Recent Posts
- Two legit registrars held to account for lack of abuse tracking
- New ccTLDs may have to block name collisions
- Pop-ups boost most-popular new gTLD domains, and it’s not just .xyz any more
- Jeff Neuman quits Neustar for Valideus
- .gay is gay enough after all? ICANN overturns community panel decision
- Domain hijacking bug found in Go Daddy
- NCC buys Open Registry for up to $22.6m — a gTLD registry now owns part of the TMCH
- ICANN audit claims two more registrar scalps
- A quarter of registrar’s names are “illicit pharmacies”
- .top says Facebook shakedown was just a typo
- New gTLD extortion? Registry asks Facebook for $35,000 to register its brand
- New gTLD registries talk up marketing plans at NamesCon
- Seller’s remorse despite .club leading $1m NamesCon auction
- .xyz press release yanked for “encouraging cybersquatting”
- Here’s how the new number two new gTLD got so big so quick
- Vegas.club sells for $100,000
- The new massive number two new gTLD has me paralyzed with confusion
- .reise is first live new gTLD to hit the auction block
- Fatal timeout? A dozen dot-brands procrastinating to death
- Afilias cancels $100m London IPO
- Schilling laughing as Uniregistry beats Google to .lol
- NamesCon 2015 bigger, longer and more popular
- New gTLDs pummel .net below 15 million domains
- .uk suspension problems worse than I thought
- Big registrar dumps .uk — a glimpse of Christmas future?
- One company now owns almost a third of all registrars
- .baby and .mls fetch over $3 million each
- Most new gTLDs use NameSentry after Famous Four signs with Architelos
- Human glitch lets hackers into ICANN
- Hotly contested gTLDs up for auction tomorrow
- As .trust opens for sunrise, Artemis dumps .secure bid
- Last resort gTLD auction loser wants share of $5m winning bid
- First live dot-brand switches back to .com
- .ceo smartens up in new promo video
- New .jobs contract based on new gTLD agreement
- .health backer has cop-like takedown powers for all gTLDs in Japan
- .love won by class action lawyers
- Private auction settles controversial plural gTLD fight
- CentralNic unloads $2.5m worth of premium domains
- Donuts blames “license” problems for Chinese gTLD delays
- ICANN 53 will be in Buenos Aires
- Black Ice suspended by ICANN
- Eleven domains suspended under .uk anti-rape rules
- After lawsuit, YouPorn buys into .xxx portfolio
- As another group rejects proposal, is NETmundial stillborn?
- Donuts wins five more new gTLD auctions
- M+M raises $4.4m losing latest gTLD auctions
- Community proposes way to replace US oversight of ICANN
- Richemont pulls two dot-brand bids
- FIBA wins .basketball
YouPorn owner arrested in tax evasion probe
YouPorn owner and regular ICM Registry antagonist Fabian Thylmann has reportedly been arrested in Belgium in connection with a German tax evasion investigation.
He was taken into custody at Brussels airport today under a warrant from the Cologne District Court, according to German daily Die Welt.
Thylmann is the owner — some say nominally so — of Manwin Licensing, the online porn empire behind brands such as YouPorn, Brazzers and, under license, Playboy.
Manwin sued ICANN and ICM late last year over the .xxx gTLD, saying it violates US antitrust laws, charges which are denied.
The company is also engaged in an ICANN Independent Review Panel procedure over the same issues.
ICM says that the lawsuit, and a related boycott, are merely attempts to disrupt its business. Thylmann, the company claims, offered to invest in ICM but was rebuffed.
According to Die Welt, Manwin’s German headquarters was raided last Tuesday as part of an ongoing tax evasion probe, which was spurred in part by the newspaper’s own investigation into the company.
Recent Comments
I believe it hit me last night what the plan is ;)... read more
The .country for 1$ offer is only until the end of January 2015.... read more
It is not ICANN that is "creating" ccTLDs, but IANA. A subtle difference for some and a big one for others. It was cc... read more
Adrian that's a very valid point. ICANN can and has rejected requests related to ccTLDs in the past. Regards Mi... read more
I expect you'll now have a few more voices in the conversation to say how ridiculous the name collision issue is once cc... read more
The new gtlds in the majority the vertical ones are too specific to the extent they are for unprivacy and this is not co... read more
I believe Jeff reported to Sean Kaine, VP of Registry and Local Search Services, but I may be incorrect about this. ... read more
It would be interesting to see what the numbers mean in terms of usage and categories. I think that is an important metr... read more
If you go to the Uniregistry.com home page, you'll understand why people are doing this with .country domain names now. ... read more
With respect to "enemy of", you are absolutely incorrect in your commentary and assumptions. Mr. neuman was indeed in c... read more