Pink Visual’s Allison Vivas, Other Adult Industry Leaders Rally Opposition to .XXX Top Level Domain

Source: Press Release

 SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Adult entertainment studio Pink Visual announced today that company President Allison Vivas will be joining other adult industry leaders in San Francisco for a rally and press conference to be held this Thursday, March 17th in opposition to ICM Registry’s proposal for a .XXX sponsored Top-Level Domain, which is currently under consideration by the ICANN Board.

The rally, which is being organized by the Free Speech Coalition (FSC) adult industry trade association, will take place on the sidewalk outside the Westin-St. Francis Hotel from 12:30 to 2pm Thursday. Members of the adult industry are encouraged to attend and take part in the rally. Those wishing to participate should contact the FSC at (818) 348-9373, or joanne@freespeechcoalition.com. Instructions and directions to the venue will be provided.

Immediately following the rally, FSC will hold a press conference with industry leaders, including Vivas, Evil Angel founder John Stagliano, Kink.com founder Peter Acworth, industry attorney Paul Cambria, YNOT.com President Connor Young, Wasteland.com founder Collin Rowntree, FSC Board Chair Jeffrey Douglas and FSC Executive Director Diane Duke.

The press conference will take place at 2 p.m., at the Chancellor Hotel, located at 433 Powell St, one-half block from the Westin-St. Francis Hotel. Media interested in attending the press conference should contact joanne@freespeechcoalition.com or call (818) 348-9373.

“We feel it is important for Pink Visual to raise its voice in this controversial matter at the ICANN conference, because we can't imagine showing support for any for-profit entity whose business model and business practices are not yet defined, and which hasn't demonstrated a proven ability to benefit our industry,” Vivas said in explanation of her company’s participation in the rally.

“We are unconvinced that a business model that charges roughly six times market price for the product is a fair and beneficial business model for the industry,” Vivas added. “On day-to-day business matters we don't retain the services of vendors without having an understanding of what those vendors can actually do for our company; why would we throw in behind the establishment of a top-level domain about which we have the same question?”

Although the majority of the adult industry’s largest companies have sent letters to ICANN expressing their opposition to the .XXX sTLD, efforts to quash the proposed “sponsored” Top Level Domain have not persuaded the ICANN Board to reject ICM’s proposal. The Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) that consults with ICANN also has expressed its disapproval of .XXX.

FSC’s Duke described the years-long efforts to prevent .XXX from being approved:

“Over the past seven years, we have tried to communicate the adult industry’s opposition to .XXX at every opportunity, using every means and forum available. We have participated in public comment periods, letter writing, conversations with stakeholders, and testimony at ICANN’s public meetings,” Duke said, adding, “All three of the world’s only existing adult-trade-associations have issued statements in opposition to .XXX.

“Although we appreciate the GAC’s responsiveness to our concerns, it is clear that the ICANN board of directors has not heard us,” Duke continued. “We hope that Thursday’s rally will raise the volume, enabling ICANN to get the message, once and for all, that ICM’s .XXX application does not have the required support of the sponsored community.”

In a letter sent to ICANN, Evil Angel’s Stagliano underlined the lack of industry support for .XXX and questioned the wisdom of approving the new TLD.

“.XXX is supposed to be approved, accepted, or whatever, by the ‘community’ of people already in the adult community,” Stagliano wrote. “As the owner of Evil Angel, an adult producer and distributor, and a defender of our right to exist since 1983, I do not support this. I would support it only if there were different criteria for the creation of this entity, that would allow anyone to open a dot porn, or whatever, that would compete with .XXX. The effect now is to create a monopoly for one company in this area. The adult community has invested in how it is structured now. It is unfair to us all to add an additional expense to our business without competition for the services that this new business, .xxx, would provide.”

Industry members who would like to express their opposition but cannot attend the rally in San Francisco can participate in a “We Don't Want .XXX” Twitter campaign that FSC will stage throughout Wednesday and Thursday, March 16-17. Please follow @FSCArmy

For more information about .XXX, contact the FSC office with the information given, or visit the FSC Blog (www.fscblogger.wordpress.com) to read a five-part series entitled, “What’s Wrong with .XXX?”

Rally in opposition to .XXX sTLD

Who: Members of the adult entertainment industry

When: Thursday, March 17 from 2:30-2 p.m.

Where: Sidewalk outside the Westin-St. Francis Hotel, San Francisco

SC Press Conference

Who: Adult entertainment industry leaders

When: Thurs., March 17 at 2 p.m.

Where: Chancellor Hotel, 433 Powell Street, San Francisco

 

For Pink Visual: Brian Gross, BSG PR, (818) 340-4422 x202. brian@bsgpr.com twitter: @bsgpr