ICANN Says It Won’t Shut Down Spamhaus

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — Preempting an anticipated federal court order that would shut down the domain for anti-spam group Spamhaus, officials at ICANN said the organization could not comply with the proposed order to suspend the domain.

Spamhaus recently suffered an $11.7 million judgment in an Illinois federal court after e360insight sued it for placing the company on its spammer blacklist. The London-based spam-fighter refused to defend itself, leading to a default judgment.

Bart Loethen, a lawyer for e360insight, insisted that his client does not engage in spamming and said he had no choice but to go after Spamhaus’ domain given the company’s refusal to take his client’s name of its spammer blacklist.

Loethen asked U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras to strip Spamhaus of its domain.

Kocoras has yet to sign the order, but officials at Spamhaus said the judge would likely do so soon.

Officials at ICANN said they would refuse to comply with an order mandating the suspension of the domain.

"The Illinois court wouldn't have jurisdiction over ICANN, and in any case it's not in our remit to suspend domain names," an ICANN spokesman said. "This is not an ICANN matter. We wouldn't take down the website if asked to, because it's not in our power to do so.”

According to Spamhaus Chief Information Officer Richard Cox, Kocoras has no options within his jurisdiction to enforce the proposed order.

"One person with the power to take down our website is the Domain Name System (DNS) manager for Spamhaus.org — but he is in Europe, and he has no plans to do so,” Cox said. “The court might order the registrar to change the domain — but the registrar is in Canada, out of the Illinois court's jurisdiction.”

Cox said the court could also issue its order to the Virginia-based Public Interest Registry, which holds the DNS. But he believes that organization’s response would mirror ICANN’s position.

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

BranditScan, CreatorTraffic Partner for 'Creators & Agencies' Initiative

BranditScan and advertising network CreatorTraffic have partnered for an initiative to help creators and agencies generate traffic and protect their content.

Teasy Agency Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Teasy Agency has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Aylo, Pineapple Support Partner for Mental Health Video Series

Aylo has teamed up with Pineapple Support to create a safety video series aimed at educating performers and creators about mental health.

Ofcom Investigates FTV Sites for Possible AV Noncompliance

U.K. media regulator Ofcom is investigating First Time Videos, which operates the sites FTVGirls.com and FTVMilfs.com, for possible failure to comply with age assurance requirements under the Online Safety Act.

Stalwart Defender: Jeffrey Douglas on 30 Years Fighting for Free Expression

“If you had told me in 1995 that I would be on the FSC board for 30 years, I would have laughed out loud,” says Jeffrey Douglas.

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Master Nico Relaunches Site Through YourPaysitePartner

Master Nico has relaunched his official website through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Federal Judge Grants Partial Halt of Florida AV Law

The United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Tallahassee Division, has granted a preliminary injunction against HB 3, the state's age verification law, as a lawsuit filed by two online trade associations challenging the law makes its way through the courts.

Aylo Releases Statement on Suspending Access to Pornhub in France

Technology and media company Aylo, which operates adult sites including Pornhub, YouPorn, and Redtube, has released a public statement regarding its decision to block access to its sites in France.

Show More