An image from ICM Registry illustrating the value of the xxx domain
(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Andrew Allemann of Domain Name Wire posted some information shared by the ICM Registry on Wednesday, about the success of the adult-content-oriented .xxx domain name during its first day of general availability.
According to the post, 55,367 .xxx domains were registered during the first 24 hours, bringing the total number of .xxx domains registered to 159,351 – as of noon EST on Wednesday – including the sunrise and land rush periods, which took place in the months leading up to the mainstream launch.
One of the big early pushes for registrations, by ICM, was among companies looking to protect their brands by blocking .xxx domains containing their trademarks.
The exact number of domains registered for that reason isn’t readily available, but, as Allemann points out, the availability of that service (particularly during the sunrise period) means that a good chunk of those .xxx domains registered so far will not resolve to websites.
He also points out that the comparatively high registration cost of around $100 (versus prices in the $10 vicinity for .com, for example) will probably limit the total number of registrations somewhat, but may also reduce the potential for cybersquatting.
The numbers suggest, he says, that the first 24 hours generated about $3.3 million in revenue for ICM registry, with about $500,000 earmarked for donation to the International Foundation for Online Responsibility.
The .xxx domain, as the newest top-level domain, is a bit of a departure from the normal TLD playbook in a few key ways.
For one, it is facing some significant opposition from the sponsored community it is intended to support – the online adult content business. Most notably, several high-profile adult companies, Digital Playground and Manwin, launched a fairly 11th-hour lawsuit against ICM Registry and ICANN, citing unfair, monopolistic practices.
The brand-protection and domain-blocking aspects of the .xxx domain are also unusual, and raise a few questions, some of which I posed in the lead-up to the domain’s launch.
About Liam Eagle
Liam Eagle has worked as a contributor to the Web Host Industry Review since its inception in 2000, and as editor since 2003. He has been editor of the WHIR's print magazine since its launch. His daily involvement in the gathering and reporting of Web hosting news and his regular interaction with Web hosting leaders gives him an uncommonly broad appreciation of the issues and tends facing the business. Through his WHIR blog, Liam spots Web hosting trends and offers opinions on the industry-wide impacts of major developments and the motivation behind big announcements. Follow him on Twitter @liameagle
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