According to AVN.com, The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced yesterday that it is launching an anti—.XXX campaign urging adult online businesses not to register into any .XXX sTLD.
Diane Duke, FSC Executive Director, said in calling for all online adult business to boycott .XXX:
“Collectively, adult businesses understand that ICM’s .XXX is bad for the adult entertainment industry,” “FSC is launching this campaign, thus continuing its effort to rid the industry of this hazard. We are encouraging adult businesses to Just Say ‘NO’ to .XXX.”
“Adult companies need to know the implications of purchasing .XXX domain names and why buying .XXX could be the worst investment they’ll ever make.”
The reasons given by the FSC for why adult businesses should avoid .XXX altogether:
“.XXX costs at least 10 times what your .coms cost (recent numbers thrown out are $70-$75/per domain name).”
“Just 5 days after .XXX passed, India blocked .XXX with the promise of more countries like Australia, Germany to follow—instantly de-valuing your costly .XXX domain names.”
” sTLDs have a proven history of failure—even ones that are not blocked by entire countries and have their industry’s support (.travel, anyone???).”
“High traffic websites will be leery of linking to your site, fearful of themselves being blocked or having dead links in blocking countries.”
“All registrants of .XXX must agree to third-party automated monitoring of their sites for compliance with IFFOR policies—AND you will have to purchase your domain name before you even know what those policies are.”
“Aliases (.XXX and .com going to the same site) require that related .coms adhere to IFFOR policies.”
“IFFOR Policies will be determined by a council hand-picked by a Board chaired by ICM’s CEO Stuart Lawley—NOT the industry .XXX is supposed to represent. Moreover, ICM Registry has ultimate veto power over policy development.”
“Businesses who register with .XXX make their alias .coms an easier target for censorship and blocking—do you really want to put your .coms at risk?”
“Do the math—it doesn’t add up. Even if ICM’s claims of new consumers who “trust” .XXX ring true, for a company like Kink.com, which has approximately 10,000 domain names, it would have to bring in three-quarters of a million dollars in new revenues annually JUST TO BREAK EVEN!”
This boycott strategy was brought up at a press conference the FSC held and I attended after a small protest was held outside the Westin hotel at the ICANN meeting.
I asked Ms. Duke at the FSC’s press conference how this boycott would ultimately help its members and honestly I still don’t know.
Simply put if adult businesses don’t register their respective .XXX domain then someone else will.
Lets say that just 300,000 of these turn into registrations, that’s $15 Million to ICM. (ICM is charging $50 wholesale, not including the $10 to the non-profit)
Like as with the roll out of the .Co and .Me extensions, if more than one land rush application is placed on a domain, it will go to auction.
These land rush auctions have netted millions more for the .Co and .Me registries and should do the same for .XXX
Then there are all those premium and reserved .XXX domains that will be sold at auctions for years to come, which will net millions more.
So when I, as Ms. Duke suggests “Do the Math” the numbers tell me ICM is going to be quite profitable.
The only reason to boycott a business is to hurt that business financially.
It appears that the .XXX registry is going to be financially healthy so a boycott is only going to result in adult business from missing out on securing its matching .XXX domain, which even FSC acknowledges will probably be the only adult TLD that ICANN will ever approve.
While I can appreciate that a company like kink.com isn’t going to register a corresponding .XXX for each of the 10,000 adult domains FSC says they own, it would certainly be foolish in my opinion for them not to protect their most valuable “brands” or key .com’s.
I think if adult online business boycott .XXX they will do so at their peril.
it seems too late to say NO to the .xxx TLD and to the p0rn sites 🙂
MLM – Multi-Level Marketing
( aka Bottom-Up Multi-Stakeholder – YOU are always on the Bottom )
.xxx is as unique as the regulated .edu and ,gov – meaning there is no liklihood of non-adult ever being published at .xxx. – that makes even Electronics.xxx, Tables.xxx, Denver.xxx or LosAngeles.xxx a target of Constitutional sensorship – and puts the .com counterparts further in demand.
vatican.xxx 🙂
I disagree, if there are no end users and only speculators/investors it us the death if an extension. So what if they sell 1M registrations o pre-reservations. What is more important is renewals year after year. No end users means fading renewals.
If India has already blocked .xxx other countries in that part of the world will follow suit. China and it’s allies will definitley block and if sexually liberal Germany blocks, most if not all of Europe will aswell. The largest market remaining will be the USA, whose conservative censorship stances would leave it not wanting to seen to oppose all of the others mentioned and appear to be taking an ultra loose moral stance by comparison.
The outcome will be that .coms will flourish more than ever in this category and .xxx will become marginalised.
“The outcome will be that .coms will flourish more than ever…”
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Seems like .COM will be it, the only TLD standing.
Everyone else will either shoot themselves in the foot, shoot each other, or be shot by Uncle Sam. Then, FREE domains will probably sweep the rest of the noise away.
.XXX will likely lead the way with newer technology, sort of the way Adult Content drove the early VCR industry. ICANN’s Betamaxxx may not survive against the Set-Top-BoXXX.
David
There is no doubt that certain countries will block .xxx
“There is no doubt that certain countries will block .xxx”
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Does anyone want to start a pool ? bet ? that Obama nukes .XXX ?
I am with TheBigLieSociety & David,
As well – just because I am a Realist does not mean I am that Right – I have simply been in this world long enough to know Reality. .xxx , .co , .cc (10 years ago) and countless other worthless non-coms do nothing more than ultimately – in there own way – promote the Brand of the Internet – .com.
.xxx just has a different twist to making ,com the only one on the shelf.
I wonder if Rob Grant is concerned about an eventual website at CatholicSchools.xxx – no different than myself being concerned about a website at CapitolHill.xxx.
Once the Sex appleal is gone – it will just be wastes money down the drain
“.xxx just has a different twist…”
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It is ironic, the people at ICANN would not likely have their “jobs” if it was not for .XXX being one of the pioneers trying to challenge the incumbents.
.XXX (sTLD Sponsored) will likely twist in the wind for the next few months.
Then, .XXX gTLD will be ready for “Applicants”. BUT, Obama can step in by then
and tell people…”don’t even think about going there…”. Game Over
Then the 2012 election arrives, with Obama saving the nation, the Obamanation.
.OWN may make it as a special case.
Per Big Lie –
“Does anyone want to start a pool ? bet ? that Obama nukes .XXX ?”
I do not believe this is an Obamatopian issue. There is nothing to nuke – it will make the headlines for a week or less – then just go away – just like the rest.
Where it will make the headlines is if .xxx somehow gets special Constitutional privilage over.com – akin to white folks (.xxx) being able to sit in front of the bus where black folks (.com) have to sit in the back – and we know what the end result of thaat will be.
“it will make the headlines for a week or less – then just go away – just like the rest”
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That is a very good point and an interesting observation. The current Obama
administration has a strange ability to make the mainstream press fade.
If NTIA were to end negotiating with ICANN, people would probably forget all about new domain issues. There are other ways to program computers.
Dudh dudh dudh…..dot com is KING
time for my smoke
Bulls aka MarijuanaGuy.com
Passing the peace pipe to you….
Per Bulls,
“dot com is KING”
Yes – I agree but with different terminology,
.com is not necessarily the king or the “establishment” – it simply is the Internet as dictated by the legal profession (including all the lawyers in Congress / Senate in DC) and UDRP and ACPA.
How many UDRP / ACPA cases involving non-.com’s have occured where the Complainant does not already own the .com – maybe a handfull ? _ I am a Realist.
As far as I am concerned Porn.com and several others have established secondary meaning – a good benchmarch when ???.xxx comes out and the ???.com goes after the ???.xxx domain.
As far as the MarijuanaGuy.com reference – I came accross a great name in Denver a few weeks back – KarmaPseudicals – I am not sure what they sell – but it puts my CheapDrugs.com/CheapMeds.com to shame – but that is likely for another thread.
“.com is not necessarily the king or the “establishment” – it simply is the Internet as dictated by the legal profession…”
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and SOCK PUPPETS
.XXX is the death of online porn industry.
Per Big Lie’s SOCK PUPPETS,
I always used socks as a tool in “learning” how to rub one out – but now I realize we are talking about the same thing.
Mike it makes sense for them to boycott. They should take some action. The fact that a registry can make a lot of money does not mean the extension is valuable,needed or will be good for those registering it.
If a lot of countries block the entire extension, you don’t see that as a major problem ? Because I would love for you to explain with the high reg fee. potential blocking and other things that will come down the road for the extension where is the value IYO.
Why do I want to pay 10x a .com, no type in traffic and potential to be blocked worldwide. What country won’t block ? Why wouldn’t they ? They will be asked if these 20 countries do, why don’t we ? Don’t we love our children ? or some other line. This extension benefits Lawley and no one else. Spin it sure, but this extension has one benefactor IMO.
“The fact that a registry can make a lot of money does not mean the extension is valuable,needed or will be good for those registering it.”
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The fact that a CASINO can make a lot of money does not mean the place is valuable,needed or will be good for those visiting it.
Per BigLie:
“The fact that a CASINO can make a lot of money does not mean the place is valuable,needed or will be good for those visiting it.”
Yes – no different than .com and .xx it is not the place of government do regulate how folks lose their disposable income – yet it is the palce of government to regulate the risks involved – and that is where ICANN – by virtue of approving .xxx has failed and those “SOCK PUPPETS” could be liable
correction:
no different than .co and .xxx
WoW.. i was gonna say something interesting but it seems everybody wants to talk to you.
i think i’ll go over and post on morgan lintons blog… at least he hates me for who i am.
The people coming into a casino are not businessess. I am not talking about govt. I am talking the business proposition. The value for those regging the names.
MHB is there a reason why you let this troll Big lie society sit here and post here all day ? Mostly off topic ? Start your own blog or get a life.
“Domainincite.com reported this week that more than 500.,000 pre-reservations have been made for a .XXX domain”
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Do all 500,000 have name-servers ?
Why not turn those up LIVE in FLORIDA only for a FREE Market Trial ?
Per “John”
.xxx is a significant attempt to sell the non.com’s concept in general – as was .CO a few months back.
Fortunes will be lost in investing in .xxx – is there anything wrong in a few of us expressing what ICANN has chose not to do ? – i.e. Reality ?
Quote Of The Day:
“simply put if adult businesses don’t register their respective .XXX domain then someone else will.”
@ RH
“If a lot of countries block the entire extension, you don’t see that as a major problem?”
Depends what countries.
How many paid subscriptions do porn sites get now from China or India?
I don’t know.
My guess is very little.
So if you block a market which accounts for say less than 1% of your sales its not a big loss.
If a country with a substantial paid customer base blocks the extension, then its a problem
“”I would love for you to explain with the high reg fee. potential blocking and other things that will come down the road for the extension where is the value IYO.”
RH
“”Because I would love for you to explain with the high reg fee. potential blocking and other things that will come down the road for the extension where is the value IYO.
I’m just a domain investor.
I don’t own the ICM registry or any part of it so its not mu job to defend the extension.
As a domain investor I will say that if I can register porn.xxx or sex.xxx or tits.xxx or milf.xxx or hundreds of more for $70, I believe it’s a good investment.
I wouldn’t be up at night worrying about losing my $70 investment on those.
Does that mean I would register yourmotherisugly.xxx
no.
@Joe
I think the online porn industry pretty much killed itself by giving its product away for free.
@Brian
Its not ICANN’s job to determine whether a string is going to be successful.
You want to start a business and you go down to your country or city to get an business license if you meet the requirements they have to give it to you, the city can’t deny you because they don’t think the business is going to be successful.
Also for the record I have seen a few .co sales this week in the $3K-$5K range nothing earth shattering but if you hand reg .co domains for $30 and sell them in the $3K-$5K range its not a horrible investment.
As always if you buy bad domains in whatever extension its a bad investment.
Anyone else think BigLie is the Riddler from Batman?
“There is no doubt that certain countries will block .xxx”
nearly ALL countries will do this, because it’s too easy to block all domains of a single TLD at providers’ level
I don’t think it matters about the amount of porn that massively populated countries like China and India currently consume. The USA in particular is struggling against China economically and is desparate for it’s billions of consumers to import it’s products. When China blocks, the USA will be under tremendous pressure to do the same. The amount of revenue the USA would gain from .xxx would be a drop in the ocean against what it would possibly lose by being seen to go against China’s family and anti-porn values.
Realistically this has the potential to become a Global issue, with in economic terms, alot more being at stake that domainers PPC revenue.
non.coms including .xxx and .co are not intuitive and are only as good as the SEO placement gods – sure there are a few lottery winners (sales) as MHB points out – but that is distorted hype any rational businessperson should avoid – you will ultimately get burned,
Furthermore, I see a dotted line between Medical Marijuana being legal in Colorado (and other states) – but illegal at a national level – and the Fed. has shut down growers and others in Colorado – .xxx is dangeroug speculation.
Obama could do two things with the Stroke of a Pen
1. Encourage ALL 50 States to EACH build a NEW Internet
2. Defund the FCC, NTIA, DOD, NSF and a few other .PORK barrels
It won’t only be countries that look at blocking, major ISPs may also consider it with their standard offering being a clean feed and the .xxx an optional extra. (Chargable?)
ICANN has opened up a can of worms for the fragmentation of the the Internet and the justification of censorship.
Many dns services offer blocking of adult sites now
“Many dns services offer blocking of adult sites now”
But the real question is – what .xxx site will not have adult content – meaning a wholesale denial of service – rater that piece mealing it by scrteening all the .com’s. Going Back several entries – what would you expect at CatholicSchools.xxx ? Mechanics.xxx ? BedtimeStories.xxx or even Homes.xxx.
The Fourth Reich has just been voted in
Many dns services offer blocking of adult sites now
If I lay a log on its side and try and chop through it I may be a while, if I stand it on its end I can chop through it with a single blow.
Same log.
wrt to Governments .xxx changes perceptions of blocking before .xxx only countries that were perceived as extreme blocked complete TLDs and in doing so their actions deemed them oppressive.
.xxx changes the game and will gives a perceived justification for censorship in many jurisdictions and that will make it easier for the bureaucrats to extend censorship to other areas as when they see fit. – It’s a slippery slope.
Also
Not only that how can anyone hope to define the toe boundaries for .xxx?
(Not titillating enough and too extreme even for .xxx)
Is it going to be US, UK, Europe’s, Iran? Clearly not India’s.
Or can ICM just set their own?
@ gpmgroup,
Yes .xxx changes the game – because it finally brings non.coms directly into the Bermuda Triangle of the naive, gullable and impressionable along with .co, .mobi DICK and all the rest of the remnants at the bottom of the ocean. I have no use for any non.coms anyway – over 13+ years I have already paid my tuition chasing other garbage.
Is there are beer.xxx – not just xx from mexico
rest of the remnants at the bottom of the ocean.
🙂
Yep, things are “heating up” for .XXX
://mailman.nanog.org/pipermail/nanog/2011-March/034750.html
Brian
on the blocking issue, what is the point?
There will be other extensions that will be blocked in certain countries like .gay
There are places in the world like Iran that you can be hung for producing porn.
Google and a ton of political sites are blocked in China
So?
Looks like rightofthedot is ready to support .gay as well as .xxx
Rightofthedot is ready to work with all TLD’s that we believe can be a successfully run profitable extension.
However we have not been retained by either of these registries.
You can check our site, when we get retained by any TLD, their logo will be on our site, its not going to be a secret.
on the blocking issue, what is the point?
There will be other extensions that will be blocked in certain countries like .gay
There are places in the world like Iran that you can be hung for producing porn.
No two sites are the same one may be offensive to some but not to others. One may result in someone blocking that site one may not.
With new gTLDs it’s a huge leap to where often unaccountable people making a decision for millions of people, not based on the actual content of individual sites but simply on a premise that all, possibly 100,000’s or millions sites within a gTLD label must be bad.
It’s a fundamental change.
://www.xbiz.com/news/132437
“Why would I buy into .XXX when years down the line a board can change the rules at any given time and I lose all that traffic, all that investment?”