XXX marks the lawsuit from peeved porn giant

by The 1 | November 17, 2011 at 01:07 pm

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Porn bigwig Manwin Licensing International has filed a lawsuit arguing that the new .xxx top-level domain arises from a monopoly aimed at hurting the adult film industry.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which obtained the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California, Manwin specifically targets the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN), as well as ICM Registry, the company that is managing the domain. In the suit, Manwin argues that those companies have engaged in "monopolistic conduct, price gouging, and anticompetitive and unfair practices," according to the Journal.

Manwin is no slouch in the world of online porn. The Luxembourg-based company currently operates YouPorn, as well as the online sites for Playboy. All told, it attracts over 60 million visitors to its sites each day. The company was joined by porn filmmaker Digital Playground in the lawsuit.

For its part, ICM has yet to fully review Manwin's lawsuit, but the company told CNET that it's doubtful of its validity.

"ICM Registry is reviewing the filing," a spokeswoman told CNET in an e-mailed statement. "We are certain the claims are baseless and will vigorously defend this matter."

ICM's statement follows arguments the company has made in the past, claiming the .xxx domain is good for both consumers and porn companies.

"With all the sites malware scanned daily and properly labeled, it's a win for consumers of adult content who are now able to identify and select the sites they wish to visit more easily and safely," ICM chief Stuart Lawley said in a statement in September promoting the domain. "It is also a win for the adult entertainment industry as .xxx helps to ensure that responsible adult content is easily identified online, leading to greater and more predictable revenues."

But Manwin disagrees. In a statement to the Journal, the company said that it believes the .xxx domain creates "an unnecessary cost on everybody, without any benefit for the adult entertainment community."