VeriSign Suspends Site Finder Service
October 01, 2003
VeriSign Inc., the leading provider of infrastructure services for the Internet and charged with managing the .com and .net Internet name registries, recently suspended its Site Finder service because the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees the Internet's domain-naming system, ordered it to shut down the service.
International Domain Name Disputes Persist
October 01, 2003
For most businesses, a domain name is now as critical and integral a part of their corporate identity as a trademark. Because these readily accessible addresses for Web sites are easy to remember and use, domain names have become business identifiers and, in some cases, even trademarks themselves, such as Amazon.com. <BR>Although it's been nearly 10 years since domain names became commonplace, the intersection between trademark rights and domain name registration and use is still teeming with potential problems. These difficulties are compounded when considered internationally. While trademark law jurisprudence can extend back several hundred years, the rules for working with domain names are still being written. Companies with their eye on international markets should pay especially close attention to the variety of rules ' or lack thereof ' in these jurisdictions.
Managing Online Privacy
October 01, 2003
e-Commerce has grown faster and larger than anyone could ever have predicted. By its nature, e-commerce is intricately linked to consumer privacy, and privacy concerns are at an all-time high. Privacy concerns will only continue to grow along with e-commerce. Having the best technology is no longer the key to success in the online world. e-Businesses that take consumer privacy seriously will leave their less-responsive competitors behind. And at a time when identity theft is a common occurrence and major concern, consumers are demanding reliable and trustworthy relationships from e-vendors.
The Seven Deadly Sins of e-Mail
October 01, 2003
We've all heard horror stories about e-mails that have become trial exhibits - blown up on giant placards or projected on a large screen in front of a jury. The earnest words your client typed in private suddenly take on unforeseen importance when, months or years later, a dispute develops and a trial is held. Like a major league pitcher who releases a hanging curveball to the reigning home-run champ, your client would probably like to "take back" an e-mail that bashes a client, admits incompetence or pitches pent-up emotions in a cathartic rage. <BR>We need not, however, simply succumb to the temptation of e-mail. e-Mail mistakes can be avoided. Clients just need to be educated on how to prevent e-mail mistakes. Although common sense can't be taught, several specific types of e-mailing behavior should be avoided. E-mailers commit what we'll call here the Seven Deadly Sins of e-Mail. While it's unlikely we'll all steer completely clear of these sins, all e-mailers should make every effort to avoid committing the Seven Deadly Sins.
Developments of Note
October 01, 2003
Recent developments in e-commerce law and in the e-commerce industry.
Selecting a Winning Web Hosting Relationship
October 01, 2003
Ultimately, the success or failure of an e-commerce Web site is determined by how carefully its owners select a hosting provider. <BR>With thousands of hosting firms from which to choose, hosting-services consumers often learn the hard way that they should have been wary - by experiencing poor service and performance, unforeseen costs and, the ultimate risk, failure or unadvertised acquisition of their hosting provider.
ASCII: The 8-Track of Electronic Transcript Technology?
October 01, 2003
The legal industry is known as one resistant to change. For instance, many legal professionals still consider Word Perfect 5.1 as the word processing "Mecca." The same can be said of receiving transcripts electronically; the standard for transcripts in many lawyers' minds is ASCII. The use of this antiquated format for transcript distribution led to the innovation of technology to better control how transcripts are viewed. Now, greater benefits are available to both the transcript author and the customers who use this technology for transcript dissemination and viewing. Just as DOS was replaced with Windows, improved electronic transcript technology has supplanted the use of ASCII transcripts.
