II. Internet Terminology for the Technologically Disinclined

When trying to place domain disputes in context, a basic knowledge of the Internet and Internet jargon is invaluable. The traditional definition of the “Internet” is a “worldwide network of interconnected computers, all of which use a common protocol . . . to communicate with each other.”22 The “World Wide Web” is made up of Web pages, which we access on the Internet and which are written in a computer code called Hypertext Mark Up Language (“HTML”).23 Every webpage has an address, which is a number assigned by ICANN.24

Because most people cannot remember long strings of numbers, “domain names” are used to identify websites. Most domain names consist of three parts which identify the website.25 The “www” portion indicates the page is available on the World Wide Web. The domain name is the name by which the site is commonly identified (i.e., the “amazon” in amazon.com.) The suffix of the domain name is the TLD. Familiar examples of these include .com, .net., .gov, and .org.26

ICANN is a non-profit corporation and the only organization authorized to assign domain names, though they typically delegate this authority to companies who are capable of handling an entire TLD. This article is concerned with the creation of a new .xxx TLD, which would be dedicated to the adult entertainment industry. The company that has proposed .xxx is ICM registry (“ICM”), a corporation formed expressly for that purpose. Although negotiations between ICM and ICANN are well past the preliminary stages, the domain is currently on hold.27