YourBrand.xxx

Back when I attended Stern College at Yeshiva University there was a whispered secret in the computer lab: “Check out SternGirls.com.” Thanks to a complete lack of filters, students could verify that the website that carried our name was indeed a porn site. Over a decade later, Yeshiva University is cutting off access to porn on its network. So, it’s not without a trace of irony that at the same time, schools across the country are buying .xxx addresses.

The .xxx url was put into place to make it easier for parents to block adult sites and the adult sites to promote their business to their target market, in essence creating an online red-light district. Colleges and other businesses are buying the .xxx domain names to prevent their brand being associated with pornography.

ICM Registry manages all of the .xxx domain names and sells them through other companies. They ran a 50-day sunrise period from September 7 to October 28 for trademark holders. There were two plans running concurrently, called Sunrise A and Sunrise B. Sunrise A was for porn providers (or as they refer to it in the video, Sponsored Adult Community) to register their trademarks. Sunrise B was for other business (Outside Adult Community) to block their trademarks from ever being registered with .xxx for a one-time fee. It’s a great way to start a business – pay if you want our service and pay if you don’t want our service.

The offerings were then opened to non-trademarked adult industry members for an 18-day land rush, as ICMR calls it. On December 6, .xxx opened for general sales, and that’s when the schools and other businesses started registering the names they want protected. The ultimate mafia-esque angle is delivered starting at the 2:20 mark below:

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIDKnDSaWqE&feature=player_embedded’]

ICM has already come under fire. The porn industry sees the .xxx domain names as an additional cost to their already existing sites to keep others from piggy-backing on their already successful adult brands. They have contracted with the National Arbitration Forum to settle infringements issues and other trademark disputes. Complaints have also come in regarding pricing as sites like GoDaddy are charging a premium for the .xxx domains. PCMag reports a $210 fee for applying and $100 yearly service renewals.

URLs like Disney.xxx, YouTube.xxx, and CNN.xxx have already been dealt with. The University of Kansas has shelled out almost $3000 while Indiana University says they have spent $2200 to protect their associated names. Multiply those numbers by every college and business that wants protection, and you’ve got what used to be called a racket.