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This time in '99: Web registrar sued for banning rude words
In our "This time in '99" series, we take a daily look back at the agenda-setting stories as they were 12 months ago. We'll also cast an eye over the most influential news from last year in the video news bulletin every Friday in "This week in '99"

By Polly Raymond

Published: Thursday 11 May 2000

This is how the original story broke on 12 May, 1999:

Domain name registrar, Network Solutions, is facing court action in the US over its refusal to register domain names containing offensive words.

Web company, Seven Words, is arguing for the right to register whatever domain name it likes in accordance with the US Freedom of Speech Act.

But Network Solutions has refused on the grounds that it has always refrained from registering offensive words - the same words which are banned from registry in traditional directories such as phone or address records.

A source close to the situation explained that the demand to register domain names incorporating expletives is high because of the Internet traffic they attract. "Offensive words are a natural choice for many Web users when using a search engine, so naturally, many Web sites of that ilk try to pin down the appropriate addresses," they said.

The source also hinted that Network Solutions may change its position at some point, because many words considered to be offensive are part of normal phrases or words from other cultures. "The Internet is clearly transferable across cultures, so Network Solutions may have to revise its policy to incorporate them," they said.

Network Solutions was unavailable for comment.