From www.australianit.news.com.au – A BIDDING war for the rights to operate adult-theme generic top-level domains (GTLDs) is expected to stir debate over internet red light districts.
The world’s peak internet regulator rejected a US internet name registry’s proposal to establish one such district under the top-level domain .xxx in May 2006 after it attracted protests by both porn industry groups and Christian lobbyists.
But Australia’s top-level-domain registry operator AusRegistry has confirmed it has been approached by several parties seeking support for bids to register several adult-themed GTLDs, including .xxx, when the peak names regulator starts accepting them next February.
AusRegistry chief Adrian Kinderis [pictured] said the registry had been approached by several entities willing to put up the $185,000 fee to register adult-themed names, including .xxx.
Under the new bidding process, non-community-based bids, known as open bids, will go to auction if two or more entities seek control of the same name.
Some of the names could be worth millions to the operators, Mr Kinderis said.
“Steering away from the likes of .sex, I think some names like .adultweb, which would legitimately be going up against .com, could be going for tens of millions of dollars at auction.”
Previously the names regulator, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers (ICANN), had limited the availability of TLDs to country codes such as Australia’s .au and a handful of others including .org, .com and .net.
In 2005, it opened a process to consider the creation of a number of special TLDs including a plan to allow the US-based ICM Registry to operate .xxx.
ICANN’s board rejected the proposal on the grounds that ICM could not demonstrate sufficient adult industry support for the plan. But the new approval process could be looser.
ICANN is finalising its rules for the GTLD applications, but under current plans the bids will not be subject to any decision by its board.
Sectors of the adult entertainment industry and Christian lobbyists are in a rare alliance opposing the creation of internet red light districts.
Christian groups fear it would make it easier for children to find porn on the web.
But Robbie Swan, of Australia’s Eros Association, said: “We think the opposite will happen — once governments are able to corral all adult industries under one domain, they can easily blacklist it.”
The EROS Association has already begun lobbying ICANN to block creation of the domains.
Former communications minister Senator Helen Coonan also opposed the creation of the .xxx TLD.