The LizTaylor.XXX domain won’t be shining bright as a white diamond any time soon.
Earlier this month, a panel for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) ruled that the racy domain is too similar to the late actress Elizabeth Taylor’s name and trademark. As a result, the Elizabeth Taylor Trust has been awarded the domain rights.
The ruling was in a response to a claim from the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP), a part of ICANN, the organization responsible for coordinating domain names and IP addresses around the world, which guards against domain conflicts and trademark confusion.
In December 2011, Patrick Fitzgerald registered the address to build a site around a porn actress named “Liz Taylor” (sometimes known as “Lizz Tayler”). However, ICANN and UDRP took issue with the .XXX site for placing a spam-filled search engine on the site that linking to third-party websites that sold knock-off perfumes, similar to Taylor’s famed lined of fragrances.
“Some Internet viewers might be confused into thinking that the domain name LizTaylor.xxx related to the late Elizabeth Taylor,” the panel ruled, according to porn industry news source XBIZ.com. “Some may be surprised that she might have been associated with pornography. Others may be merely curious to see whether she indeed dabbled in that particular predilection.”
LizTaylor.XXX is now an inactive site.
The Domains’ Michael Berkens noted that Fitzgerald wasn’t part of the .XXX-sponsored community, a group of verified adult entertainment providers. That’s controlled by .XXX’s owner, ICM Registry, which Fitzgerald failed to apply to be part of.
“One wonders why, if he were so intent on promoting interest in the porn star, Liz Taylor, he did not take this step earlier,” the ruling said. “He says that it is common practice for those with XXX sites not to seek membership of a sponsored community until after the domain has been registered but then, again, there is no evidence of this. ”
Photo via Dougal McGuire/Flickr
