Last month we did an article about the .xxx domain, and how it is both beneficial and easier to identify porn sites, but also poses a threat for the non-porn industry.  The ICM Registry already had a solution to this by giving those in the non-porn industry the chance to block their names or brands from being maliciously used with the “sunrise” period set to run from September 7 until October 28.  And yesterday, the “sunrise period” officially began.

The “sunrise” period is open to both porn and non-porn industries, so this will period will be divided into two accounts, Sunrise A, which will handle accounts from the adult porn industry, and Sunshine B, which will be responsible for the non-porn industry.

After the “sunrise” period, “land rush” will follow, starting November 8 and running for 17 days.  This period will allow businesses to acquire remaining available .xxx domains, after which everything will be available for public use.  So those who want to get the best domain names or want to block certain domain names are urged to do so while it is still in the “sunrise” period.  ICM will not be held liable if some popular names or brands will be used in the .xxx domain.

Just to clarify, those from the non-porn industry will block or reserve their names or brands from being used by others, their accounts will not actually exist.  So for those of you who are wondering why some names or brands aren’t available, they are probably blocked or reserved already.  The ICM also temporarily blocked some “premium” names which they will sell at a higher price after the “sunrise” period.

“With all the sites malware scanned daily and properly labeled, it’s a win for consumers of adult content who are now able to identify and select the sites they wish to visit more easily and safely,” ICM CEO Stuart Lawley said in a statement.

“It is also a win for the adult entertainment industry as .xxx helps to ensure that responsible adult content is easily identified online, leading to greater and more predictable revenues. And finally it’s a win for those who want to avoid adult content online, with Internet users in no doubt about the underlying content of the sites and having the tools to help avoid them.”

The application fee costs between $80 and $110 while the domain name costs about $100 per year.  Companies who wish to block their names or brands will have to pay a one-time-fee of about $200-$300.  The .xxx domain pricing confused me a bit as the ICM stated on their site that the price of the domain is set by the user.

Not everyone has to pay to protect their names, as ICM graciously took some 15,000 names off the list based on celebrity status, like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.  Names of dead celebrities such as AmyWinehouse.xxx, Elvis.xxx, MarilynMonroe.xxx, and JimiHendrix.xxx are also on the blocked list, as are the President and the first lady, so you won’t find BarackObama.xxx and MichelleObama.xxx.  Other names based on cultural and religious grounds, such as capital cities and various spellings of Mohammed and the domain OsamaBinLaden.xxx are also blocked.