Although the new .xxx domain is available for registration, you probably won’t find a google.xxx or a microsoft.xxx domain:
Businesses in the adult entertainment industry — and outside of it — from today have the opportunity to register or block .xxx domain names that match their trademarks.
ICM Registry, which has operated .xxx since it signed a contract with ICANN earlier this year, has launched a three-pronged “sunrise period” that will run for the next 52 days.
The pre-launch phase is designed to allow trademark owners to either snag a .xxx domain if they’re in the porn business, or to pay to have their brands blocked forever if they’re not.
While the sunrise has been characterised by many critics as a “shakedown”, ICM is doing things a little differently to domain registries that have launched in the past.
As we have previously reported, a big chunk of the 15,000 names ICM has reserved match the names of celebrities — actors, politicians, sportsmen, singers — to prevent embarrassment.
It did not extend the same courtesy to big corporate brands.
However, uniquely to .xxx, any non-porn company wishing to take their .xxx name out of circulation permanently needs only pay a one-time fee, rather than paying up-front and renewing annually.
