Australian Sean Truman has lost control of the web address richardbranson.xxx after proceedings in the National Arbitration Forum (NAF).
Truman registered the domain back in December, and claims he did it as a "souvenir", rather than a cynical bit of cyber-squatting. RollOnFriday readers purer than the driven snow should realise that .xxx addresses are a special part of the internet reserved for, errr, porn.
Branson, who was unsurprisingly unimpressed by his name being used that way, lodged a complaint under the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. Now, as they say on many .xxx websites, repeat that with your mouth full. The procedure has a rather checkered history, and notable celebrities including Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga have previously lost their cases. No such worries for the Virgin founder (woof), as the NAF ruled that Truman had "registered and used the name in bad faith" and had to transfer ownership forthwith - and for free - to Branson. Pinsent Masons has done a mildly interesting piece on the legal background, if you're interested.
Tragically, if you're on the hunt for a bit of beard porn, richardbranson.xxx will henceforth be non-functional.
Tip Off ROF
Truman registered the domain back in December, and claims he did it as a "souvenir", rather than a cynical bit of cyber-squatting. RollOnFriday readers purer than the driven snow should realise that .xxx addresses are a special part of the internet reserved for, errr, porn.
 |
That's Richard Branson. Not porn. |
Branson, who was unsurprisingly unimpressed by his name being used that way, lodged a complaint under the Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy. Now, as they say on many .xxx websites, repeat that with your mouth full. The procedure has a rather checkered history, and notable celebrities including Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga have previously lost their cases. No such worries for the Virgin founder (woof), as the NAF ruled that Truman had "registered and used the name in bad faith" and had to transfer ownership forthwith - and for free - to Branson. Pinsent Masons has done a mildly interesting piece on the legal background, if you're interested.
Tragically, if you're on the hunt for a bit of beard porn, richardbranson.xxx will henceforth be non-functional.