While the .xxx TLD is expected to go live in December, the pricing structures and launch plan have been revealed by ICM Registry. It appears that starting in September, trademark holders will have a 30 day period to effectively ‘block’ their brand from being used in the .xxx TLD. According to TheRegister.com article TM holders can expect to pay a one time fee up to $650 to have their brand blocked in .xxx. I am wondering if this is per .xxx domain or per brand, which can encompass many domains.
Adult webmasters should be able to reserve their .xxx domain in pre-launch for $300 and when the registry opens for landrush, consumers can expect to pay between $75 – $130 for a .xxx domain.
The higher registration rate per domain may be an effective way to combat squatters and domainers from registering lots of .xxx domains to hold. On the other hand, it will probably enrage adult industry webmasters to have to pay that much to reserve their .xxx domains. Most of the adult industry is totally against the .xxx TLD, it will be interesting to see how many are reserved during the sunrise period for $300/each.
