Its Name To IIS
The .se registry has changed its name to IIS from .SE.
Ten years ago, the foundation changed its name and started to be called .SE. The connection to the Swedish ccTLD could not have been more clear, but when the organisation took over responsibility for the .nu a couple of years ago, the foundation believed it had outgrown its name.
From an organisation of around 30 people who almost completely devoted their time to the administration and operation of .se, they have now grown to over 70 employees, with a much broader focus.
The ccTLD is, of course, still their most important assignment. To run .se in a secure and stable way is a large responsibility one the organisation takes very seriously. But to better reflect the organisationâs broad focus and to make a more clear connection between name and what they actually are, from today the registry will go by the name IIS, which stands for the Internet Foundation in Sweden.
But it’s not totally a new name. The foundation was for a long time known as “II-Stiftelsenâ, which gave the domain iis.se that has been using for fifteen years. So to keep the domain they have changed their name to fit.
Today there is a new/old name and a new logo, but during the year there will be even more changes. All of the brands, including Webbstjärnan and Bredbandskollen, have logos that contain the old .SE logo. Before the year is over, these will also be changed.