Rejection of porn domain sparks legal battle

The US Department of Commerce is accused of exerting political influence to have the .xxx plan rejected

The recent rejection of a dedicated .xxx domain for porn sites has prompted the company behind the plan, ICM Registry, to launch a legal attack against the US Department of Commerce (DoC). 

ICM claims that the DoC intervened in Icann's consideration of the .xxx domain proposal and exerted political influence to have the plan rejected.

The lawsuit has been filed under a Freedom of Information Act request in order to gain access to information being withheld by the DoC. 

It is well known that conservative groups in the US lobbied hard for the DoC to block the new domain.

But the argument has now blown up into more than a fight for a porn domain, and into an investigation into how much power the US government exerts over control of the internet.

ICM claims that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has provided no explanation of the statutory basis and reasons for redacting and withholding documents relating to the consideration of the proposal.

Furthermore, the company asserts that records show that, while the DoC lacked any official role in approving new domain names, it nevertheless decided to intervene in the Icann process.

"Despite this contractual relationship between the DoC and Icann, the DoC does not have regulatory authority over Icann," said ICM.

"Icann was conceived as an independent organisation that is not under control of the US government nor any national government. It is intended to be free of administrative control and political influence."