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We all knew this was going to happen, right? Take the lucrative domain industry and stick it on steroids by making the topic Top Level Domains and combine that with anything even slightly adult industry oriented and you’re bound to get demands, expense, and apparent exploitation.
In fact I predicted and questioned the ICM methods in a post on May 16th.
This week one of the larger plays in the adult arena asked demanded that ICM register each of their 57 domain names as .XXX domains at no charge. That’s right, no registration fee, no processing fee, no administrative fee. Nothing.
Manwin sent a letter to the CEO of ICM, Stuart Lawley, stating that their already registered domain names and trademarks are “clearly communicated” and that ICM “take steps to block any attempts to register them, or any similar misleading names in the XXX TLD.”
Now, this is fair enough and all but what makes Manwin different from anyone else?
While it would be nice if such demands could be met it would completely change the way TLDs on the Internet are managed and registered.
What should be good for a .XXX TLD should be good for any other TLD, right? If I have a trademarked, legitimate right to a domain name it should be mine, right?
It doesn’t work that way, not by a long shot.
Also – you have to consider International legitimacy. My company name or product may be trademarked in the US but what about Europe?
It the registration by another entity infringement and misuse of intellectual property?
It is anticipated that other companies in and outside of the Adult industry will follow in Manwin’s footsteps and send similar correspondence to ICM.
Take Google for example- – they have many more than 57 domain names registered. I’m sure they’re all trademarked. Should ICM hand them over too?
With .XXX TLDs being essentially held hostage for $300 (or more) by ICM I can see much more of a ruckus being wrought upon them as time goes on.
What do you think?
