MPAA, Radix Reach Domain Name Antipiracy Agreement

MPAA and United Arab Emirates-based domain name registry Radix reached agreement to make the association a “trusted notifier” to refer “large-scale” websites engaged in copyright infringement that use Radix-operated domain extensions. MPAA reached a similar agreement with domain name registry Donuts (see 1602090029). The Radix agreement includes “strict standards” for referral, including evidence of “clear and pervasive” infringement and evidence that MPAA attempted to contact the registrar and hosting provider to resolve the situation before notifying Radix, the association said Friday. Radix will work with registry partners to contact an infringing website’s operator and the registry will use its existing authority to suspend the website if the registry finds further evidence of infringement, MPAA said. “Our aim is to evolve our domain extensions to a point where internet users feel a greater sense of security when they see a URL that ends with them,” Radix Business Head Sandeep Ramchandani said in an MPAA news release. “While this agreement is geared to film and television piracy, similar agreements could address other illegal activity online,” MPAA Global General Counsel Steven Fabrizio said in the news release. “Hopefully, it can become a model to be used with other players in the domain name ecosystem and internet intermediaries.”