VeriSign Loses ICANN Lawsuit

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers claimed victory in a legal battle with domain registrar VeriSign after a federal judge dismissed claims that ICANN had misused its power as the Internet's governing body.

The judge's decision concludes two attempts by VeriSign to prove antitrust allegations against ICANN. The registrar first filed a lawsuit in February against ICANN claiming that the governing body had acted unfairly when it requested that VeriSign disable its controversial Site Finder service after a flood of complaints from Internet users.

A judge for the U.S. District Court for the Central District dismissed VeriSign's first lawsuit in May and has now tossed out the registrar's amended complaint that in disabling Site Finder, ICANN's board of directors had been acting on behalf of VeriSign competitors.

"There is nothing inherently conspiratorial about a 'bottom-up' policy development process that considers or even solicits input from advisory groups," Judge A. Howard Matz stated.

VeriSign unveiled Site Finder in October of 2003. The service was designed to launch a pop-up window on a user's screen when a website URL did not exist and then redirect that traffic back to the VeriSign website.

SiteFinder had ruffled the feathers of many competing registrars, including GoDaddy.com and Popular Enterprises, parent company of Nester.com, which filed lawsuits last year against VeriSign for deceptive business practices.

ICANN ordered the search service shut down for a technical review claiming Site Finder was a potential threat to the stability of the Internet. However, VeriSign claimed that ICANN had failed to prove that its service was detrimental in any way.

"The US federal court's decision serves as another important affirmation of ICANN's multi-stakeholder participatory model, and reaffirms the ICANN structured," ICANN's general counsel John Jeffrey said in a statement. "ICANN is not subject to capture by any commercial or other interest, including VeriSign."

According to reports, VeriSign has the option of refiling the case in state court.

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Braindance Unveils '6DOF' VR Tech

Interactive virtual reality platform Braindance has debuted its new Six Degrees of Freedom (6DOF) VR technology.

Kiiroo, Pineapple Support Launch 'Empower Hour' Series on FeelHubX YouTube Channel

Kiiroo and Pineapple Support have teamed up to launch the “Empower Hour” series on the FeelHubX YouTube channel.

Kansas Law Firm Deploys Religion, Bunk Science While Recruiting Plaintiffs Under AV Law

Kansas-based personal injury law firm Mann Wyatt Tanksley is promoting debunked scientific theories and leveraging religious affiliation against the industry while it seeks potential plaintiffs for lawsuits against adult companies under the state’s age verification law.

UK Tech Secretary Lists Age Verification Among OSA Priorities

Peter Kyle, the U.K.’s Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on Wednesday made public a draft version of his priorities for implementing the Online Safety Act (OSA), including age verification.

AEBN Publishes Popular Seraches by Country for September, October

AEBN has released its list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Avery Jane Featured on 'Adult Time Podcast'

Avery Jane is the latest guest on the “Adult Time Podcast,” hosted by studio CCO Bree Mills.

FSC: Kansas Law Firm Threatens Adult Site Over Age Verification

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has been notified that Kansas law firm Mann Wyatt Tanksley has sent a letter threatening an adult website with a lawsuit for breaking the state's age verification law.

10th Circuit Rejects Final FSC Appeal in Utah AV Case

The United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Monday rejected a motion by Free Speech Coalition (FSC) requesting that the full court rehear its appeal in Free Speech Coalition v. Anderson, the industry trade association’s challenge to Utah’s age verification law.

Trump Nominates Project 2025 Contributor, Section 230 Foe to Chair FCC

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated, as his pick to head the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr — an author of Project 2025 who has called for gutting Section 230 protections.

Streamate's Elevate Partners With Miss Mei on Decriminalization Initiative

Streamate’s Elevate initiative is debuting a November collaboration with creator and community advocate Miss Mei that will highlight the modern criminalization of sex work.

Show More