Encyclopedia Dramatica (Encyclopaedia), No more MediaWiki? Options

[MZMcBride]

Anyone been following Encyclopedia Dramatica? It seems they've changed formats. I'm kind of surprised to not see a thread about it here already, though it's certainly possible I just missed it. Or maybe this place is just kinda dead at the moment.

[Daniel Brandt]

According to the *.ch domain registry terms of service, it might be possible to make a case for revocation of the encyclopediadramatica.ch domain name. For example, look at number 7 below. I suspect the Australian government would, if pressed, send the registry a letter requesting revocation of the domain name due to the Aboriginal article, which the Australian Civil Rights Commission claims is a criminal violation under Australian law. Other countries might also have objections to various articles if they have "hate speech" laws.

3.3.2

Deletion by revocation

SWITCH revokes the registration of a domain name if SWITCH is presented with a decision of a court or of a court of arbitration enforceable in Switzerland, or a decision by a Swiss criminal prosecution, administrative or regulatory authority enforceable in Switzerland, an expert decision of the dispute resolution service for ".ch" and ".li" domain names, or if a settlement concluded in or out of court by both parties is presented, according to which SWITCH is directly instructed to revoke the domain name, without SWITCH being a party to the corresponding proceedings, or which contains the required holder's consent to revocation or by which that consent is replaced. The third party must submit a certificate of the enforceability of the decision.

SWITCH can revoke the registration of domain names if:

1. the holder breaches the applicable law;

2. the holder breaches these GTC or the contractual relationship with SWITCH and does not eliminate the breach within a period set by SWITCH;

3. the fees are not paid in accordance with the contract;

4. the holder breaches the duty to maintain data;

5. there is an evident risk that SWITCH could make itself legally liable due to the registration and/or use of the domain name. In that case the revocation takes place in consultation with OFCOM or the Office of Communications respectively;

6. the holder has died or has been deleted from the register of commerce as a result of bankruptcy or liquidation;

7. other important reasons such as international recommendations, standards or harmonisation require it. In that case the revocation takes place in consultation with OFCOM or the Office of Communications respectively.

With revocation, the domain name is deleted from the Whois service, the database and the zonefile. With the deletion, the domain name becomes available for re-registration after a transition period as defined in para. 3.3.3.

If the revocation took place on the basis of para. 1 above, the domain name is made available for re-registration at the time designated in the decision or in the settlement between the parties or, if such a time is not specified, as quickly as possible.