Internet domains ending in .xxx now available to general public
WEB domain names ending in .xxx were made available for purchase by the general public yesterday despite ongoing legal efforts to foil the move.
Until now the .xxx pages, of which around 100,000 have been sold, were reserved for big brands. The first sites went live in September.
Stuart Lawley, chief executive of ICM Registry, said: “The new domain functions as a responsible alternative for sites that offer adult entertainment content.”
However, pornography providers Manwin Licensing and Digital Playground have filed a lawsuit against ICM Registry, claiming the .xxx suffix is “anti-competitive”.
According to Manwin, which runs the Playboy websites, ICM Registry is charging annual fees of about $60 (£38) per address with the “red light” suffix. This is about ten times higher than the standard fee for other top-level domain names.
Companies and individuals that do not want their name seen next to .xxx will be able to pay a one-off fee of up to $300 to disable their page.
Lawley said: “It has been 10 years in the coming and today the floodgates are open.”