PALM BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ICM Registry has today announced that .XXX, the new sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) for the adult entertainment industry, is open for registration to brand and IP holders inside and outside of the sponsored community. The new namespace has been created to promote a responsible approach to adult content on the Internet and offer clear signposts to its location online.
.XXX registrations begin with a 50 day Sunrise period that gives businesses both inside and outside of the adult industry an exclusive timeframe to register or exempt themselves from .XXX, ending on 28th October 2011. ICM Registry is working closely with over 50 individual domain registrars around the world who are handling the registration process for .XXX.
Running concurrently, Sunrise A registers interest from the sponsored adult community, while Sunrise B has been specifically designed for companies outside the adult industry. During this timeframe, businesses have a cost-effective solution which permanently safeguards their Intellectual Property (IP) within the .XXX registry.
Stuart Lawley, CEO of ICM Registry said, “We believe .XXX creates a “win, win, win” situation, with benefits for consumers of adult material, for adult entertainment providers and for those wishing to avoid adult content. With all the sites malware scanned daily and properly labelled, it’s a win for consumers of adult content who are now able to identify and select the sites they wish to visit more easily and safely. It is also a win for the adult entertainment industry as .XXX helps to ensure that responsible adult content is easily identified online, leading to greater and more predictable revenues. And finally it’s a win for those who want to avoid adult content online, with internet users in no doubt about the underlying content of the sites and having the tools to help avoid them.”
To ensure the extension is launched responsibly, each .XXX site will be scanned daily by McAfee for malware. .XXX web addresses are the only domains in the world to benefit from this as standard, making sites amongst the safest on the internet. Every .XXX site will also come with a Metacert “electronic label” making it easier for users and parents to adjust their browser settings to choose which family members can get access to labelled adult sites. In addition .XXX will be overseen by The International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR), a global non-profit entity that will serve as the policy-making body for the new extension.
After the close of Sunrise, a Land Rush period starting on 8th November will run for 17 days where businesses from the adult entertainment industry will have premium access to remaining .XXX web addresses, following which general availability will ensue. Sunrise applicants using registered marks to qualify will be required to own a subsisting trade or service mark registration of national effect.
Lawley added, “ICM Registry is also sensitive to non-industry brand owners who do not want their trademarks associated with adult content. Our unique Sunrise period offers an exclusive window for trademark owners’ outside of the sponsored community to apply to opt-out of the registry, enabling businesses to be proactive in avoiding brand conflicts.”
For more information, please see http://www.icmregistry.com
Notes to editors
ICM Registry, headquartered in Florida, is the registry operator for the .XXX sponsored top-level domain as approved by ICANN in 2011. ICM provides the management and supporting infrastructure for this extension offered via registrars thought the world.