fuck.com
Links.net: Justin Hall's personal site growing & breaking down since 1994
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written in 1997
links.net - fuck.com
When I first started the Domain Name Game in 1994, securing fuck.com seemed a distinct possibility. If christian.org had been secured by out and out blasphemers, why couldn't I get a simple swear word?
Since then the Internet has grown by literally hundreds of thousands of percentage points, people have been busted big time for online obscenity - folks at InterNIC have become more cautious.
I exchanged a few letters over the legal implications of the registration, and finally spoke to someone over the issue.
In June 1995, I served on a think tank/panel with Jon Postel, the guy responsible for withholding the domain, at the time.
He wasn't a suit, he had longish gray frizzed hair, and a bushy santa-beard. He wore jeans and acted like an academic computer dude.
He noted that his authority to hand out domains is tenuous as it is, if he was responsible for doling out the controversial, some government beaurocracy might take over his job. He asked me, which would I prefer?
Since the Internic started charging for domains I'm not clear who has what authority these days, if I am now allowed to buy myself fuck dot com.
Finding bigtits.com, and Procter and Gamble's diarrhea.com made me feel pretty righteous though. What do they think I am, some kinda porno publisher?
Then Sam Weiler mailed me this:
CAKE Publications, Inc. (FUCKER-DOM) FUCKER.COM<br>Congressional Censors (FUCKEDUP-DOM) FUCKEDUP.COM<br>Fighting Censor-happy Congress-heads (FUCKHEAD-DOM) FUCKHEAD.COM<br>For UnLawful Cardinal Knowledge Education Division (FUCKED-DOM) FUCKED.COM<br>Fragging Inc. (FUCKOFF-DOM) FUCKOFF.COM<br>Plastic Surgery International (FUCKFACE-DOM) FUCKFACE.COM<br>Sex on the Beach (FUCKING-DOM) FUCKING.COM
No match for "FUCK.COM"
CyberWorks (SHITSNGIGGLES-DOM) SHITSNGIGGLES.COM<br>Pigs in Shit Club (SHIT2-DOM) SHIT.COM<br>Smear's Enterprises of Happy (SHIT-SMEAR-DOM) SHIT-SMEAR.COM
This clinched it, on April 10, I reregistered through Cyborganic:
As Yer Mama Net Productions expands its publishing purview, fuck characterizes a good deal of its publishing. fuck is a powerful word, we intend to use it as a web domain for a powerful press.
These were the exchanges between InterNIC officials and I prior to our f2f meeting.
Date: 21 Dec 1994
Jon -
Still no answer on this.
>Justin:
>One concern about your name request has to do with possible
>litagation arising. Do you agree to pay all costs of the IANA
>and the InterNIC that might arise due to the registration of this
>domain name?
>Suppose some district attorney in Podunk Georgia decided to haul
>us all into court for violating some obsenity law in his county?
>Will you pay all our costs?
I agree to take responsibility for litigation resulting from the use of the domain name "fuck.com"
Anything else you need me to say? I am willing to take any responsibility for this off your hands - how I use it and what comes of it will be my concern.
Thanks Jon,
Justin
Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 18:03:22 -0700
From: postel@ISI.EDU (Jon Postel)
To: justin@cyborgasmic
Subject: re: domain fuck.com
Cc: iana@ISI.EDU
Justin:
One concern about your name request has to do with possible<br>litagation arising. Do you agree to pay all costs of the IANA<br>and the InterNIC that might arise due to the registration of this<br>domain name?
Suppose some district attorney in Podunk Georgia decided to haul<br>us all into court for violating some obsenity law in his county?<br>Will you pay all our costs?
The disclaimer below is now being attached to all domain name<br>request materials, and to all completed assignments.
--jon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DISCLAIMER
By the registration of your name on the Internet, the IANA, the<br>InterNIC, Network Solutions Inc., the University of Southern<br>California, and the National Science Foundation are accepting in good<br>faith that you have the right to the use the name.
The IANA and InterNIC/Network Solutions' function in registering names<br>on the Internet is to assure that the name does not conflict with any<br>other name in the name space requested.
The user by its registration and use on the name and/or their<br>continued use of an existing name agrees, as part of their request for<br>name registration, to indemnify and hold harmless from any and all<br>costs, fees, expenses arising from litigation involving trademark,<br>trade name, service mark, and any other name infringements, or other<br>reasons, the IANA, the InterNIC, Network Solutions Inc., the<br>University of Southern California, and the National Science<br>Foundation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Domain Registration Role Account
Subject: Re: Domain; fuck.com
To: justin@wired.com (Justin...