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INFOWAR: infowar 3
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ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL 98
INFOWAR. information.macht.krieg
Linz, Austria, september 07 - 12
http://www.aec.at/infowar
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Virtual death as an abolition of mortality? The re-construction and
repetitition of the live/death ambivalence.
At first sight the new arising virtual worlds appear like paradise before
the original sin, places without the determination of existence. From the
point of their basic technological characteristics virtual worlds seem to
be build for eternity. So aging and death have to be implemented
artificially. A phenomenon like death does also exist in cyberspace
because digital and biological worlds are build up analogically as
parallel, not as opposite worlds. To draw a distinction between them as
real and fictional worlds does not make any sense as the theories of the
radical constructivism have already told us. The presence of a virtual
death in the artificial world is for sure, but how can it be defined? Is
virtual death a mutation or transformation into other living forms
avoiding bringing things to an actual end (Moravec s mind children)? The
new emerging forms of bodyless or cyber-existance (e.g. Net Existance) are
a technologically produced reference to the christian concept of "soul"
and philosophical "mind", which is to be thought to last eternally in
contrast to the transitory body. The leading principle for all artificial
worlds and creatures is the theory of a double death by Jacques
Lacan(symbolic/absolute-natural death) and an undefined twilight zone
between the two deaths.
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Date sent: Fri, 15 May 1998 15:49:12 -0400
To: infowar@aec.at
From: pgp@pgmedia.net (name.space)
Subject: pgMedia Asks Federal Court to Open the Internet
Domain Name Market for Immediate Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
pgMedia Asks Federal Court to Open the
Internet Domain Name Market for Immediate Competition
______________________________________________________________________
__
Press release from 05-15-98
NEW YORK - On May 14, 1998, pgMedia, Inc. d/b/a/ Name.Space(sm), a
NewYork-based registrar of Internet domain names, filed a preliminary
injunction motion with the United States District Court for the
Southern District of New York, requesting that the Court prohibit
Network Solutions, Inc. ("NSI") from continuing to deny pgMedia access
to the Internet's "root zone file."
This motion is the latest step in pgMedia's ongoing litigation with
NSI over access to the root file, which by managing the part of
Internet addresses known as top level domain names ("TLDs"), functions
as the main "traffic cop" directing Internet communications and
allowing Internet users to communicate with all other Internet users.
pgMedia seeks to make available to the Internet community a variety of
new and creative TLDs other than NSI's generic TLDs, i.e. .com, .org
and .net. However, to provide consumers with choices, pgMedia and
other competitors need the ability to place their TLDs in the root
zone file. So far, NSI, which has exercised monopoly control over the
root zone file as a result of a government contract, has refused to do
so, even though no agency of the U.S. has been authorized by Congress
to restrict the number of Internet TLDs, and even though the addition
of virtually unlimited TLDs is technically feasible and would not harm
the functioning of the Internet.
In its motion, pgMedia invoked a well-developed and long-standing
antitrust principle known as the "essential facilities" doctrine,
prohibiting a monopolist that controls a vital means to competition
from denying reasonable, nondiscriminatory access to competitors. It
is the same principle that the government used in 1984 to require AT&T
to allow other telephone companies to access AT&T's lines, eventually
providing consumers with choices in long-distance service.
"This is a classic 'essential facilities" antitrust case." said Glenn
Manishin, litigation counsel for pgMedia. "There can only be one
'root" for the Internet, or else the very essence of the seamless
interconnectivity of the Net is destroyed. We believe that if the
Court applies these settled precedents, it must rule in favor of
pgMedia and order that the Internet be opened to an unlimited number
of new and innovative TLDs. NSI is the only game in town, so the law
says that they cannot refuse to deal with competitors like pgMedia."
Addressing the Clinton Administration's ongoing policy review of
domain name issues, pgMedia argued in its motion that the U.S. lacks
authority under International law to restrict the number of TLDs.
If pgMedia prevails on its motion, the ability of users to communicate
and advertise through Internet addresses will improve significantly.
Both US and global consumers, for the first time, will be free to
register a variety of new TLDs without being cut-off from the rest of
the Internet. For instance, all Internet users will be able to
communicate with pgMedia's customers who currently employ such
practical TLDs, as .sports, .law or .computers and use of
communicative TLDs, like for.president and beyond.hope.
"Open competition is critical to the growth, creativity and success of
the Internet," said Paul Garrin, President of pgMedia. "We expect a
favorable decision in this case, which will be at the forefront of
many court decisions showing that antitrust principles are still alive
and well in the technology era."
For more information, please contact Glenn Manishin at (202) 955-6300
or glenn@technologylaw.com, or Henry Perritt, Jr. at (312) 906-5010 or
hperritt@kentlaw.edu
Name.Space website can be reached at http://TIME-TO.MOVE-OVER.COM
Preliminary Injunction Document is at http://Name.Space-Slams.Com
(this address should work whenever as NSI updates it database)
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