Verisign .net Award Prompts Questions

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – VeriSign, the registrar of .com and .tv domains, has been re-awarded control of the .net extension amid accusations of intimidation and improper procedure.

ICANN announced the renewal in late March, and an independent report by reviewing body Telcordia revealed that VeriSign, which was always the frontrunner in consideratipon because it already owned the name, had narrowly beaten Sentan, Affilias, Denic and Core++.

The Internet’s de-facto governing authority, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) granted VeriSign (formerly Network Solutions) a six-year renewal on its management of .net, despite concerns from losing bidders that VeriSign had an unfair advantage.

British technology news site TheRegister.com conducted what it termed an “in-depth investigation” of the Telcordia report and said it had found that ICANN had made a number of questionable decisions during the selection process.

According to The Register, ICANN added or altered selection criteria at VeriSign’s request, avoided judging criteria that was potentially detrimental to VeriSign and effectively ignored complaints of bias and incompetence.

Also raising some eyebrows was the fact that VeriSign is currently in litigation over several lawsuits with ICANN and had threatened a lawsuit regarding the .net selection process.

The latter company has publicly said that the court costs related to the VeriSign suits are hindering its business, capping employees’ salaries and freezing new hires.

Various of the losing contenders also pointed out that Telcordia shared board members with current and past incarnations of VeriSign and related companies.

VeriSign and ICANN have both denied impropriety in the renewal of .net, calling all procedures “open and transparent.” Still, each of the unsuccessful bidders as well as ICANN’s At-Large-Advisory-Committee (ALAC) have levied criticisms that Telcordia’s report was “unreasonably evaluated” if not “seriously flawed.”

The renewal takes effect in July and continues to June 30, 2011.

Copyright © 2025 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

FSC Toasts Jeffrey Douglas for 30 Years of Service

n the very same evening when the adult industry was hit hard by the Supreme Court ruling supporting Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181, members of the Free Speech Coalition board, staff and supporters gathered to celebrate Jeffrey Douglas’ 30 years as board chair — a fitting reflection of his reputation as an eternal optimist.

TTS Opens UK Testing Location

Talent Testing Service (TTS) has opened a new U.K. location in Ware, Hertfordshire.

FSC: Age-Verification Laws Go Into Effect South Dakota, Georgia, Wyoming on July 1

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a statement regarding new age verification laws set to go into effect tomorrow in South Dakota, Georgia, and Wyoming.

FSC Responds to Supreme Court Decision on Texas AV Law

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement responding to last week's Supreme Court decision on FSC v. Paxton, the Texas age verification law.

Sex Work CEO Debuts Upgraded 'GPTease' AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Canvas in-chat editing feature to its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

UPDATED: Supreme Court Rules Against Adult Industry in Pivotal Texas AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday issued its decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, striking a blow against the online adult industry by ruling in support of Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

North Carolina Passes Extreme Bill Targeting Adult Sites

The North Carolina state legislature this week ratified a bill that would impose new regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

Supreme Court Ruling Due Friday in FSC v. Paxton AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Friday in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the adult industry trade association's challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

Ofcom: More Porn Providers Commit to Age Assurance Measures

A number of adult content providers operating in the U.K. have confirmed that they plan to introduce age checks in compliance with the Online Safety Act by the July 25 deadline, according to U.K. media regulator Ofcom.

Aylo Says It Will Comply With UK Age Assurance Requirements

Tech and media company Aylo, which owns various adult properties including Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube, plans to introduce age assurance methods in the United Kingdom that satisfy government rules under the Online Safety Act, the company has announced.

Show More