ICANN to roll out .XXX domain names in September. Be ready to take advantage of it!

Starting September 7, 2011, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will offer .xxx domain registrations. The news has been received with both positive and negative responses as it poses an immediate threat to Trademark (TM) and Brand owners. In order to avoid trademark infringements, businesses with “clean”, non-X-rated material will have a sunrise period of 52 days to block their trademarks from being registered as .xxx domains.

Launching timeline Overview

According to the ICM Registry site, there will be two sunrise periods. During Sunrise A, trademark owners from within the adult entertainment industry will be able to apply for .XXX domains. During Sunrise B, trademark owners from outside the adult industry will have a chance to apply to opt out of the .XXX gTLD and block their domain name. How will this work? After validating your trademark you will be eligible to register under Sunrise B. OpenSRS has posted pricing estimates for Sunrise B registration to be a one-time payment of around US$200-300; although, pricing could go up to US$600 according to experts. This fee would protect your name for a period of up to 10 years.

After the sunrise period and starting November 8, 2011, interested applicants belonging to the adult industry who do not qualify for Sunrise A will be able to find out how and if they can secure a premium .xxx domain during the Landrush stage (ending Nov. 25, 2011). Starting December 6, 2011, .xxx domain registration will be officially open to the general public on a first come, first served basis.

What you need to do to protect your Trademark

Businesses who do not want to be associated with the .XXX extension have the option of blocking their domain name. It is needless to say that this is a must to protect brand quality and reputation. Once the .xxx domain registration is open to the public, companies who have not protected their brands during the sunrise periods will run the risk of being targeted by cyber-squatters who will no doubt be first in line to register domains under these new gTLDs.

Once the new .xxx domain is widely accepted, new companies will have to find out if their domain name is available on all gTLDs and will be able to register “non-resolving” names during the General Availability period. As more gTLDs are approved by ICANN, businesses will have to be one step ahead in order to defend their brand from possible infringements. 

BrandProtect will continue to provide updates on the latest developments on the new gTLD’s as they unfold.  Stay tuned for more updates and in the meantime protect your Rights, Revenue and Reputation!