Two major Internet pornography firms have sued the net''s address regulator, Icann, over introducting the .xxx suffix in web address
Two major Internet pornography firms have sued the net''s address regulator, Icann, over introducting the .xxx suffix in web address
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Manwin Licensing and Digital Playground have also filed a case against ICM Registry, which runs the new top-level domain name (TLD), the BBC reports.
Manwin claimed that ICM's annual registration fees of about 60 dollars per address was 10 times the fee charged for other similar top-level domain names.
It further said ICM "generated fake comments in support of its application" and that it has "knowingly sold domain names to persons and entities who are known domain name speculators".
It also criticised the bidding process ICM for the .xxx registry, and said the organization failed to conduct "proper economic studies" to support the creation of new suffix.
ICM, who had earlier faced opposition from Icann(Internet corporation for assigned names and numbers)u00a0 over the introduction of .xxx suffix, denounced those claims as baseless.
"They also show an apparent lack of understanding of the Icann process and the rigorous battle we went through with Icann over eight years in full public scrutiny to gain approval, " ICM Registry president Stuart Lawley said.
ICM said it planned to launch the suffix in 2012 and hoped it would become a "trusted brand... extolling responsible and safe behaviour.