There's a new type of domain name coming that has the potential to protect your brand from being associated with adult web content. However, it also has the potential for a great deal of embarrassment.
While the idea of a distinct suffix for adult content sites makes a lot of sense we have to remember how domain names are sold. Each suffix - .co.uk / .com / .net etc - has to be purchased individually and many companies have spent a great deal of money buying up all available versions to ensure that they protect their trademark and their brand.
The .xxx domains will be sold in exactly the same way and it is therefore possible for ‘your companyname.xxx' to be purchased and used as a site for explicit adult content.
Some domain registration companies are offering companies the option to protect their trademark or company name by proposing exclusion purchases. This means that, for payment of a one-off or annual fee, the .xxx domain will be blocked for sale.
The domain registration company Fasthosts says: ‘Businesses outside the online adult-entertainment industry have the opportunity to protect their brands to ensure they're not associated with adult content, accidentally or maliciously. By 'blocking' their equivalent .XXX domains, they'll ensure that no other party can use it to host inappropriate content or demand an inflated fee to purchase it back from them. If you block the .XXX domain associated with your business, people who look it up will see a response that it's not a valid or available domain."
So how do you block your trademark or company name?
Businesses with trademarks can block their .XXX equivalent domain for a one off fee for the lifetime of the trademark. Businesses without a trademark can block their domains by paying an annual fee.
The Sunrise period for trademark holders is open from 7th September 2011 to 28th October 2011. Order now to protect your brand. If you don't have a trademark, you can still pre-order to block your associated .XXX domain in General Availability which opens on 6 December.
Digital Paint recommend that you act quickly to protect your trademarks and company name. More information is available on the Fasthosts site: http://www.fasthosts.co.uk/domain-names/xxx-domains/#phases
or through your normal domain registration company.
Posted Date: 03rd Oct 2011