As a result of the bid for a new .xxx domain for internet pornography falling through, the company behind the bid, ICM Registry, has launched a law suit against the United States Department of Commerce in the Washington District of Columbia.
With this action, ICM is hoping to gain access to information withheld by the United States Department of Commerce, which ICM contends provides proof that the United States government intervened in the issue to prevent .xxx going ahead. If these claims were found to be true, they would contradict claims made by the Department of Commerce that it plays no part in how the Internet is ran.
Less than two weeks ago, news hit the Net that the organisation that oversees the Internet, ICANN, had voted to block the move to create an .xxx top level domain for pornographic sites to use. ICM, who were behind the bid to make .xxx happen, had invested years of time and millions of pounds pushing the project forward.
ICM Registry head Stuart Lawley says his motivation for the lawsuit is to expose double-dealing at the heart of the internet. "Our story needs to be told," he said. "We've been done wrong. I think what's going on here is already clear, but I want the extra evidence."