Domain Spoofer Fined $15,000

CANMORE, BC — Surfers searching for a high-end bicycle retailer may have been surprised to find gay porn instead — but not as surprised as the Canadian man who has been fined $15,000 for the malicious domain spoofing behind it.

In a case that has implications for all domain name owners, Ryan Draper was convicted of "corporate sabotage" for his actions against his former employer, Inform Cycle Ltd., which operates a website at InformCycle.ca.

After leaving the company to work for competitor Rebound Inc., Draper registered the domain name InformCycle.com; redirecting visitors to the Rebound website.

Draper later changed the redirect to send visitors to a gay website and then left for Costa Rica.

Subsequently, one of Rebound's owners was able to find Draper, obtain his password and stop the redirect.

While Draper reportedly apologized to Inform Cycle owner Patrick Griffith for the incident, his claim that it was done because Griffith owed him money was discounted by Justice Scott Brooker, who noted that no such claim was previously made.

"Draper's excuse for his actions is incredulous," Brooker said.

Draper was fined $5,000 for attempting to pass the site off as being associated with Rebound and fined an additional $5,000 for defamation due to portraying Inform as being associated with gay porn.

Despite Draper's claim that he was owed money, Brooker found his conduct reprehensible.

According to the Calgary Sun, Brooker said that Draper's conduct "was malicious and warranted punitive damages over and above Inform's losses."

"Draper deliberately and, in my view, maliciously, forwarded the '.com' website to an explicit gay pornographic website for a period of 16 days," Brooker said. "In fact, I find that the true reason for Draper's actions was to embarrass and harm Inform and its principals, the Griffiths, by attempting to link them to this smut."

As a result, Brooker added $5,000 in punitive damages, bringing Draper's total fine to $15,000.

The exact number of customers that were redirected to the gay porn site is unknown.

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

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Two Texas Bills Restricting Sex Toy Sales Fail to Pass

Two bills aimed at restricting sales of sex toys have failed to pass the Texas state legislature during its 2025 session.

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

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.

Show More