• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 22, 2011

In a surprising show of solidarity, the management of the Association of National Advertisers, representing CRIDO (Coalition for Responsible Internet Domain Oversight) is citing an adult entertainment publisher’s lawsuit to block the overall of the new .XXX top-level domain address as validation of the concerns the ad industry has been raising about potential problems stemming from changes in top level Internet domain governance.

The .XXX lawsuit, which was filed last week by adult entertainment company Manwin Licensing International, “represents the first glimpse of evidence of the serious concerns that CRIDO has been raising about ICANN and top level domain governance,” an ANA spokesperson said in an email to MediaPost. “This lawsuit is one more example of many potential problems that would be multiplied by hundreds of times once the top level domain market is thrown open on January 12.”

CRIDO, which has been organized by the ANA, is comprised of 98 organizations, which are fighting a proposed expansion in the top level domain program, because they claim it would do harm to brands and their trademarks by enabling anyone to apply for new domains based on any generic or branded word.