Company applies for three adult top level domains.
ICM Registry, the same company that launched the .xxx top level domain last year, announced today that it has applied for three adult related top level domains with ICANN: .SEX, .PORN and .ADULT.
Today is the last day companies can apply for new top level domains through ICANN’s program.
This is an interesting but savvy move on ICM’s part. ICM Registry founder Stuart Lawley has previously said he didn’t think any companies would be able to get adult related strings like .porn through the application process. By applying, ICM puts itself in the process and can further scuttle competitors’ bids for the domains. And he’s thrown in a carrot: all .xxx domains registered by a certain cut off point will be reserved in .sex, .porn, and .adult for the .xxx registrant. They can pay a nominal fee to activate them. But no one else can register them.
I’m not sure how this proposal works to give ICM an advantage under the current applicant guidebook rules. But since these domains are likely to face government objections, the rulebook might be thrown out completely in awarding these domains — if they are awarded at all.
As much as I think that for the most part the new tlds are silly, you can’t blame them for wanting to protect their brand. They have a very niche brand with no competition and this would aim to keep it that way, even if the majority of what they are selling is just a mafioso 10 year block rather than a domain registration. Now they will have 3 more tlds to sell blocks on. I imagine there will be tiered pricing so for $X you block anyone from registering your name in .XXX, but for a little bit more you get .xxx + .porn, and for a little more yet you can block from all 4! It’s not like all 4, being owned by the same registry are each on their own going to be defacto for actual use in adult websites, and they already know people will line up to pay for the blocks.