Tuesday, Sep 13, 2011    Text size: 

MELBOURNE — Australian Sex Party leader Fiona Patten blasted the .XXX sTLD as “corporate extortion,” opposed by both the adult industry and governments worldwide.

“Effectively the ICM Registry is selling off other people’s trademarks,” she said.

“It’s a pretty brilliant money making venture.”

Patten, describing the registry’s control as “quite frightening,” said a private company for the first time could decide the content on an organization’s website, according to HeraldSun.com.au.

Australia has more than 2 million actively trading businesses, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

“We agree the non adult industry brand holders probably wish the .XXX did not exist, they have been largely very impressed by the measures we have taken to deter and prevent any ‘cyber squatting,’” said Stuart Lawley, chief executive of the ICM Registry.