ICM Responds to Manwin's 2nd Amended Complaint

LOS ANGELES — ICM Registry on Friday said Manwin's antitrust claim against the .XXX operator and ICANN should be dismissed because there are "glaring factual differences" between the case at hand and an appeals court ruling involving VeriSign.

Manwin attorneys, in its second-amended complaint filed last month, cited a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  antitrust ruling involving registrar VeriSign, which held that the registrar violated the Sherman Act by colluding with ICANN to eliminate competition for the registry contract.

But ICM Registry counsel, responding last week to a second-amended complaint, said that the VeriSign ruling cannot rescue Manwin's case and that it can make dispositive distinctions between the 2006 .com agreement and ICANN’s 2011 approval of .XXX.

"[Manwin] makes very clear that they have a single-pronged strategy for surviving defendants’ motions to dismiss: to try and convince the court that this lawsuit is a carbon-copy of another antitrust case involving ICANN and a TLD registry operator," ICM Registry wrote in a response to Manwin's second-amended complaint.

In the antitrust suit, Manwin alleges that ICM Registry received the original and renewal registry contracts without competition, is charging above-market .XXX prices, imposes other anticompetitive .XXX sales restrictions and has, because of its ICANN contract, precluded other adult-oriented top-level domains from operating.

ICM Registry counsel contend that ICANN approved the .XXX application through a process that Manwin admits was fully open to other applicants.

"[I]n sharp contrast to the facts in VeriSign, ICANN here rejected ICM’s applications several times before finally approving .XXX and, consistent with ICM’s status as a new entrant (as opposed to a dominant, incumbent operator like VeriSign), the ICM contract contains no provisions restricting ICM’s pricing."

In another attempt to blow up Manwin's charges of antitrust, ICM Registry attorneys said the amended complaint identifies no other registries which sought to operate a .XXX TLD, "and the only potential harm to consumers it asserts — without any supporting factual allegations — is the danger of higher prices or lower quality services for users of adult-content websites, not prospective purchasers of .XXX domain names.

"Having now had two opportunities to formulate its copycat VeriSign claim, [Manwin is] not entitled to a third," ICM Registry attorneys said.

Meanwhile, ICANN recently filed court papers to quash Manwin's attempt to exclude evidence because its rationale lacks merit.

"For example, they contend that the recitation in the articles of incorporation that  ICANN is a ‘non-profit charitable organization' is irrelevant, despite the fact that  they directly quoted this language in their complaint," ICANN attorneys said. "Of course, ICANN’s nonprofit status is relevant to plaintiffs’ claims because that status explains the very nature of ICANN and its activities with respect to the Internet’s domain name system."

ICANN said it is seeking the documents to be allowed by the court because they are central to Manwin's pricing allegations.

Manwin and its newly acquired Digital Playground unit teamed up in November just prior to .XXX's general roll out to seek "redress for monopolistic conduct, price gouging and anticompetitive and unfair practices, broadly harming competition, businesses and consumers, and arising out of the establishment of .XXX."

View ICM Registry's response to second amended complaint

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

Nadia Jay Stars in Latest From Brazzers

Nadia Jay stars with Mick Blue in the latest release from Brazzers, titled "Fucking the Bath Voyeur."

Tommy Gunn Reflects on His Legendary Past as He Looks to the Future

Tommy Gunn is wearing an eyepatch. It’s not an homage to the classic "Pirates" porn parody franchise, in which Gunn takes on the Johnny Depp role. The eyepatch is a temporary measure to help him deal with a nerve palsy that came out of nowhere several years ago and affects his vision from time to time. Gunn needs his vision. As one of the adult industry’s longest-serving male stars, he still has plenty to look forward to.

Rocco Siffredi Directs New Rebel Rhyder Showcase

Evil Angel has released Rocco Siffredi’s Rebel Rhyder showcase title, "Rebel Meets Rebel."

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Shalina Devine Toplines 'Thr3e #7' From Dorcel

Shalina Devine headlines the latest release from Dorcel, titled "Thr3e #7."

Chloe Amour Headlines 'Unfaithful Betrayal 3' From Bellesa Films

Chloe Amour toplines the third volume of “Unfaithful Betrayal” from Bellesa Films.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Misty Addams Makes Her WIFEY Debut

Misty Addams stars with husband Island Boy Brandon and 2024 XMA Europas Male Performer of the Year Christian Clay in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint WIFEY.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

Show More