FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2010
Contact: Diane Duke
[email protected]
FSC Claims Victory: ?It?s Far From Over?
MARINA DEL REY, Calif. ? After Free Speech Coalition (FSC) submitted a letter to ICANN regarding consideration of the Governmental Advisory Committee?s (GAC) concerns in the approval process for the proposed .XXX sTLD, the ICANN Board of Directors yesterday resolved to delay any decision on .XXX until December.
The action was reported in TheDomains.com (
http://www.thedomains.com/2010/10/29...g-in-december/). The ICANN decision effectively halts the approval process and recognizes necessary consideration of GAC?s prior opposition to the .XXX sTLD and concerns for lack of sponsorship from the adult online community.
In 2006, ICANN?s GAC opposed the passage of .XXX in their Wellington Communiqué. At the ICANN Conference in Lisbon, in 2007, GAC reaffirmed that opposition stating, ?The Wellington Communiqué remains a valid and important expression of the GAC?s views on .xxx. The GAC does not consider the information provided by the Board to have answered the GAC concerns as to whether the ICM Application meets the sponsorship criteria.?
FSC Executive Director Diane Duke has travelled to Lisbon in 2007, as well as Brussels this past June, in order to oppose .XXX. She said, ?While attending the GAC meeting in Brussels, I observed an informal conversation among its members, there was general consensus that its concerns had still not been addressed, and its prior Communiqué objections stand.
?Stuart Lawley can stand on the rooftops and shout that this is a done deal all he wants but this is an insurmountable obstacle for ICM to overcome,? Duke added. ?FSC pointed that fact out to the Board in our letter requesting that they seek consultation with GAC and apparently, they agreed.?
The proposed .XXX sTLD is scheduled to be discussed at the next ICANN Board of Directors meeting to be held in December, in Columbia.
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The Free Speech Coalition is the national trade organization to the adult entertainment industry. Its mission is to lead, protect and support the growth and well-being of the adult entertainment community.