Section 3.4 of the .ie naming policy states that web addresses “must not be offensive or contrary to public policy or generally accepted principles of morality.”
Irish IT worker Stephen Ryan attempted to register Porn.ie, but was immediately rebuffed because the name “could be deemed to be offensive to others,” the CRO wrote in the rejection letter.
“They aren’t saying the act of porn is offensive or immoral, they’re saying the word is,” Ryan told the Sunday Times of London. “This baffles me for a number of reasons. How is a word immoral? The act of rape is immoral, but the word ‘rape’ isn’t. It’s the same with murder. Why doesn’t this logic apply to porn, whether or not they think porn is immoral?”
According to the IE Domain Registry (IEDR), it will not stop at banning Porn.ie. Sites with names like Fuck.ie or Cock.ie would be included, as would the “seven dirty words” comedian George Carlin made famous in his stand-up act. IEDR said that 10 applications for the word “porn” have been refused since September 2001, and it is working on a list of words that will be banned.
“I’m just a normal guy,” Ryan said. “I’m not a pornographer. I don’t own a sex shop. I work for a big multinational. It doesn’t make any sense. Porn is perfectly legal in Ireland. I don’t know why they feel that they should be outlawing it and I don’t know how they feel they should be allowed to. What do they want us to call it, dirty pictures?”
IEDR manages all new registrations for the .ie extension. The company claims to offer a “managed service where, unlike other domain names, entitlement to the .ie name is established and cybersquatting is eliminated.”