BEIJING (AP) — China without Google – a prospect that looks increasingly likely – could mean no more maps on mobile phones. A free music service that has helped to fight piracy might be in jeopardy. China’s fledgling Web outfits would face less pressure to improve, eroding their ability to one day compete abroad. The extent of a possible Google Inc. pullout from China in its dispute with the communist government over censorship and hacking is unclear. But on top of a local search site that Google says it may close, services that might be affected range from advertising support for Chinese companies to online entertainment. “If Google leaves, it’s a lose-lose scenario, instead of Google loses and others gain,” said Edward Yu, president of Analysys International, a Beijing research firm. Chinese news reports say Google is on the verge of shutting its China site, Google.cn, and has stopped censoring results. A Google spokesman, Scott Rubin, denied censorship had stopped and would not confirm whether Google.cn might close. “We have not changed our operations in China,” Rubin said by phone from Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. CEO Eric Schmidt said last week something would happen soon, and Rubin said he had no further details. Google says it is in talks with Beijing following its Jan. 12 announcement that it no longer wants to comply with Beijing’s extensive Web controls. But China’s industry minister insisted Friday the company must obey Chinese law, which appears to leave few options other than closing Google.cn, which has about 35 percent of China’s search market. Such a step could have repercussions for major Chinese companies as well as local Web surfers. It would deliver a windfall to local rival Baidu Inc., China’s major search engine, with 60 percent of the market. But other companies rely on Google for search, maps and other services and might be forced to find alternatives. China Mobile Ltd., the world’s biggest phone company by subscribers, with 527 million accounts, uses Google for mobile search and maps. Baidu offers mobile search but China Mobile passed up a partnership with it earlier after they failed to agree on terms, according to industry analysts. Millions of mobile customers might lose access to Google’s Chinese-language map service. A key issue is whether Beijing, angry and embarrassed by Google’s public defiance, would allow the company to continue running other operations, including advertising and a fledgling mobile phone businesses in China if Google.cn closes. China promotes Internet use for business and education but bars access to sites run by human rights and political activists and some news outlets. Officials who defend China’s controls by pointing to countries that bar content such as child pornography are stung that Google has drawn attention to how much more pervasive Chinese limits are. Chinese Web surfers are blocked from seeing Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and major blog-hosting services abroad and a Google pullout would leave them increasingly isolated. Google hopes to keep operating its Beijing research and development center, advertising sales offices and mobile phone business, according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking. But the person said the company won’t do that if it believes its decision to stop censoring search results will jeopardize employees in China. Industry analysts estimate Google has a work force of 700 in China. The government says Chinese mobile phone carriers will be allowed to use Google’s Android operating system but there has been no word on whether efforts to sell its own phones in China might be affected. Google postponed the launch of two phones with a major Chinese carrier due to the dispute. Uncertainty also surrounds Google’s China music portal, a free, advertising-supported service launched last year in partnership with four global music companies and 14 independent labels. Industry analysts say it has helped to undercut China’s rampant music piracy by offering an alternative to unlicensed copying. “Without that, are we back to, `Piracy wins’?” said Duncan Clark, managing director of BDA China Ltd., a technology market research firm. “Piracy thrives because of censorship.” The music service is run by Top100.cn, a company part-owned by Google, but can be accessed only through Google.cn. Top100.cn’s executive chairman, Erik Zhang, said it is preparing for the possibility that Google.cn might close but said his company has not been told whether that will happen. He declined to give other details. The biggest impact of a Google departure could lie behind the scenes, where Chinese companies, many of them small entrepreneurs, rely on its AdWords advertising service, Gmail e-mail and documents services. Those might be disrupted if Beijing turns up Internet filters to block access to Google’s sites abroad. Its U.S. site has a Chinese-language search engine but is already inaccessible due to government filters. In an uncomfortable irony for Beijing, Google might suffer little commercial loss from a pullout while China’s own companies are hurt. The bulk of Google’s estimated $300 million in 2009 revenues in China came from export-oriented companies that would need to keep advertising on its sites abroad even if Google.cn closes, according to Yu. “We believe the majority of revenue would still be kept on, with keyword purchases listed on Google.com instead of Google.cn,” he said. The loss of competitive pressure from Google also might slow Chinese development in search and other Internet services, Yu said. “This is definitely a bad thing for Chinese companies that want to go abroad in the future,” he said. The industry minister, Li Yizhong, said Friday that China’s Internet industry would develop without Google. But even some Chinese industry leaders who normally toe the government line in public are warning that controls on Internet companies and media are handicapping their growth. Beijing has steadily tightened controls over Internet content and foreign investment in the industry. Video sharing sites must have state-owned media outlets as partners. People in the industry say it is getting harder to register privately financed sites. “Without full and fair market competition, there will be no quality, no excellence, no employment opportunities, no stability and no real rise of China,” said the chairman of major Chinese portal Sohu Inc., Charles Zhang, in a speech in February, according to a report on Sohu’s Web site. “How do we do this practically?” Zhang said. “The problem is complicated, but the fundamental point is to limit the power of the government.”
March 16, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The estate of Michael Jackson has landed the late King of Pop the biggest recording deal in history: a $200 million guaranteed contract with Sony Music Entertainment for 10 projects over seven years, according to a person familiar with the deal. The record-breaking contract through 2017 could be worth up to $250 million if certain conditions are met. One of the albums will be of never-before-released Jackson recordings that will come out in November, the person said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement is expected Tuesday. Future projects may also include a DVD compilation of videos and a re-release of “Off the Wall,” Jackson’s fifth studio album, which first came out in 1979, accompanied by some unreleased material. Before his sudden death in June at age 50, the pop star had wanted to re-issue the album, people familiar with the deal said. One of the projects already counted in the contract was the two-disc album that accompanied “This Is It,” the film based on footage of concert rehearsals for what was to have been Jackson’s comeback at London’s O2 arena. Including the more than 5 million copies of that special release, Jackson has sold some 31 million albums since his death in June, about two-thirds of them outside the United States. “During his life, Michael’s contracts set the standard for the industry,” said John Branca, the co-administrator of the Jackson estate, in a statement prepared for release Tuesday. “By all objective criteria, this agreement with Sony Music demonstrates the lasting power of Michael’s music by exceeding all previous industry benchmarks.” Rob Stringer, chairman of Sony Music’s Columbia Epic Label Group, said in prepared remarks, “We’re dedicated to protecting this icon’s legacy and we’re thrilled that we can continue to bring his music to the world for the foreseeable future.”
March 16, 2010 | Posted in
Entertainment |
Read More »
NEW YORK (AP) — Some musical acts that thrived in second lives – ABBA, Genesis and The Hollies – are joining the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They’ll be inducted Monday along with reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff and the raucous Iggy Pop and the Stooges at the annual ceremony at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Music executive David Geffen and songwriters whose work sold hundreds of millions of copies will join as non-performers. The four-member Swedish hit machine ABBA quit in 1982 soon after the band’s two couples split. They left behind a string of catchy pop songs like “Dancing Queen,” “Waterloo” and “Knowing Me Knowing You.” ABBA was never as big in the United States as in Europe. But 6 million of the 26 million copies of ABBA’s greatest hits collection were sold in the U.S., and the stage and film productions of “Mamma Mia” kept their songs alive for a new generation and those who might have missed them in the first place. Genesis was a leader in Britain’s progressive rock movement in the 1970s, with singer Peter Gabriel dressed in outfits including a giant sunflower for elaborate performances and with the album “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” When Gabriel left, remaining members auditioned hundreds of singers before settling on one of their own, drummer Phil Collins. They were fixtures on the pop charts in the 1980s with songs like “Invisible Touch” and “Tonight Tonight Tonight.” Led by the harmonies of singers Allan Clarke and Graham Nash, The Hollies produced British invasion hits like “Bus Stop” and “Carrie-Anne.” After Nash left, the Hollies kept up with 1970s standards “The Air That I Breathe,” “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” and “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress).” Of those three, only The Hollies were scheduled to reunite for a performance Monday. Jamaica’s Cliff was among the first to export the reggae musical style. His best-known songs include “You Can Get It if You Really Want,” “The Harder They Come” and “Many Rivers to Cross.” The Michigan-based Stooges never sold many records. But the brutal force of their 1973 album “Raw Power” influenced the punk movement to come, and the rubber-limbed Pop was an electric frontman. Songwriter Carole King is inducting old colleagues from an era (the 1950s and early 1960s) when performers largely left songwriting to others. They include Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (”You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “On Broadway”), Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry (”Leader of the Pack,” “Be My Baby”), Otis Blackwell (”All Shook Up,” “Don’t Be Cruel”), Mort Shuman (”Save the Last Dance for Me,” “This Magic Moment” with Doc Pomus) and Jesse Stone (”Sh-Boom,” “Money Honey”). Geffen, before he spread his influence to other parts of the entertainment business, started the Asylum and Geffen record labels. Scheduled performers included Phish, Faith Hill, Chris Isaak and Wyclef Jean. The ceremony is being telecast live on the Fuse music network.
March 15, 2010 | Posted in
Entertainment |
Read More »
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. on Friday rejected a bid by activist shareholder Carl Icahn to boost his stake in the movie studio, and its board disclosed the adoption of a provision meant to keep him from buying more shares. The so-called poison pill, which takes effect Friday, triggers whenever any hostile acquirer gets a stake in the company exceeding 20 percent. Under a shareholders rights plan adopted by the company’s board, which has been fending off Icahn’s advances for a year, such investors would suddenly find the value of their shares diluted, while the value of shares held by others would not change. Shareholders are expected to confirm that provision in a May vote. Icahn, a billionaire who owns nearly 19 percent of the company, wanted to raise his stake to nearly 30 percent, a move that the company said would have given him an effective veto over major transactions. The larger stake would have given Icahn “superpowers” over company decisions without actually paying for complete control, Lions Gate vice chairman Michael Burns said in an interview Friday. “That is not a good thing for all of the shareholders in any way.” The company’s board called Icahn’s unsolicited offer “inadequate.” He had offered $6 per share – or as much as $79 million – for up to 13.2 million outstanding shares. Investors trying to buy a larger stake in companies typically offer a substantial premium over current market prices, but in Icahn’s case, the offer was 29 percent below the average target price for the shares by nine Wall Street analysts, the company said. Shares in Lions Gate rose 10 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $5.77 in midday trading Friday. The tussle for control comes as Lions Gate is considering bidding for the faltering Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. studio and The Walt Disney Co.’s Miramax Films division. Icahn had sought to rein in company spending and conditioned his offer on the company not entering into a major transaction. Either transaction could cost the studio hundreds of millions of dollars. His tender offer, made last month, could also have triggered a default on a $340 million line of credit given to the company by JPMorgan Chase & Co. because it would amount to a change in control. Lions Gate said Friday that cross-defaults could mean it would suddenly have to pay back some $516 million in outstanding debt. Burns said the threat of default was “a significant factor” in advising shareholders not to sell their shares to him. Icahn has been increasing his Lions Gate holdings since 2008 as he has fought for control with his former chief investment adviser, Mark Rachesky, who owns a nearly 20 percent stake. Icahn currently does not hold a seat on the board. Icahn’s son, Brett, who has been working with his father to secure a seat, declined to comment on Friday. Lions Gate, which is based in Vancouver, Canada, but operates out of Santa Monica, Calif., was behind the Oscar-nominated movie “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire.” It also owns the TV Guide network. It is in the midst of launching its mock superhero movie, “Kick-Ass,” with a premiere on Friday. Burns said the company remains focused on its strategy of smart acquisitions and developing a strong film and TV show slate, which includes “Mad Men” and “Nurse Jackie.” “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “It’s about building shareholder value brick by brick.” — AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay in New York contributed to this report.
March 12, 2010 | Posted in
Entertainment |
Read More »
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” stole the show at the Game Developers Choice Awards. The high-octane PlayStation 3 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog won five trophies at the Game Developers Conference ceremony Thursday, including game of the year. “Uncharted 2,” which casts players in the role of globe-trotting treasure hunter Nathan Drake, was also honored Thursday evening for best writing, audio, technology and visual art. “It”s one thing to have an idea,” said art director Robh Ruppel, “but you really need a great crew to make a game.” “Uncharted 2″ foiled fellow game of the year nominees Rocksteady Studios’ “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” Ubisoft Montreal’s “Assassin’s Creed II,” From Software’s “Demon’s Souls” and BioWare’s “Dragon Age: Origins.” The unstoppable PlayStation 3 exclusive previously nabbed three prizes at December’s Spike TV Video Game Awards, including game of the year. Selected by a jury of game creators, the Game Developers Choice Awards honor the best games of the past year. The 10th annual ceremony was hosted by “Deus Ex” and “Epic Mickey” lead designer Warren Spector. The show was capped off with the debut teaser trailer for “Deus Ex: Human Revolution,” the third installment in the futuristic role-playing game franchise. Other winners at the Moscone Convention Center ceremony included 5th Cell’s word-happy puzzler “Scribblenauts” for best handheld game and innovation, Rocksteady Studios’ stealthy “Batman: Arkham Asylum” for best game design, Runic Games’ fantasy outing “Torchlight” for best debut game and thatgamecompany’s free-flowing “Flower” for best downloadable game. “Think about what you can do to affect the people around the world, not just for entertainment or distraction but something that’s deeper and more meaningful,” “Flower” designer Jenova Chen told the crowd of game makers during his speech. John Carmack, the id Software co-founder and lead programmer of such games as “Doom” and Quake,” was awarded the lifetime achievement award. Gabe Newell, Valve Corp. co-founder, won the pioneer award and used his speech to tease the upcoming sequel to “Portal.” Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik and Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade received the ambassador award. Earlier in the evening, several trophies were handed out at the 12th annual Independent Games Festival Awards. Pocketwatch Games’ “Monaco” won the top honor, taking home the $20,000 Seumas McNally grand prize for best independent game as well as the award for excellence on design. Other indie winners included Cactus’ “Tuning” and PlayDead’s “Limbo.” — On the Net: http://www.gamechoiceawards.com http://www.igf.com
March 12, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. retail sales of video games declined 15 percent in February, hurt in part by an ongoing decline in sales of music games and lower sales of the Wii system. Americans spent $1.26 billion on video game systems, software and accessories during the month, down from $1.48 billion a year ago, market researcher NPD Group said Thursday. February isn’t generally a big month for the video game industry, which still makes much of its money during the holiday season. Even so, several high-profile titles launched during the month, including “BioShock 2,” the follow-up to Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s popular sci-fi shooter, and “Dante’s Inferno” from Electronic-Arts Inc., both appealing to hardcore video game fans. “I had expected the industry to perform somewhat better this month,” said NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier in a statement. Sales of individual games have declined for more than a year, hurt by a combination of the economic downturn and fewer launches of hit games. Even with “BioShock 2″ at the top of the best-seller list, game software sales fell 15 percent from the same month a year earlier to $624.4 million. “Dante’s Inferno” editions for Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 snagged the No. 8 and No. 9 spots. Analysts say faltering demand for the once blazingly popular casual games like “Guitar Hero” and “Wii Fit” have also dragged down game sales. Jesse Divnich, an analyst at Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, said that’s to be expected. “These are volatile categories,” Divnich said. “Once you own a ‘Wii Fit,’ you don’t need another ‘Wii Fit.’” The amount of money people spent on gaming systems sank 20 percent to $426.4 million, in part because the number of Nintendo Wii systems sold in the quarter plunged 47 percent. Nintendo said last month it was facing a shortage of consoles after the holidays. Competitors fared better in unit sales, though. Sony, which also warned of shortages, saw PlayStation 3 unit sales jump 31 percent. Microsoft sold 9 percent more Xbox 360 systems, grabbing the top spot among the console makers for the first time since “Halo 3″ was released in September 2007, NPD’s Frazier said. In a statement, Sony said tight inventory is still crimping sales. Microsoft has not complained of supply problems. — AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay in New York contributed to this report.
March 12, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
SEATTLE (AP) — U.S. retail sales of video games declined 15 percent in February, hurt in part by an ongoing decline in sales of music games and lower sales of the Wii system. Americans spent $1.26 billion on video game systems, software and accessories during the month, down from $1.48 billion a year ago, market researcher NPD Group said Thursday. February isn’t generally a big month for the video game industry, which still makes much of its money during the holiday season. Even so, several high-profile titles launched during the month, including “BioShock 2,” the follow-up to Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.’s popular sci-fi shooter, and “Dante’s Inferno” from Electronic-Arts Inc., both appealing to hardcore video game fans. “I had expected the industry to perform somewhat better this month,” said NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier in a statement. Sales of individual games have declined for more than a year, hurt by a combination of the economic downturn and fewer launches of hit games. Even with “BioShock 2″ at the top of the best-seller list, game software sales fell 15 percent from the same month a year earlier to $624.4 million. “Dante’s Inferno” editions for Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 snagged the No. 8 and No. 9 spots. Analysts say faltering demand for the once blazingly popular casual games like “Guitar Hero” and “Wii Fit” have also dragged down game sales. Jesse Divnich, an analyst at Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, said that’s to be expected. “These are volatile categories,” Divnich said. “Once you own a ‘Wii Fit,’ you don’t need another ‘Wii Fit.’” The amount of money people spent on gaming systems sank 20 percent to $426.4 million, in part because the number of Nintendo Wii systems sold in the quarter plunged 47 percent. Nintendo said last month it was facing a shortage of consoles after the holidays. Competitors fared better in unit sales, though. Sony, which also warned of shortages, saw PlayStation 3 unit sales jump 31 percent. Microsoft sold 9 percent more Xbox 360 systems, grabbing the top spot among the console makers for the first time since “Halo 3″ was released in September 2007, NPD’s Frazier said. In a statement, Sony said tight inventory is still crimping sales. Microsoft has not complained of supply problems. — AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay in New York contributed to this report.
March 12, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
WASHINGTON (AP) — A spark that helped ignite Elvis Presley’s fame more than 50 years ago was lit by the newspaper editors and critics who hated him. They detested his voice and thought his moves were unfit for family publications, all while teenagers went wild. It’s that shocking style and clash with the media that also will make Elvis the subject of a new exhibition at the Newseum, a history museum that celebrates the First Amendment in Washington. “Newspapers in the mid-’50s viewed themselves as arbiters of social values, and they felt they should be among the ones to speak most loudly when they saw someone threatening America’s mores,” said Ken Paulson, the Newseum’s president and former editor of USA Today. “What’s interesting is that fiercely negative coverage drove Elvis’ fame. … After the national news coverage kicked in, he was the king of rock ‘n’ roll.” Elvis’ two years of service in the U.S. Army, though, was a turning point. Parents couldn’t hate him anymore, and the news media eventually came along, too. The exhibit opening March 19 traces Elvis’ rise in the 1950s – in part a study in image management by his longtime manager, Col. Tom Parker – to his meeting with President Richard Nixon at the White House in 1970. It will include rare objects from Presley’s life, some never before displayed outside of Graceland and others never before publicly displayed anywhere. Objects in the collection include Elvis’ 1957 Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was key to his rebel image, his first Grammy Award for “How Great Thou Art” in 1968, the overcoat and gold belt Elvis wore to meet Nixon at the White House, and the Bureau of Narcotics badge the president gave Presley. He had requested to be made a “federal agent-at-large” to help fight drug use. Many documents will be displayed for the first time, including the 1955 exclusive management contract Elvis and his parents signed, giving Parker 25 percent of his income. (Later, in the 1970s, Parker’s stake rose to an unprecedented 50 percent.) “If you’re a die-hard Elvis fan, you either love Colonel or you hate Colonel,” said Angie Marchese, Graceland’s director of archives who helped develop the exhibit. “It’s like everything that Colonel did for Elvis in the 50s, would Elvis have been as big of a pop culture phenomenon without Colonel? Probably not. “But every relationship like that draws scrutiny.” The Newseum show on view through February 2011 is among a series of exhibits this year marking what would have been Elvis’ 75th birthday. In January, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery opened an exhibit of Elvis artwork. In Los Angeles, the Grammy Museum has a Smithsonian traveling exhibit of Elvis photographs by Alfred Wertheimer. Paulson, who said he has been an Elvis fan since he was a young boy, said a partnership with Graceland was a natural fit for a look at entertainment history through the eyes of the media. “There were many people who were more than willing to censor him or limit his expression,” he said. “So Elvis truly is a symbol of freedom in America for all the right reasons.” Marchese said the images and objects give people a chance to reflect on what Elvis might be doing if he were alive. “You’d want to think he would still be involved in music somehow, not necessarily going to Vegas and performing in jumpsuits like he was in the ’70s … his career probably would have progressed from that,” she said. “I’m thinking he probably would have had a career rebirth in Hollywood as well.” — On the Net: Newseum: http://www.newseum.org/
March 11, 2010 | Posted in
Entertainment |
Read More »
TOKYO (AP) — Sony has a new message for Nintendo Wii gamers: Come join us. The Japanese maker of the PlayStation 3 unveiled Thursday its highly anticipated motion controlling system, as it takes aim at Nintendo’s dominance in the gaming sector. With the “PlayStation Move,” Sony hopes to lure gamers who have outgrown Nintendo, which launched the Wii in 2006 and became the first to introduce motion-detecting controllers. Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment, credited Nintendo Co. for “introducing motion gaming to the masses.” Now it’s time for them to graduate to the PlayStation, which offers a new experience for both casual and hard-core gamers, he said at a press conference in San Francisco. “The migration path from the Wii household to the PlayStation 3 household is a pretty natural path, partly because of the experience that you can get on the PlayStation Move but also because of the content that we find on PlayStation 3,” Dille said. Used with the existing PlayStation Eye camera, Sony’s new wireless motion controller can track players’ body movements. The controller, in turn, has on its end a light-emitting orb that is recognized by the camera. “Nothing has ever been this precise,” said Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Electronics Worldwide Studios. The PlayStation Move will go on sale this fall. Complete details of prices have not been released, but a starter bundle including the PlayStation Eye, motion controller and one game will retail for under $100, Dille said. Major game publishers such as Activision Blizzard Inc., Electronic Arts Inc. and Square Enix are developing Move-compatible games. The latest announcement comes as both Sony and Microsoft Corp., maker of the Xbox 360, attempt to gain ground on Nintendo. Since the Wii first hit stores, it has consistently outsold rivals by attracting casual and nontraditional gamers like women and seniors. Microsoft is planning its own offensive this year as well with its “Project Natal.” Natal, which combines a camera, depth sensor, microphone and processor, eliminates the need for any button-mashing device. Microsoft is expected to release Natal in time for the Christmas shopping season but has not set a specific date. Although demand for the Wii has slowed in recent months, it remained the most popular console among Americans in January with 465,000 units sold, according to market researcher NPD Group. Microsoft sold 332,800 units of the Xbox 360, trailed by 276,900 PlayStation 3 units.
March 11, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A global Internet oversight agency is reopening discussions about whether to create a “.xxx” domain name as an online red-light district where porn sites can set up shop away from the wandering eyes of children and teenagers. Parents would be able to use the system to help block access to porn sites, though because its use would be voluntary, the “.xxx” suffix wouldn’t keep such content entirely away from minors. Religious and other anti-porn groups worry that “.xxx” would legitimize porn sites, and the proposal has already been rejected three times since 2000. But the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which oversees the allocation of Internet addresses globally, may revive ICM Registry LLC’s bid yet again as ICANN meets this week in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Last month, responding to complaints from ICM, an outside panel questioned ICANN’s grounds for the latest rejection in 2007. As a result, board members have been weighing the matter ahead of formal consideration of the “.xxx” bid on Friday, ICANN CEO Rod Beckstrom said in an interview. Beckstrom said he was not able to give details of those discussions for legal reasons, and he could not say when ICANN may reach a decision. Stuart Lawley, ICM’s chief executive, said he has been the victim of a process that he considered far from open and nondiscriminatory. ICM, which planned to charge $60 for a site to register a “.xxx” name, first proposed “.xxx” in 2000 as a way to help the online porn industry clean up its act. Those using the domain would have to abide by yet-to-be-written rules designed to bar such trickery as spamming and malicious scripts. And parents could set up Internet software to automatically block any site ending in “.xxx,” reducing the chances that minors and other Internet users would accidentally stumble on pornography online. Given its voluntary nature, however, “.xxx” would unlikely have much effect on parents’ ability to block porn sites. And because a domain name serves merely as an easy-to-remember moniker for a site’s actual numeric Internet address, even if its use is required, a child could simply punch in the numeric address of any blocked “.xxx” name. Anti-porn activists, meanwhile, worry that the creation of a virtual red-light district would serve as an endorsement of the adult-entertainment industry, as “.xxx” would be sitting alongside other suffixes such as “.com” for commercial sites and “.edu” for schools. Skeptics note that porn sites would likely keep their existing “.com” storefronts, even as they set up shop in the new “.xxx” domain name, thereby expanding the number of porn sites on the Internet. When ICANN last considered “.xxx,” board members also expressed worries that the suffix would leave the agency in the business of regulating content, or the type of material that would find itself there. The board also questioned whether “.xxx” had the support of the adult-entertainment industry, as many operators of porn sites were concerned that governments would later make the voluntary red-light district mandatory. ICANN still wasn’t swayed after ICM said that the content-regulation role would have been left solely with the company and that ICM would fend off efforts to mandate its use. Lawley challenged ICANN’s rejection before an independent review panel appointed by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. That panel largely sided with him and concluded that ICANN’s decision was “not consistent with the application of neutral, objective and fair documented policy.” The panel said that after ICANN gave the bid preliminary approval in 2005, it shouldn’t have revisited some of the key issues already reviewed. Board members had used the new evaluations in deciding to reject the bid two years later, in 2007. Although the panel’s findings are nonbinding, ICANN’s board was scheduled to discuss them Friday. It was not clear whether the board would vote on the matter or defer a decision for more discussion. Lawley said the review panel was supposed to be ICANN’s mechanism for accountability, and how the organization responds to the panel’s findings “will provide great insight into the true accountability of this vital organization.” He said the process has so far cost his company about $8.5 million. ICANN tabled and effectively rejected a similar proposal in 2000 out of fear the “.xxx” domain would force the body into content regulation. ICM resubmitted its proposal in 2004, this time structuring it with a policy-setting organization to free ICANN of that task. But many board members worried that the language of a proposed contract was vague and could kick the task back to ICANN. The board rejected the 2004 proposal in 2006. ICANN revived the proposal months later after ICM agreed to hire independent organizations to monitor porn sites’ compliance with the new rules. But ICANN ultimately rejected that bid in what was to be its final consideration.
March 10, 2010 | Posted in
Tech |
Read More »
