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Minds + Machines acquires .XXX top level domain operator ICM Registry

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New TLD portfolio company adds four domain names to its portfolio.

MMX (also known as Minds + Machines) announced today that it is acquiring ICM Registry, which operates the .xxx, .adult, .porn and .sex top level domain names.

MMX will pay $10.0 million cash plus 225,000,000 shares, which have a value today of $31.0 million. The shares are subject to lock-up periods and will not all be issued at once.

ICM Registry reported net sales of $7.27 million and net income of $3.5 million on its 2017 tax return.

.XXX is a sponsored top level domain name that was introduced in 2011. .Adult, .Porn and .Sex are part of the new top level domain program.

The acquisition concludes MMX’s strategic review, in which it was determining if it made sense to be acquired or to acquire other assets.

Here are some notable points about the deal:

  • ICM Registry founder Stuart Lawley will now be the biggest shareholder of MMX with about 15%.
  • Afilias was a large shareholder in ICM and will now become a notable shareholder of MMX. Keep in mind that MMX recently went with competitor Nominet as the backend for its TLD portfolio. Afilias will continue to be the backend provider for ICM’s four top level domains.
  • The deal will help MMX’s profitability. The company plans to begin a dividend plan within the next 18 months.
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Take a look at Google’s 11 sites built on .Google

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Google has developed 11 websites that use .Google domains.

Google is getting a lot of press this week thanks to its launch of .App, but .App is just one of dozens of new top level domains that Google controls.

During the 2012 round of top level domain name expansion, many companies applied for top level domains that match their brand names, e.g. .google. While applicants for these domains have been slow to build sites on them, the number of developed websites on dot-brand domains is steadily increasing.

Google has developed 11 of the 17 domains it has registered under the .Google top level domain name. Here’s a look at these 11 sites:

Google Design – Design.Google

A cooperative effort led by a group of designers, writers and developers at Google.

Click here to see more sites on .Google

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The challenges of new TLDs with Tobias Sattler – DNW Podcast #177

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A first-hand account of selling new top level domains.

dnw-podcastWhat is it like integrating and selling new top level domain names as a registrar? On today’s podcast we talk with Tobias Sattler, the CIO for United Domains, a registrar with 1.6 million domains under management and around 10% of these in new TLDs. Tobias talks about some of the challenges his company faced onboarding new TLDs, dealing with different backend systems, handling premium domains and more. Given the headaches, you might be surprised by his response to the question if premium domains were worth it. Also: Merger time, .Boats, Wes Anderson’s domain, a nice brandable sale and Whois.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:09 — 25.8MB) | Embed

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Subscribe via iTunes to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, view on Google Play Music, or click play below or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)

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.App domains are coming: Q&A with Google

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You’ll soon be able to register whatever.app. Here’s what you need to know.

Google paid $25 million three years ago for rights to run the .App top level domain name and it’s finally ready to offer it to consumers.

While the original application said the domain would only be available to verified app developers, Google has decided to make it open to everyone. I reached out to Google to understand more about the launch.

Right now the domain is in a qualified launch period but, as you’ll see in the questions below, this is an invite-only opportunity. The domain will move to Sunrise on March 29, Early Access on May 1 and general availability on May 8.

DNW: What’s required to get a domain during the qualified launch period?
Google: The qualified launch period is for pioneer registrants who will host .app sites to showcase interesting uses of the .app TLD. Google is reaching out to candidates through various channels, and at the moment we aren’t soliciting direct applications.

DNW: The .app application said it would be limited to app developers. This restriction has been removed, correct?
Google: That is correct. We have decided to no longer have an explicit restriction, but expect that app developers will be amongst the potential registrants that find most value in this new namespace.

DNW: What is the full launch timeline?
Google: See https://registry.google for dates. All phase transitions occur at 16:00 Z.

DNW: How will the early access period work? Will it be a Dutch auction-style or just the same added fee throughout the EAP?
Google: It will be a seven-day Dutch auction style EAP, as many other gTLD registries have adopted. We hope it will allow registrants that are particularly excited about specific names to not miss out on them.

DNW: What price do you expect registrars will offer the domain for? Or, what is your wholesale pricing?
Google: We priced .app with the intention of providing an affordable option to individuals or companies that are interested in the name. While we still don’t have definitive information from registrars, we expect the price to be lower than for our other TLDs, like .how or .soy.

DNW: Will there be premium domains?
Google: Yes, we will offer premium domains with the price applying to both creation and renewal. More details will be available in the weeks leading to launch.

Here’s my take: .app is the most interesting top level domain name to launch in a long time. I think there will be an opportunity for domain investors to play here assuming the premium domain list isn’t exhaustive. Based on pricing for .how and .soy, I expect the wholesale price for .app domains will be around $10-$12, so you can expect to pay around $20 retail for registrations.

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Christa Taylor talks domains – DNW Podcast #173

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An in-depth discussion on the state of new top level domains.

dnw-podcastWhat makes for a good top level domain name? Well, it starts with the ABIC test. Christa Taylor of dotTBA has helped many companies apply for, plan for and/or launch top level domain names. This puts her in a unique position of seeing new domains at many stages and monitoring different strategies. On today’s show, we discuss what has happened with new top level domains so far as well as what she expects will happen in years to come. We also discuss the challenges of domain names in the Middle East. You’ll also hear about Christa’s ABIC test for determining if a new top level domain name is good. You can actually apply ABIC to other things, too. Also: Much ado about ado.com, Donuts goes travelling, Google Chrome and Verisign’s missing news.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:36 — 22.1MB) | Embed

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Subscribe via iTunes to listen to the Domain Name Wire podcast on your iPhone or iPad, view on Google Play Music, or click play below or download to begin listening. (Listen to previous podcasts here.)

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