ICM Publishes Open Letter to ICANN, Internet Community

PALM BEACH, Fla. — ICM has published an open letter to ICANN and the Internet community in its ongoing effort to lobby ICANN to approve the .XXX sTLD.

The letter says that ICM is disappointed and dismayed that ICANN staff would contemplate disregarding the findings of the independent panel and says that is exactly what two of the three process options put forward by ICANN staff would do.

The review panel found that ICANN’s handling of ICM’s application violated ICANN’s Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation.

In March, FSC’s Diane Duke wrote to ICANN expressing their outrage at the prospect of a .XXX top level domain, saying “the adult industry not only opposes the ICM Registry application, but also believes that such a TLD would be detrimental to the industry as a whole.”

Recently, FSC submitted its comment to ICANN in support of option No. 3. FSC also agreed with the dissenting opinion of ICANN's Independent Review Panel (IRP) in that ICM "never satisfied the sponsorship requirements and criteria for a sponsored TLD." FSC also supports the opinion that "the (ICANN) Board denied ICM's application for the .XXX sTLD on the merits in an open and transparent forum."

The ICM letter continues, “the panel did find that its declaration was not binding on the ICANN Board but we expected that ICANN would respect the views of the Panel and honor, in ICANN's own words, its ‘ultimate’ accountability mechanism. It is profoundly disappointing then that the options paper, which was produced by the same team whose arguments were dismissed by the IRP, effectively ignores every other aspect of the panel's declaration.”

ICM adds that independent experts confirmed that ICANN Board’s decision to reject .XXX in 2007 was the product of bad advice and urges the Board to be cautious about following the advice it has received in regards to the three process options that disregard the panel’s conclusions.

“Neither the ICANN Board nor the ICANN community is well served by this approach. What's more, it is costing ICANN, ICM and the Internet community millions of dollars to continue down this path.”

The public comment period runs through May 10.

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

The Guardian Devotes Feature Article to XBIZ Amsterdam

British newspaper The Guardian sent a reporter to cover XBIZ Amsterdam earlier this month, resulting in a lengthy article about the annual European adult industry conference.

Pineapple Support Taps Char Borley as Brand Ambassador

Pineapple Support has named Char Borley as its newest brand ambassador.

Michigan Legislators Propose Online Porn Ban

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to distribute pornography via the internet in the state.

Florida AG Sues Aylo, Segpay Over State AV Law

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed lawsuits against Aylo and Segpay on Monday with the 12th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida for noncompliance with HB3, the state's age verification law.

Colombian Court Sides with Performer Esperanza Goméz Over IG Suspensions

Colombia’s Constitutional Court last week ruled in favor of adult performer Esperanza Gómez in her legal battle against Meta over repeated suspensions of her Instagram account.

Missouri AG Announces Age Verification Rule to Take Effect Nov. 30

Newly appointed Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced Friday that the state's recently approved age verification regulation for adult websites will go into effect on Nov. 30.

Aylo, Woodhull Freedom Foundation to Tackle Online Censorship in Virtual Seminar

Aylo and Woodhull Freedom Foundation will co-host a virtual panel addressing online censorship on Sept. 30.

Severe Sex Films Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Severe Sex Films has relaunched its official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Judge Awards Plaintiffs Over $400K in Attorneys Fees in Derek Hay Civil Case

California Superior Court Judge Gail Killefer has awarded former clients of LA Direct Models over $400,000 in attorneys fees and court costs, to be paid by agency founder Derek Hay.

ChickPass Rebrands as 'ChickPass Cinematic Universe'

ChickPass has announced that it has rebranded its network of sites as ChickPass Cinematic Universe.

Show More