The top-level domain (TLD) .PORN is a domain specifically designed for adult content and pornography industries. The TLD .PORN was introduced and managed by ICM Registry, a company held by MindGeek, which also owns major pornography sites like Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn.
This domain is controversial and has garnered significant attention, specifically due to its explicit nature and the potential for misuse. Concerns include the likelihood of innocent parties, such as celebrities or companies, having their names or trademarks used without consent. This is a common issue with TLDs, as they can be registered by anyone without validated credentials. In response, ICM Registry offered a pre-registration process, allowing individuals, businesses, and public figures to reserve or block domain names associated with their brand or identity before .PORN became generally available. ICM even went a step further by proactively blocking a number of domains, presumably associated with celebrities’ names.
Taylor Swift, a known pop icon, is a popular example for this. In 2015, as reported by BBC and cited by many other sources, Taylor Swift’s team proactively bought TaylorSwift.porn and TaylorSwift.adult before they were publicly available to protect her trademark (BBC News, 2015).
However, this doesn’t rule out the risk entirely. Those with malicious intent could still create domain names that are variations of trademarks or famous names that remain unregistered.
The creation of the .PORN TLD raises questions about the governance of the Internet and the moral obligations of those who control the digital realm. Neil MacBride, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, expressed these concerns, stating that “a company that promotes and profits from the distribution of pornography should not be entrusted with selling .PORN domain names.”
While the .PORN TLD can provide a designated space for adult content, it also presents risks and challenges that must be considered within the broader context of Internet regulation.
Sources:
1. ICANN (2015). Protecting Your Brand in a New gTLD World. Retrieved from https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/announcements-and-media/announcement-3-20feb15-en.
2. BBC News (2015). Taylor Swift buys TaylorSwift.porn to prevent misuse. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-31868077.
3. CyberLaw Stanford (2012). .XXX and the New Top-Level Domains: What Are They and Why Should You Care? Retrieved from https://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/blog/2012/12/xxx-and-new-top-level-domains-what-are-they-and-why-should-you-care.
4. MindGeek official Website: www.mindgeek.com
5. ICM Registry Official Website. New Top Level Domains .PORN, .ADULT, .SEX, .XXX. Retrieved from http://icmregistry.com/about/.
6. The Guardian (2015). Taylor Swift, Richard Branson and Microsoft buy up .porn and .adult web domains. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/20/taylor-swift-microsoft-porn-adult-web-domains
