The operator of the .XXX top level domain, ICM Registry, and ICANN are being sued by Manwin Licensing International, a Luxembourg-based company that runs Playboy’s online sites and other adult websites, and porn filmmaker Digital Playground.The companies filed an antitrust lawsuit two weeks ago saying the creation of the new TLD is forcing companies in the pornography industry are being forced to defensively register .XXX domains.”Such defensive registrations are necessary to preclude others from registering and using the owners’ names in .xxx, and prevents the confusion or dilution in value of those names that would otherwise result,” Manwin and Digital Playground argued in their lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles noted the National Journal.The National Journal report also notes that “Kevin Gaut, a partner with Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the two companies, said the process ICANN used to award the registry contract to ICM was not competitive because no other companies were allowed to bid. He also argued that ICANN failed to include restraints on how much ICM could charge registrants.””Gaut said Manwin and Digital Playground would like the court to order ICANN to shelve the current contract with ICM, reopen the bidding process to other companies, and limit defensive registrations and prices.””ICM says the lawsuit is baseless. ‘ICM Registry has been working on the development of this [domain name] for more than 10 years and has taken extensive measures to ensure it is being launched in the most lawful and responsible way possible,’ ICM CEO Stuart Lawley said in a statement.” ICANN declined to comment for the story.