CARTAGENA, Colombia—ICM Registry has commented following the vote in Cartagena today by the ICANN Board of Directors approving a resolution that paves the way for the final approval of ICM’s dot-XXX application after consultations with the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) in February.
The ICM statement is below, in full:
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has stated that it intends to contract with ICM Registry for the use of .XXX as a top level domain name (TLD).
ICM has been campaigning for .XXX to be recognized as a TLD since 2003, with the aim of creating a clearly labeled place where adult entertainment can be accessed.
The contract will grant .XXX the same rights as .com, .net, .co.uk and other TLDs, with the only difference being that as a sponsored TLD, .XXX domain names will only be available to the adult entertainment industry. The contract will require anyone registering a .XXX name to complete an application process endorsed and overseen by the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR).
Authorization of .XXX as a TLD for the adult entertainment industry carries multiple benefits. For consumers who wish to browse adult entertainment sites, it will provide reassurance that they are protected from risk around identity theft, credit card fraud and child abuse images. It will also provide consumers who wish to avoid adult entertainment sites the opportunity to filter out unwanted .XXX content.
For providers of adult entertainment content online, the .XXX TLD also comes with many benefits, not least that the creation of a self-regulated environment will mean that qualified surfers are more likely to convert to a profitable relationship, creating highly attractive long-term (and therefore valuable) online ‘real estate’.
Given that ICANN has approved .XXX and now intends to enter into a contract with ICM, ICM will offer current intellectual property owners the opportunity to reserve relevant domain names before going to the open market, enabling them to protect their brand names and intellectual property rights within the .XXX space.
Clyde Beattie, a Director at the not-for-profit organization IFFOR, comments, “The landmark decision is a great step forward for the online entertainment industry. Providing a place where consumers can enjoy adult entertainment within a secure and protected framework will, in our opinion, allow the industry to flourish. ICM has for a long time championed an enlightened approach to the online adult entertainment industry, in which stakeholders can finally have full confidence in responsibly delivered adult entertainment, and it’s fantastic that this approach has finally been recognized by ICANN.”
Stuart Lawley, CEO of ICM Registry, adds, “The introduction of .XXX will offer the online adult entertainment industry a whole host of new opportunities to further develop their business. Since 2003 we have been campaigning for this moment, and it is testament to the commitment of the team at ICM and IFFOR.
“For consumers, the contract will allow them to enjoy adult entertainment in an environment that operates to well publicized and fully articulated standards, and where they can make payments safely and securely. The knock-on benefit for the adult industry, beyond the fact that consumers are going to be more prepared to make purchases when they know that they will be secure, is that the consumer will also know that .XXX sites are scanned daily for malware, thereby being safer to visit., leading to greater traffic… It’s a win-win situation.”
