NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] .XXX domain called "shakedown" - "extortion"
.XXX domain called "shakedown" - "extortion"
http://j.mp/nxG6li (Washington Times)
"In addition, the Florida-based company is raising eyebrows - and
charges of "shakedown" - by trying to get non-porn companies to pay to
prevent their brands from being registered as .xxx sites. After all,
what maker of baby food or children's movies, for example, would want
to have sites such as gerber.xxx or disney.xxx floating around the
Internet?
...
Some adult-entertainment companies were having sticker shock this summer, when the registration fee was estimated to be $60 a domain.
"Why would I want to put $60 in ICM's pocket? To protect my brand?
That's extortion," an angry adult-entertainment owner wrote in July to
Mr. Lawley on xbiz.net, the Adult Industry Social Network. "If I'd
buy every .xxx domain for every .com I have, that would be $12,000 per
year. For nothing," said another outraged erotic-site owner. Actual
registration fees are even higher, according to ICM's officially
designated .xxx registrars, such as GoDaddy.com and 101domain.com.
Application fees will run between $80 and $110, and each .xxx domain
will cost about $100 a year. In contrast, .com domains run about $10"
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I prefer the term "protection racket" myself, but since the shoe fits ...
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Dictionary.com:
extortion [ik-stawr-shuhn] noun
1. an act or instance of extorting.
2. Law . the crime of obtaining money or some other thing of value by
the abuse of one's office or authority.
3. oppressive or illegal exaction, as of excessive price or interest:
the extortions of usurers.
4. anything extorted.
--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org
Founder:
- Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org
- Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
- PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren
Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com