Porn sites could hijack company names

[alp227]

Source: CBC News

Technology experts are warning companies with websites to protect their domain names from being hijacked by pornography businesses when the website suffix .xxx becomes available starting next year.

There will be a variety of domain name extensions starting then, following a decision last June by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to allow website suffixes using almost any word in any language.

Initially, ICANN refused to allow the .xxx suffix, but later changed its mind.

The problem is that a pornography business could pay to use the name of any company, and add the domain-name extension .xxx, unless the company has paid to have that extension blocked.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/10/06/ottawa-domain-names-xxx.html

[ZombieHorde]

1. babygap.xxx nt

[krispos42]

6. Pedo Bear approved

[RobertSeattle]

2. Oh yeah....

www.democraticunderground.xxx

--- Just kidding - site doesn't exist.

[SixthSense]

3. doesn't exist

... yet

[krispos42]

5. That one will require a monthly subscription.

Skinner and EarlG will be rolling dough. Imagine the Lounge... x-rated!

[dtexdem]

9. The Lounge? Oh, yeah, the Orgy Room!

;-)

[itsrobert]

4. alp227.xxx ?

n/t

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. www.democraticunderground.xxx

may need a different rule about sex threads.

:hi:

[Kablooie]

8. www.GOP.xxx

[krispos42]

10. I think it would look like this inside...

Why don't you come on in and have a seat?

[Xithras]

11. It's marketing BS.

This happens every time a new TLD is released. The registrars rush out and "warn" everyone that they need to register their domain names with the new TLD to "protect their identity". Conveniently, you protecting yourself translates into them making a lot of money.

According to ICANN, there are currently 280 TLD's active on the Internet. ".xxx" will be 281. If you haven't had a problem with people spoofing your name with the other 280 TLD's, it's pretty unlikely that you're going to have a problem now.

[VWolf]

13. Wow, really? 280? When I first read up on these things,

I think there were about 12.

Yes, it's getting ridiculous.

[TheWraith]

15. There's one for almost every connected country.

For instance, Switzerland has .ch for Swiss-specific sites. China has .cn. .no for Norway, .ru for Russia, Paraguay has .py, etcetera.

[ikri]

12. Too many TLDs

It's becoming a nonsense, as everyone warned would happen. It really is nothing more than a money grab now, lobby for a new TLD and watch as every trademark in the world scrambles to register their relevant domain name. Even if the company has no interest in owning trademark.nyc or .xxx or .london or .scot, etc. they have to register the domain since it would cost them more later in legal fees to defend any potential trademark arguments than if they just paid the $10-20 for the domain in the first place.

Want a new domain extension? Lobby to have a new one added at the country level. Having dozens of non-country level top level domains doesn't help anyone other than the registrar selling the domains, 99% of the time people will still try companyname.com if they don't know the address.

[Xithras]

16. If you have the money, you can make up any TLD you want starting in 2013

According to an ICANN announcement last June, anyone will be able to register any recognized word they want as a TLD starting in 2013. For the low, low price if $185,000, you can own the .ikri TLD, or the .icanhazcheesburger tld, or virtually any other TLD you want in any language characterset currently supported by ICANN.

It's a shame I don't have that kind of cash...I can think of a number of TLD's that would be very popular.

[ikri]

17. And yet

Even those major companies willing to stump up the money for their own TLD will still probably redirect traffic to their .com or .net addresses (have a check where microsoft.biz or microsoft.info direct visitors).

[ManiacJoe]

14. The on-staff trademark lawyers will be kept busy.

[pitohui]

18. a lot of things "could" happen

like i'm supposed to care because a small individual (a whore or a pimp) makes a little money with homedepot.xxx

[woo me with science]

19. Gee, one might almost think this is all about the money.

:eyes: