Manwin Permanently Bans All Business with .XXX TLD

The company, which recently sued ICM and ICANN on antitrust charges, also says it will cease all activities with sites registered with .xxx, effective immediately

LUXEMBOURG—Manwin issued a statement Friday announcing that in addition to the antitrust lawsuit it filed Nov. 16 against ICM Registry and ICANN over the approval of the .xxx TLD, it also “has determined to cease any and all internet liaisons with the .xxx Top Level Domain.”

In addition, the announcement states that as of today, Friday, Dec. 2, Manwin has banned all activities between its brands and internet sites registered with a .xxx TLD.

“We oppose the .xxx domain and all it stands for,” said Fabian Thylmann, Managing Partner of Manwin. "It is my opinion that the .xxx domain is an anti-competitive business practice that works a disservice to all companies that do business on the internet.

“The lawsuit was just the beginning,” added Thylmann. “Through this ban, we hope to make a strong statement against the .XXX domain.”

Manwin said it will no longer permit content from or advertising for .xxx websites on its tube sites. In addition, it will not permit its content to be used or advertised on .xxx websites. This will prevent ICM or .xxx from exploiting the 60 million daily visitors to Manwin’s network sites, it said.

By permanently blocking the .XXX domain, Manwin also said it hopes to send a clear message that it does not support ICM or .XXX.