PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – The registry operator for .xxx, .porn and .adult has launched its newest generic Top Level Domain: .sex.
ICM Registry launched .sex Sept. 1. Roll-out will occur in three distinct phases. The first the is the TCMH Sunrise period for trademark owners, which will last until Oct. 1. The next is a combined Sunrise B and domain-matching period for those who currently hold .xxx domains. That phase will run Oct. 5-30). The final phase, beginning Nov. 4, is general availability. Names in each phase will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The TMCH Sunrise phase is exclusively for trademark owners who have registered their marks with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH). Trademark owners should contact a participating global registrar as soon as possible to acquire domain names during this phase.
The Sunrise B and domain-matching phase is designed for both mainstream brands and the adult industry. The period gives .xxx holders who participated in the .xxx Sunrise B blocking program and .xxx domain name registrants a chance to register available, directly matching names in .sex.
Parties who do not own trademarks or have not registered their marks with the TMCH may still qualify for priority registration in .sex purchasing a .xxx domain name before Oct. 1. Those entities will be entitled to participate in the domain-matching phase.
“The domain-matching program is designed to give .xxx registrants an early option to get available, matching names in .sex, and the Oct. 1 eligibility deadline provides additional time for interested parties to get the benefits of ICM’s unique launch program,” said Chief Executive Officer Stuart Lawley.
“Thousands of mainstream brands and celebrities registered their names in our adult-related extensions to ensure brand consistency and control over their online presence,” Lawley said of ICM’s other three gTLDs. “We anticipate at least the same level of interest in .sex. Within its first day of launch, the .sex extension showed strong performance, with more registrations than .porn received [during] its first day.”
