June 2001 - Nr. 6
In Brief
TWIG - Despite the dot-com doldrums, the mood was generally upbeat at the "Internet World" trade show in Berlin - the largest show of its kind in Europe. Many Internet firms are succeeding, organizer Michaela Voltenauer told the German Press Agency (dpa) at the show’s close Thursday (May 17), and the industry’s much publicized troubles did not prevent a 90-percent increase in trade attendance. Exhibitors spoke of the Internet’s commercial potential with guarded optimism. Some spoke of the challenge of turning Internet users into customers, others pointed to the growth potential in business related services on the Internet. "The euphoria is over," Ekkehard Frank of the firm Ision told dpa. "The search for professional solutions on the Web is now in the foreground." Among the most discussed topics at the show were mobile Internet, interactive on-line television and Internet films.
Germany’s top administrative court - the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) - heard opening arguments Thursday (May 17) - in two disputes on Internet domain names. One case centers on the question whether a single firm can take the name of an entire industry or business for its domain name. The second case focuses on the role of DENIC, the industry cooperative that handles allocation of domain names in Germany. DENIC registers domain names on a first come, first served basis. On that basis, it assigned the domain name "ambiente.de" to an amateur photographer who intended to display his work on the web. The trade show organizer Messe Frankfurt wants that name for its annual "Ambiente" home design show. It has come to an agreement with the photographer and wants DENIC to reassign the name. DENIC has declined, explaining that the volume of new registrations it receives - between 5,000 and 9,000 daily - precludes a case-by-case review.
