The final date is approaching for trademark holders to apply for ‘adult content’ .XXX domains, ahead of the ‘landrush’ period.
ICM Registry, the company behind the .XXX top-level domain (TLD), is advising brands and IP holders that they have ten days remaining of the .XXX Sunrise Period, the unique window available to trademark holders inside and outside of the adult industry to apply to register or exempt themselves from .XXX, ending on 28th October 2011.
.XXX Sunrise will be followed by Landrush which opens on 8th November and lasts for 17 days.
The Landrush window caters solely for the adult entertainment industry, supporting those who don’t qualify for Sunrise A, but want to secure a valued .XXX domain name ahead of General Availability.
Stuart Lawley, CEO of ICM Registry said, “The response to .XXX Sunrise has been fantastic with applications for .XXX domains under both Sunrise A and Sunrise B exceeding expectation by several fold. Protecting trademarks after Sunrise could prove more difficult, expensive and time consuming, so we are eager to make sure brands and IP holders do not miss the opportunity to safeguard their digital property during this exclusive window.”
The select .XXX domains that are currently live as part of the ICM Registry’s Founders Program have experienced significant interest, such as casting.xxx which is receiving higher traffic at times than sex.com and experiencing a bounce rate of less than 10% compared to the industry average of 30-50%.
Lawley continued, “We have engaged in a series of marketing initiatives to educate businesses on how to apply for a .XXX domain, while raising awareness among consumers of .XXX as the responsible, clearly signposted home for adult content online. This includes an advertising campaign which has already garnered more than 3 million views on YouTube and animations on the registration process plus benefits associated with having sites on .XXX domains. We are hoping these initiatives draw attention to the benefits that existing .XXX sites are experiencing.”
Applications for the .XXX domain are available through more than 50 accredited registrars.
www.icmregistry.com
