Provocative domains, low pricing, marketing and promotion with Trademark Clearinghouse boost early numbers for new adult domains.
ICM Registry announced today that its .Porn and .Adult domain names each received about 4,000 registrations during the sunrise trademark period. That’s more than any other new top level domain names to date.
The strong interest was certainly fueled by the nature of the domains and news about Taylor Swift buying her name, but it went beyond that.
ICM Registry offered the domain names at normal registration fees instead of higher sunrise fees (or premiums). It also had a discount program with the Trademark Clearinghouse in which brand owners could get a one year Trademark Clearinghouse registration along with their domains in .adult and .porn at a reduced price.
.Porn and .Adult will now go to the Domain Matching Program phase in which owners of .xxx domain names will be able to buy the matching new domains. ICM Registry is extending the matching program to allow companies that blocked their domains in .xxx to buy the matching domains as well.
Interestingly, ICM Registry is charging low rates for these matching registrations. It says some registrars will offer the domains for as little as $12.99.
ICM Registry seems to be taking the opposite approach of .sucks. .Sucks’ high price for brand owners is being called extortion by many trademark owners.
.YAWN
Once bitten, twice shy.
Unless I’m very much mistaken, those are first-year teaser prices only. The long-term cost for .XXX + .ADULT + .PORN + .SEX would be roughly $300-$400 per string per year.
And that’s assuming the ICM Registry lets prices flat line.
gtlds are a waste of money
Many of those who acquired them did so to protect their names because they may be negatively used by unauthorized persons.