Welcome to the LCNews

Dear %%%FNAME%%%.

Welcome to the October issue, we have added a new section to our website Network/System Status which will keep you informed of any problems we may be experiencing.

Nominet, the .UK Internet domain name registry, is celebrating success in its Australian court case battle against the UK Domain name scammers. The Australian Judge "Justice French" said that the notices sent by UK Internet Registry were "nothing less than deceitful".

It's Trick or Treat time again! The time of year where most people sit in the dark hiding from the very small scary creatures that come knocking at our door! October 31st All Hallows Eve or is it? Find out who started Halloween and why!

I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and if you have any comments or suggestions please email feedback@lcn.com.

Many thanks

LCN's Editor

IN THIS ISSUE...

Network/System Status

LCN are dedicated to ensuring the highest levels of service to our customers and we are regularly finding new ways to enhance our facilities.

We have added a new section on our website Network/System Status which will keep you informed of any problems we may be experiencing with regular updates until the issue is resolved.

By visiting the Network/System Status link on the home page you will find three sections dedicated to any technical problems.

• System Announcements
  Any immediate problems, critical updates or unplanned maintenance information will be posted on this page
• Ongoing Investigations
  Issues that have not been resolved after 24 hours will move into this list
• Scheduled Events
  Any forth coming planned maintenance this will be posted here
  

We hope this new addition to our website is useful to you.

If you are having problems and require assistance please do not hesitate to contact us by telephoning 0870 744 0823 or emailing support@lcn.com

Nominet Wins UK Domain Scammers Court Case In Australia

Nominet, the .UK Internet domain name registry, is celebrating success in its Australian court case battle against Chesley Rafferty and Bradley Norrish and 3 of their companies following discovery in January 2003 that its WHOIS database had been the subject of concerted data mining attacks.  This database is commonly used by Internet users to check who is the registrant of a domain name. These assaults subsequently forced Nominet to suspend its WHOIS system for the only time in its six year history.  The attacks captured details of many .UK domain name holders and resulted in 50,000 registrants receiving misleading notices from "UK Internet Registry" regarding their domain name registrations.

Australian Judge "Justice French" said that the notices sent by UK Internet Registry were "nothing less than deceitful".

Following extensive admissions by 4 of the 5 respondents, the trial proceeded against Mr Norrish alone.  The judge found that Mr Norrish had authorised copyright infringement, and was involved in misleading or deceptive conduct. Justice French said  "It lies beyond the limits of credulity to suppose that Mr Norrish...had no idea of [what was going on]. ...He was in the scheme with Mr Rafferty."

This ruling now allows Nominet to prevent information on its databases being inappropriately used by third parties and reinforces Nominet's authority to impose terms and conditions on the use of the data it holds. Nominet's Managing Director, Lesley Cowley said "We are delighted by this result, particularly as it upholds our ability to protect information relating to .UK registrants. Naturally, we want to control use of the intellectual property that we hold and to have succeeded in protecting our copyright ownership is a significant outcome for us, the industry globally and for registrants who do not want to receive scam notices. By fighting, and winning, this case we are saying very clearly that scamming is a serious industry issue which will not be tolerated and anyone caught doing it will be pursued and brought to justice."

Nominet will now plan to continue to pursue Mr Rafferty, Mr Norrish and the companies for costs and damages and will also seek additional damages for the flagrancy and extent of the copyright infringement.

Already purchased a domain and need hosting?

Have you purchased a domain through us? You can add web hosting to your domain names using our admin interface. Simply log in using your username/password and select 'Add hosting to domain' from the drop down menu next to the corresponding domain.

Hosting is the web space (package) you will need to power your web site and handle your email. LCN offers two world class web hosting solutions, NT and UN. Both are available with 20mb, 80mb or 200mb of space to fit your requirements. NT is designed as an introduction package, while UN is geared for more demanding web sites, and therefore includes the extra features. If you find that you outgrow your hosting package then you can simply upgrade.

Web hosting solutions available are:

NT Hosting

• Our NT plans are an ideal entry level web hosting solution, features include:
• World class technology
• 99.9% Uptime
• POP3 email account
• Unlimited email addresses
• ASP + Perl support
• Database support (MS Access 2000)
• CGI support
• FTP access

UN Hosting

• Our High-End UN hosting is geared for the more demanding web site, features include:
• World class technology
• 99.9% Uptime
• POP3 email account
• Unlimited email addresses
• E-mail forwarding
• ASP(Sun One ASP)/Perl/PHP4 support
• Database support (MySQL)
• FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions
• CGI support
• Personal control panel
• Web statistics
• FTP access

To find out more about LCN's web hosting options visit the hosting section on the LCN site click here. Or if you are unsure which plan will be most suitable for you and need some help, then please don't hesitate to contact us on 0870 744 0823.

LCN Admin Section

Don't forget to visit your admin section regularly to ensure you keep your details up to date. Your email and mobile number are used to keep you informed when your hosting or domain name is due to expire. Mobile numbers are used if you have subscribed to the SMS reminder service.

Also if you've bought hosting recently and accidentally deleted or mislaid the email with the set up instructions and password then you can simply visit the admin section on the LCN site and have it resent to your email address.

The LCN admin section is available to anyone who has bought a domain name and set up an account. Customers can use the admin section for all of the following actions:-

• Add hosting to your domain name
• View invoices
• Set up email forwarding
• Modify nameserves / release your domain name
• Generate a gift certificate
• Upgrade Hosting

Technical Support Made Easy

The LCN support team offer help and support via email and phone. If you prefer to email asking for help and/or support we will aim to respond to you within 24 hours.

When emailing please ensure you identify yourself clearly. It is a good idea to include your order number and domain name so our customer support team know who they are talking to. This will speed up the service provided.

If our support team have to investigate to find out who's requesting help or reply to your original mail for further information then this delays us answering your queries and resolving your problems.

Our support desk respond to hundreds of emails a day. Cryptic emails or vague replies cost both us and you time in solving your problems. Your co-operation is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

New Contact Details

Just a reminder and for those who may not be aware; LCN has moved to new offices.

Our new address is:

3 Maple Park
Essex Road
Hoddesdon
Hertfordshire
EN11 0EX

Our other contact details remain the same including the phone and fax numbers.

Who Started Halloween?

History of Halloween

Many people think Halloween originated with the Christian holiday of All Hallows Eve which was to honour all the Saints that had died in the past year. This is not true, however. All Hallows Eve was celebrated in May when it was originated by the Catholic church, but in 834 AD it was moved from May to October in order to combine it with an ancient Druid festival in October. So what was the original pagan holiday which began what is celebrated as Halloween today? Halloween began some 2,000 years ago among the Celts. Ancient Druids who lived in what is now England, France, Scotland and Wales celebrated the Vigil of Samhain honouring their god, Samhain, lord of the dead. This holiday was celebrated on the Celtic New Year's Eve which falls on our October 31st. These people believed that on this day the wicked spirits of the dead came back to wreak havoc and mayhem on the living. The holiday and all that took place was designed to appease Samhain as well as the spirits of these wicked dead.

Why October 31st?

Now that some of the history of Halloween has been documented and it has been noted that a celebration on October 31st originated not with the Church but with the Vigil of Samhain, it may still be difficult to understand why October 31st is so significant. There are certain unholy days, times or seasons that witches, Satanists, Pagans and others celebrate, and the highest unholy day of the occult calendar is October 31st!

October Dates

11th October 1968: Apollo Seven, the first manned Apollo mission, was launched

12th October 1492: Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World

16th October 1793: Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded during the French Revolution.

17th October 1931: Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to eleven years in prison.

24th October 1537: Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry the Eighth, died

29th October 1929: The Wall Street stock market crashed

31st October 1926: Magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit of gangrene and peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix.

Please do not reply directly to this newsletter. If you would like to receive previous issues please email feedback@lcn.com

This newsletter may be freely redistributed by email in its unedited form. Please do share it with others.

LCN would like to thank you in advance for your continued support.

Kind regards

The LCN Team