.eu domain name goes live in November

Europe in Brief .eu Domainnames will be available from November 2004. In March preparation and translation of regulations will begin, followed in June by accreditation of .eu registrars. From September 2004 those holding prior rights to a name (trademarks) can register during a 'sunrise period'. General registration is planned for November on a first come first served basis for any name not taken during the sunrise period or otherwise blocked from registration.

Organisations and individuals most likely to be able to register a .eu domain are companies with their registered office, central administration or principal place of business within the EU. Natural persons resident within the European Union can also register.

A court in Berlin has limited the area of public pavement which can be kept under surveillance by video cameras, German site Heise reported recently. The lawsuit was filed by a Berlin reporter against The Dussman Company, which sells surveillance equipment. The reporter believed the camera intruded on citizen privacy and violated the German Charter of Rights and Freedom.

Recent decisions to extend the amount of biometric monitoring and public surveillance have met with fierce criticism from privacy advocates.

Competitors of Telenor claim sales representatives of the Norwegian phone company have used personal information from their customers in order to get them to switch cell phone carriers.

Telenor's competitors NetCom, Tele2, Sense and Chess have filed a complaint with the Data Inspectorate, according to Nettavisen (TV2). The Data Inspectorate says Telenor may have to give up the customers it has signed on this Fall, but the company denies all charges.

Mobile phones were among the favorite items under the Christmas tree in Sweden. The Phone House reports sales increases of 30 per cent in December compared to Christmas 2002, according to Scandinavia Now. Most popular was the combination of a subsidised handset and a prepaid subscription, and the best selling model was an old classic, the Nokia 3310.

At the same time PTS, the Swedish National Post & Telecom Agency, says that the Swedes don't do a lot with their phones except just calling. Swedish subscribers send an average of 17 short messages (SMS) per month, while Norwegians send at least 63 SMS's per month. PTS blames the high prices: Swedes pay 14 eurocents while Norwegians pay only 10. ®