UK chart to include streaming

23 June 2014 Last updated at 10:15 By Sarah Jane Griffiths Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Songs played on streaming services like Spotify and Deezer will count towards the UK's singles chart from July, the Official Charts Company has announced.

Music streaming doubled in popularity in the UK between 2013 and 2014, from 100 million to 200 million streams a week, currently averaging 260 million.

Bastille's track Pompeii is the UK's most streamed track ever, but only made number two in the singles countdown.

Charts boss Martin Talbot said the move was "about future-proofing the charts".

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The BBC's Rebecca Jones talks to Martin Talbot of the Official Charts Company

"So far this year we've seen nine tracks which have been streamed more than one million times in a week. Last year there were only two tracks that had reached that kind of level," said Mr Talbot.

"So we're seeing a huge growth, up 50% in the first half of this year."

He told the BBC the Official Charts Company had been looking into the idea for "some time" but felt now was the right moment, suggesting it echoed how they had already "evolved" over the years in response to the popularity of vinyl, cassettes, CDs and downloads.

Streaming services Spotify, Deezer, Napster, 02 Tracks, Music Unlimited, Rara and Xbox Music - most of which charge subscribers a monthly fee to listen to unlimited music - will now provide compilers with weekly data.

The first chart to include streams will air on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday 6 July, with 100 streams of a song counting as the equivalent of one single purchased.

"This is a far greater shift in emphasis than has ever happened before," music journalist Fraser McAlpine told the BBC.

"No one ever asked pop fans how many times they played the singles they took home.

"In a sense, it's a lot fairer, because the chart becomes a measurement of the genuine excitement around certain songs, and how that changes over time even after people have started to listen privately.

"It's the first time plays would count towards something larger in cultural terms, rather than just being the most-played track on a single service."

Broader range

However, it is unlikely to make much difference at the top of the chart.

Two tracks, Rather Be by Clean Bandit and Waves by Mr Probz, have passed the 1.5 million weekly streams barrier so far this year and both have also spent time at number one in the singles chart.

Daft Punk's Get Lucky was the UK's most streamed track last year and the second biggest-selling single of the year.

"By and large the most streamed tracks are the same as the most sold tracks," said Talbot.

"The changes you see are towards the bottom end of the top 10 and further down the chart."

It is artists such as Alt-J who stand to benefit. The Mercury Prize-winners are 14th most-streamed act in the UK, but their highest-charting single to date is Breezeblocks, which only reached number 75 in 2012.

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'We've finally got to the point where streaming is mainstream", says Spotify

"It's nice for bands who maybe don't make much impact on the singles charts, like us," Gus Unger-Hamilton from Alt-J told Radio 4's Today programme.

"If people listen to a band's album a lot [on a streaming service] it will gradually contribute to each of those song's performance in the singles chart."

Continue reading the main story

It is a coming of age for streaming services, an indication that the industry accepts and understands streaming is here to stay"

End Quote Martin Talbot Official Charts Company

He added: "If young people are going to think the charts are relevant to them and the music they listen to then this has got to be a step."

Mark Goodier, a former host of the Radio 1 chart show, said the countdown was still "incredibly important" for both bands and the music business.

"It's also really important for the fans, if they like One Direction or Pharrell Williams, to know where that is relative to everybody else.

"We like lists, it's very important that they're credible. [Streaming] is how the kids are choosing to consume their music, so this is a very positive move."

Analysis by Rebecca Jones, BBC arts correspondent

This change is significant, but not just because it breaks the 62-year link between buying a piece of music and its position in the charts.

It will give a more accurate representation of what people are listening to. But by incorporating only audio streams, and omitting the billions of video views on sites like YouTube, the picture will still not be complete.

The move does represent a coming of age for streaming services and a deeper acceptance of them by the music industry.

But there is little to suggest the change will actually have much impact on which song goes to the top of the charts.

In tests carried out by the Official Charts Company over the last 18 months, the inclusion of streaming services made a difference to the Number One single only once, and the top five songs remained largely the same.

Other countries including Sweden, Germany and the US have already started including streaming in their sales charts, with America's Billboard chart announcing its changes in October 2012.

The Official Charts Company said the change would reflect a wider range of music listeners.

"We looked at the records that benefitted and it was a real broad range from the Arctic Monkeys to will.i.am, from Aviici to Imagine Dragons," said Mr Talbot.

YouTube video streams will not be included in the countdown, although the Official Charts Company has said it will regularly review the situation.

"A video stream is not the same as an audio stream - some people watch a video for different reasons from the reasons they'd listen to an audio track," said Mr Talbot.

'Coming of age'

Each track will have to be played for 30 seconds before it counts as one stream.

To avoid fans "gaming" the system, only 10 plays will be counted per user, per day.

A new Official Breakers Chart is also being launched to reflect the ten fastest growing new tracks according to sales and streams.

"This a significant moment in the history of the official singles chart, and as a result it's also a very significant moment in the music industry as well," said Mr Talbot.

"It is a coming of age for streaming services, an indication that the industry accepts and understands streaming is here to stay."

The first Official Singles Chart to include streams will air on BBC Radio 1 on Sunday 6 July, between 16:00-19:00 BST.

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Android and Windows add 'kill switch'

20 June 2014 Last updated at 09:56

Google and Microsoft will add a "kill-switch" feature to their Android and Windows phone operating systems.

The feature is a method of making a handset completely useless if it is stolen, rendering a theft pointless.

Authorities have been urging tech firms to take steps to help curb phone theft and argued that a kill-switch feature can help resolve the problem.

Apple and Samsung, two of the biggest phone makers, offer a similar feature on some of their devices.

The move by Google and Microsoft means that kill switches will now be a part of the three most popular phone operating systems in the world.

Growing problem

Continue reading the main story

An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass"

End Quote New York State Attorney General

Smartphone theft has become a big problem across the world. According to a report by US authorities:

• Some 3.1 million mobile devices were stolen in the US in 2013, nearly double the number of devices stolen in 2012
• One in three Europeans experienced the theft or loss of a mobile device in 2013
• In South Korea mobile device theft increased five-fold between 2009 and 2012
• In Colombia criminals stole over one million devices in 2013

In an attempt to tackle the issue, policymakers have launched an initiative called Secure our Smartphones.

As part of it, they have urged technology firms to take steps to make it less attractive for robbers to steal mobile devices.

"An activated kill switch converts an easy-to-sell, high-value multimedia device into a jumble of plastic and glass, drastically reducing its street value," the report by New York Attorney General said.

Explainer: How a kill switch works

• A "hard" kill switch would render a stolen device permanently unusable and is favoured by legislators who want to give stolen devices the "value of a paperweight"
• A "soft" kill switch only make a phone unusable to "an unauthorised user"
• Some argue that the only way to permanently disable a phone is to physically damage it
• Experts worry that hackers could find a way to hijack a kill signal and turn off phones
• If a phone is turned off or put into aeroplane mode, it might not receive the kill signal at all, warn experts

Authorities claim that Apple's feature - dubbed Activation Lock - which it introduced on all iPhones running the iOS 7 operating system in September last year, has helped reduce theft substantially.

According to a report by the New York State Attorney General, in the first five months of 2014 the theft of Apple devices fell by 17% in New York City.

Meanwhile iPhone robberies fell 24% in London and 38% in San Francisco in the six months after Apple introduced the feature, compared to the previous six months.

"During the same period, thefts of other popular mobile devices increased," the report says.

Manoj Menon, managing director of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan said the move was a step in the right direction.

"This is a fantastic move and will go a long way in helping authorities come one step closer to realising a vision of zero theft of mobile phone," he told the BBC.

But he added that it was "not a foolproof system" as thieves "will find a way to monetise the accessories and parts of a phone".

However, he said the market for parts and accessories was relatively small and the kill switch "does substantially reduce the financial incentive of stealing a device".

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Lego fuses real and virtual worlds

20 June 2014 Last updated at 14:52

Construction toy firm Lego has blended the real and the virtual with bricks that can be built and then transferred to online games.

It is part of a trend among toy manufacturers to straddle the two realms and appeal to children immersed in the digital world.

Users can choose to build four game sets which come with a special plate to build them on.

The creations can be photographed and imported into free games.

Zombie gaze

"Children have always imagined their Lego creations as immersive worlds which come to life for hours of role-play and adventure," said Ditte Bruun Pedersen, senior design manager at Lego Future Lab.

"Recently, smartphones and tablets have become a popular platform for empowering game mechanisms that kids love. Lego Fusion brings these two favourite play patterns together."

Once a child's creation has been imported into a game there are a series of challenges that require them to build new things to move the game forward.

"In our research, we heard repeatedly from parents that they are constantly battling 'zombie gaze', the experience when their children are immersed in their device screens for large blocks of time," said Ms Pedersen.

"We developed Lego Fusion with this challenge in mind, creating a play experience that keeps children entertained with the kind of app gameplay they love while giving real reasons to return to the brick pile to creatively build."

So, for example in the town-building game Town Master children can add extra facilities to keep inhabitants happy or in the Battle Towers game, if a castle is damaged in the game it can be repaired in the real world.

Increasingly toy manufacturers are aiming to fuse the two realms.

Video games maker Activision found a hit with Skylanders, a game which came with add-on toys which offer new content when placed into a RFID (radio-frequency identification) reader attached to a console.

Lego Fusion will be launched in September and will initially be available in the US online.

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Unlikely hit app Yo is 'hacked'

20 June 2014 Last updated at 16:00 By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

Messaging app Yo, which in the past week has rocketed to the top of the app download charts, has been hit by a hack.

Creator Or Arbel told technology news site TechCrunch the app was having "security issues".

The app allows users to send a message saying "yo" to friends - and nothing else.

It has been branded "pointless", but has nonetheless raised $1m (£600,000) in investment.

TechCrunch said it was contacted by three college students who said they had uncovered a flaw in the app.

"We can get any Yo user's phone number (I actually texted the founder, and he called me back)," the students told TechCrunch.

"We can spoof yos from any users, and we can spam any user... We could also send any Yo user a push notification with any text we want (though we decided not to do that)."

Other developers have been able to recreate the flaw.

Similar problems have hit apps such as Snapchat and Tinder in the past few months.

'Decline of civilisation'

Mr Arbel told TechCrunch he was dealing with the issue, but would not elaborate further.

"Some of the stuff has been fixed and some we are still working on," he said, adding that he had hired a specialist security team.

"We are taking this very seriously."

Despite the app's apparent pointlessness, it has quickly attracted hundreds of thousands of users. Mr Arbel said more than four million "yo" messages had been sent.

A service that sends a "yo" to a user every time a goal is scored in the World Cup has already been launched - with other similar services planned.

The app, which took eight hours to create, has the technology community divided - with some seeing the app, and its seven-figure investment, as a sign of increasing hysteria in Silicon Valley for offbeat ideas.

"We have decided this is an idea with great potential," Mr Arbel told the Financial Times.

One reader of The Verge technology news site said the app, and its sudden mainstream coverage, was "accelerating the decline of civilisation".

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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MI5 focus on tracking Syria fighters

20 June 2014 Last updated at 22:41

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This footage purports to show Reyaad Khan (c) Nasser Muthana (r) from Wales

Tracking British jihadists fighting in Syria is now the top priority for MI5, the BBC has learned.

It comes after a video appeared to show UK jihadis in Syria trying to recruit people to join them there and in Iraq.

The Home Office said counter-terror police were working to get the video - posted by internet accounts linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) militants - taken off line.

The father of one of the men in the video said it made him "want to cry".

Nasser Muthana, 20, from the Cardiff area - who has been offered places to study medicine by four universities - appears in the footage using the name Abu Muthanna al-Yemen.

Isis has made rapid advances through Iraq in recent weeks.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said its fighters are plotting terror attacks on the UK.

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said MI5 was having to prioritise the greatest amount of its casework on tracking British jihadists in Syria.

An estimated 400-500 UK fighters have been recruited by Isis, which has a presence in Syria and is engaged in fierce fighting with Iraqi government forces.

'Propaganda'

The video footage features six armed men, sitting in front of the black flag of Isis.

One of them, a Briton identified as Abu Dujana al Hindi, says he has a "message to the brothers who have stayed behind".

The video cannot be verified, but BBC correspondent Paul Adams said it came from social media accounts with known links to Isis and had probably been filmed in Syria.

"It appears to show British jihadis intent on joining the fight in Iraq," he said.

Isis in Iraq

Isis grew out of an al-Qaeda-linked organisation in Iraq

• Estimated 10,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria
• Joined in its offensives by other Sunni militant groups, including Saddam-era officers and soldiers, and disaffected Sunni tribal fighters
• Exploits standoff between Iraqi government and the minority Sunni Arab community, which complains that Shia Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is monopolising power
• Led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, an obscure figure regarded as a battlefield commander and tactician

Jihadi groups around the world

Ahmed Muthana, Nasser's father, told the BBC his son had "disappeared" without saying where he was going.

Asked about the video, he said: "I don't think that's Nasser talking, it's someone else is teaching him to talk like this because the attitude of Nasser is 100% completely different, and I think they're calling for wrong things."

Asked whether his son had been radicalised, he said: "I think so."

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Ahmed Muthana, father of Nasser: "Somebody is driving those kids to do this"

It comes a day after the UK government "proscribed" Isis, making it a criminal offence to associate with it or give it financial backing. Four other groups with links to Syria were proscribed at the same time.

Alongside its military advances, Isis has mounted a parallel social media campaign.

Sasha Havlicek, who co-chairs a European Union working group on internet radicalisation, said Isis was using social media to compete with other radical groups.

"I think the strategy that they're putting in play right now is about brand recognition," she told the BBC.

"The point really I think for Isis is about claiming a piece of the market, and they've done that incredibly successfully."

Analysis

Sebastian Usher, BBC Arab affairs editor

In the video, six men sit cross-legged in a semi-circle, with their Kalashnikovs beside them and the black flag of Isis behind. It is unclear where they are. But their message is very clear.

It is a recruitment call for Western Muslims to join their battle, not at home but in Iraq and Syria. One says that jihad is the best cure for the depression which he says Muslims feel in the West.

Isis has established itself as a sophisticated manipulator of social media. The image portrayed is often brutal, intended to sow fear and submission. This is different - the fighters speak softly and smile. It seems aimed at widening the group's appeal.

The Home Office said: "We do not tolerate the existence of online terrorist and extremist propaganda, which directly influences people who are vulnerable to radicalisation.

"We already work closely with the internet industry to remove terrorist material hosted in the UK or overseas."

The Home Office said it wanted to "further restrict access to terrorist material" and use "family-friendly filters" to block other extremist content.

A report by the government's extremism taskforce, carried out after the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, said it would work with internet companies to "restrict access to terrorist material online which is hosted overseas but illegal under UK law".

A spokesman for the Internet Services Providers' Association, which describes itself as the trade body for the UK's internet industry, told the BBC this was "a very tricky area".

There would be two ways to remove the video, he said - either by asking every company hosting it to take it down, or by asking filtering companies to add it to their web filters.

The spokesman added: "We know the Home Office has been looking at this for a while now, and has not really put forward any concrete plans, which may point to the fact that it's quite difficult."

Twitter said it had guidelines for authorities to request information about individual accounts, as well as rules on "potentially sensitive content".

Meanwhile, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence (ICSR) said it did not believe there were British fighters in Iraq.

The ICSR, which uses social media to track jihadists' movements, said so far the only European jihadists fighting with Isis in Iraq were from the Balkans.

The Muslim Council of Britain has condemned the violence of Isis and warned young Britons that travelling to Iraq or Syria "will not help the people of those countries".

Mr Cameron has warned of a threat to the UK if an "extreme Islamist regime" is created in central Iraq, while Downing Street said 65 people had been arrested in the past 18 months for Syria-related jihadist activities.

Meanwhile, Baiji, Iraq's biggest refinery, is surrounded by the rebels, who say they have seized most of Tal Afar airport.

The US has said it will send some 300 military advisers to help the fight against the insurgents.

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Plan to tackle phone blackspots

21 June 2014 Last updated at 13:11

Mobile phone operators could be made to share their networks in rural areas of the UK where signals are weak under plans being considered by ministers.

Some parts of rural Britain have just one or two of the main mobile phone networks available, or none at all, leaving some people without any signal.

It is hoped so-called national roaming could be used to plug blackspots.

However, mobile phone companies say this would remove their incentive to build more masts to improve coverage.

New Culture Secretary Sajid Javid wants mobile phone companies to introduce national roaming which would allow customers to switch to an alternative network if their own was not available, as happens when they are abroad.

A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which oversees telecommunications, said the government was already spending £150m in areas with no coverage and was looking at doing more.

'World-class coverage'

A mobile phone industry source told the BBC the government might be able to force the big operators to share their networks using existing legislation.

But the companies are likely to argue that national roaming will be a brake on their investment because there will not be an incentive to build new phone masts in remote areas if the service has to be shared.

They have also warned there would be costs involved in such a scheme which could result in higher charges for consumers.

Mobile operator Three insisted it was widening its coverage.

A spokesman said: "We've invested heavily to bring coverage to around 98% of the population.

"We support the principle of expanding coverage to address areas less well served and are in discussions with government about the most effective means to deliver that."

A DCMS spokesman said: "The government has made clear it wants to ensure the UK has world-class mobile phone coverage as part of our investment in infrastructure for the long-term economic plan.

"We are investing up to £150m to improve mobile coverage in areas where there is currently no coverage from any of the Mobile Network Operators.

"Of course we want to look at what more can be done in areas with poor coverage."

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Campaign to create 'Bitcoin Isle'

23 June 2014 Last updated at 09:06 By Ryan Morrison BBC News

A campaign has been launched to make Jersey a world leader in digital currencies.

Bitcoin payments are already accepted in a handful of places but an industry expert says, if the States allow banks to accept and trade with it, Jersey could become a magnet for new business.

Robbie Andrews, of bit.coin.je, an industry body set up to promote and campaign for the currency, wants to create a "Bitcoin Isle".

Treasury Minister Senator Philip Ozouf said he wanted Jersey to be an early leader in the field.

There have been issues around the digital currency, including a lack of regulation and concerns over potential for money laundering and other illegal activity.

Continue reading the main story

WHAT IS BITCOIN?

Bitcoin was founded in 2009 although nobody knows by whom, only that they took the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

Each Bitcoin, like other forms of crypto-currencies, is simply a long string of computer code protected by a personal key which provides both ownership and security.

All Bitcoins in circulation and their transactions histories are recorded in a giant ledger known as the blockchain. This prevents each Bitcoin from being spent twice.

No middleman is required to verify the transaction so they are quick, secure and cheap to use.

In October 2013 the FBI shut down online marketplace Silk Road. The site traded in drugs and other illegal goods and took payments using "crypto-currencies" such as Bitcoin.

In December 2013, Fiona Le Poidevin, Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance, said the current lack of regulation was an area of concern.

She said the Bitcoin concept had become "increasingly familiar, but it is still in its infancy and this brings with it both challenges and opportunities".

Senator Ozouf said: "[This] is a sector that could hold significant opportunities for Jersey.

"Our infrastructure of world-class financial services and digital expertise gives us the tools to be an early leader in the field. Innovation will be central to Jersey's future prosperity.

"We are keen to support local businesses by helping to create a well-regulated and responsive environment for investment in the sector."

Early in 2014 the Chinese government said Bitcoin was not a currency and banned financial institutions from dealing with Bitcoin exchanges.

BBC chief business correspondent, Linda Yueh, said: "It is clear that regulators around the world are unsure about what to make of Bitcoin and are still in the process of making up their mind if and how it and other crypto-currencies should be regulated."

Mr Andrews said Bitcoin was vital to the future of Jersey's economy and would be used globally.

"In the same way email changed how we send files globally, Bitcoin will change how we transact our lives. It is a network you can use for payment that is global and not managed by one industry body."

He said he would like to see more places accept payment in digital currency.

"My plan would be that you get the bus and pay using your phone. You get the paper, you pay with your phone. And at no point do you constantly give people your credit card details."

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

It is what the digital and finance industry will be using and those two industries are key to Jersey."

End Quote Giles Day Tiffin

Tiffin tearoom on St Helier's waterfront already accepts Bitcoin. Owner Giles Day said: "It is fast, reliable and a very secure payment method. It is the way of the future. It is what the digital and finance industry will be using and those two industries are key to Jersey.

"With a credit card, we get charged and it takes a while to get the money. We get Bitcoins into our account straight away, without any charges."

Mr Andrews said the next step would be Bitcoin banking, meaning workers would get paid in Bitcoins.

"That would require new legislation and the States need to act quickly if they want to capitalise on it," he said.

"At the moment there is a big push for a digital industry in Jersey to grow and if you asked any technologist what is the one technology that fits between technology and finance, it would be a crypto-currency like Bitcoin."

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China tops supercomputer chart again

23 June 2014 Last updated at 11:26

China has the world's most powerful supercomputer for the third time in a row as the country once again ups its presence in the global top 500.

Tianhe-2 was top of the twice-yearly list that keeps tabs on supercomputer development and growth.

Since the last list, China had 20% more supercomputers in the top 500, while US representation went down 15%.

However, the US still dominates the chart with 233 computers making the latest tally.

China had 76, up from 63 in the last count. This is almost as many as the UK (30), France (27) and Germany (23) combined.

The full list will be published on Monday at a conference in Leipzig, Germany.

Power

The top500 list is a widely-recognised barometer of the state of worldwide supercomputing. It has been published twice yearly since 1993.

All the computers are measured against the same criteria - a benchmark first devised in 1979 but since improved as computing has become ever more sophisticated.

Such is the immense power of the supercomputers, their computational ability is measured in petaflop/s - quadrillions of calculations per second.

The top performing computer, Tianhe-2, had its power measured at 33.86 petaflop/s (quadrillions of calculations per second). It has been just five years since IBM's Roadrunner became the first computer to break the 1 petaflop/s mark. That machine was shut down in 2013 due to excessive power consumption.

The entire top 500 list of supercomputers combined offered 274 petaflop/s.

Tianhe-2 is owned by the Chinese government and operated by the National University of Defence Technology. It is used as a "research and educational" tool.

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France sparks .wine address row

23 June 2014 Last updated at 14:17 By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

France has expressed anger at the organisation responsible for assigning internet domains over the planned launch of .wine and .vin addresses.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) has been rolling out new custom web names.

But France said addresses like .wine would put trade agreements regarding the sale of region-specific products like champagne at risk.

French minister Axelle Lemaire said Icann needed to be more transparent.

She called for a new general assembly to be set up to govern domain names, with a "one country, one vote" system.

The US agreed earlier this year to relinquish ultimate control over Icann, which is based in California. Discussions are continuing as to what kind of body should replace it.

In a letter to Icann, quoted by the Financial Times, Ms Lemaire said: "The lack of adequate redress mechanisms and, above all, the lack of accountability demonstrate the need for significant reform of Icann even before the current debate on the global internet governance system comes to a conclusion."

A meeting of stakeholders involved in Icann is taking place in London this week. On the agenda will be the continued creation of the new generic top-level domains (gTLDs).

In 2012, a whole host of new gTLDs was announced - widening the possibilities from the likes of .com and .net to include custom extensions such as .amazon, .nike and .bbc.

Many are concerned that the plethora of new domain names will make it much harder to protect brand names online.

Ahead of the meeting, Icann's president Fadi Chehade responded to France's concerns.

"Wine is serious," he said.

"We all like wine. There's no issue with the fact that wine is a serious matter, it's also a major industry for France and other parts of the world.

"I think that their concern about this gTLD is warranted. There are mechanisms at Icann to pursue - and they should continue pursuing them."

However, he hinted that France may not be satisfied with Icann's eventual decision on the matter.

Continue reading the main story

The registry policy is not completely set in stone"

End Quote Vicky Folens Icann Trade Mark Clearing House

"We all get frustrated sometimes when we don't get the conclusion that we want."

'Game the system'

There are strict rules regarding the labelling of wine, depending on where the grapes are grown.

Champagne, for instance, should be produced only in the French region of the same name. Similar drink produced in other parts of the world must be referred to as sparkling wine.

Ms Lemaire, France's digital affairs minister, expressed worry that new domain names could weaken that identity.

However, Icann insists that trademarked names are adequately protected.

It set up a brand database, known as the Trade Mark Clearing House (TMCH), in 2013.

Its intention was to help businesses register domain names for which they had the rights by giving them early access to sign up for relevant names.

"The biggest discussion wine companies and governments have is that these TLDs could open up the market and have companies register wine trademark names and sell them back to the wine companies in order to game the system," explained Vicky Folens, senior manager for the TMCH.

"However, all these wine industries have trademarks - so all of these marks can be protected by the Clearing House, which allows them to register their own trademarks in different gTLDs."

But if companies do not register - and pay - for their domain, it will in most cases be offered up for general sale.

She added that additional measures could potentially be introduced to further protect domains like .wine.

"The registry policy is not completely set in stone," she said.

'Excessive cost'

Icann has come under considerable criticism over its decision to open up the domain-name assigning process.

Critics said Icann was increasing the burden on companies seeking to protect their brand names by forcing them to pay money to register new related gTLDs.

More than 80 companies petitioned the US Department of Commerce, saying that the plans would cause "excessive cost and harm to brand owners".

Also, there were some clashes in the bidding process. For instance, .amazon was wanted by the online retailer - but others felt it should be reserved for content relating to the rainforest region.

The .app address attracted a total of 13 different applicants.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC

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Google Glass eyewear on sale in UK

23 June 2014 Last updated at 17:01 By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor

Google has released Glass in the UK, making it the second country to get the Android-powered eyewear after the US.

The kit - which is still a prototype - costs £1,000 and is being targeted at developers, rather than consumers, who must be over 18 years old.

The BBC has learned that the US firm held talks with the Department of Transport ahead of the launch.

The DoT had previously raised concerns that the wearable tech could prove a distraction to drivers.

That is still the case, but a government spokesman revealed that the search firm was investigating ways to allow drivers to legally use Glass while on UK roads- possibly by restricting the information it displays mid-journey.

"Drivers must give their full attention to the road, which is why it has been illegal since the 1980s to view a screen whilst driving, unless that screen is displaying driving information," said the spokesman.

"There are no plans to change this and we have met with Google to discuss the implications of the current law for Google Glass.

"Google is anxious its products do not pose a road safety risk and is currently considering options to allow the technology to be used in accordance with the law."

A spokeswoman for Google confirmed the talks, adding that it urged buyers to use Glass safely.

A video released by the firm to mark the London launch does, however, show the kit being used by a cyclist to get directions and check his pace.

Other organisations, surveyed by the BBC, have raised separate concerns relating to Glass's ability to film video and take photographs:

• The Vue cinema chain said it would ask guests to remove the eyewear "as soon as the lights dim before a screening"
• Fitness First and Virgin Active both told the BBC that members could wear the kit in their gyms, but would be forbidden from using it to capture images
• Coffee chain Starbucks said it would "politely ask" customers not to film its staff, while Costa said those who used Glass "inappropriately" would be asked to leave, adding that its staff were barred from wearing the machine during working hours

Upgraded hardware

Google first announced Glass in April 2012.

It was initially limited to US-based developers, but was put on general release in the country in May, at a cost of $1,500 (£881).

The kit features a transparent display that creates the illusion of a 25in (63.5cm) screen floating about 8ft (2.4m) in front of the wearer's right eye, which can be used to display information from apps.

A built-in camera and microphone can record photos, video and sounds, while the machine can play back audio by sending vibrations through the wearer's skull using a bone conduction transducer, or via more traditional headphones.

Google pitches Glass as a hands-free, quick-to-use alternative to smartphones.

"We believe it's really to keep you engaged and present in the moment while having access to those things that are digitally available to you," Ivy Ross, head of the Glass division told the BBC.

She added that the eyewear had already gone through five hardware revisions and 12 software updates before its UK launch, and that Google planned further revisions before targeting Glass at consumers.

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Ivy Ross, leader of the Google Glass project, talks to Rory Cellan-Jones

Many expect that will be accompanied by a price cut.

"To some extent, Google is using the current price to manage take-up, so that the only people buying it have strong reasons to do so - for example building apps," said Ian Fogg from the IHS Technology consultancy.

"The cost of the components involved in the current model is about $152.

"Clearly there are other costs involved in bringing it to market, but Google could create a much more compelling price if it chooses to."

Glass guidelines

Many of the UK organisations surveyed by the BBC are taking a wait-and-see approach before deciding whether to introduce rules to govern use of the kit.

Ulster Hospital highlighted its no-photography rule, but added "it is obviously an area we will have to consider in the future".

Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group- which runs six theatres in London - said it planned to "evaluate the implications of this new technology, especially with regard to the effect on the cast, creative team and members of the public", while the JD Wetherspoon chain of pubs said it planned to "discuss the matter in due course".

Other firms appeared more relaxed.

British Airways said its customers could wear Glass at any time on board its aircraft, as long as they put it in flight safety mode when necessary.

Tesco said it had already developed a concept Glass app that could be used in its stores.

And Waterstones added: "As a bookshop it is difficult to see how Google Glass eyewear could cause us or our customers any difficulty beyond, of course, some mild ridicule."

A spokeswoman for Google noted that Glass lights up when it captures images, and that its battery limits it to taking a maximum of 45 minutes of video at a time.

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