Stuart Lawley the CEO of ICM Registry who operates the .XXX TLD had an interview on Bloomberg TV on Friday to chat not only about .XXX but its application to run multiple new gTLD’s. (You can watch the interview here)
“We have nearly 250,000 .XXX domain names under management, our 5 year forecasts were 125,000-150,000, so in 4 or 5 months of operations we have achieved our 5 year goal, so it has gotten off to a great start.” Lawley told Bloomberg.
“Out of the 200,000 and odd number of registrations, around 60K were defensive registrations, people like Bloomberg registered Bloomberg.xxx, and the other 130,000 or so, are adult in nature”
The Bloomberg interviewer asked Lawley,
“In what way aren’t these new names some level of extortion where company’s that don’t want anything to do with this have to buying protection?”
“That’s why we applied for .sex, .porn and .adult, so a company like Bloomberg doesn’t have to buy Bloomberg.sex, Bloomberg.porn and/or Bloomberg.adult, which they clearly don’t want or need, so we are allocating those names, putting them on the shelf forever at no charge, we are doing that for also for the adult domains as well. That’s why we applied for .sex, porn and .adult as a service to our existing registrants to spare them from any extra expense.”
“Any domain that is registered or reserved in .XXX, all 250,000 of them in, will be automatically and permanently, placed in the reserved list for .sex, .porn or .adult for the benefit of the .XXX holder.”
The basic message is register your .xxx now and you will get the matching name in .sex, .porn and .adult for free later.
Of course what Mr. Lawley didn’t say and wasn’t asked, is that there is no guarantee that a .sex, .porn and/or .adult will even be approved by ICANN with the expected objection of the GAC.
Moreover even if ICANN does approve a .sex, porn and/or .adult there is no guarantee that ICM will win the extension.
There could definitely be other applications for one or more of these extensions which may wind up in a bidding war.
Stuart is a very smart guy, but personally I would feel uncomfortable using the possible new extensions as a selling point for .XXX without at least a disclaimer that they might not be approved and there maybe other applicants for them and ICM may not win one or all of the extensions.
The interview makes it seem like a foregone conclusion that these extensions will be approved by ICANN and that ICM will win them.
I’m 10 years when those defensive registrations come up for a renewal suddenly there will be a charge for each or package deals covering sets of them. It’s a 10 year plan.
More flying pig/pie in the sky comments from ICM which now has no credibility in the internet world. Buy your xxx domains now and you MIGHT get free matching domains in other useless extensions!!!
Suckers. Suckers.
The adult industry has rejected .xxx in totality. So the only way for Stuart to grow this domain is to expand his extortion scheme against mainstream trademark holders. it makes perfect sense. The only marketing strategy that Stuart knows is trademark blackmail.
again dot whatever is for suckers
.Co
the one and only recognized, respected that will stand out
far and above the rest.
“In what way aren’t these new names some level of extortion where company’s that don’t want anything to do with this have to buying protection?”
That is a question that needed to be asked, and it looks like Mr. Lawley basically avoided the question.
The 60K defensive registrations is a very modest number as it will not include hand registrations later on by brand owners. The actual number is much higher and anyone with half a brain knows that.
Even with that modest number it means at least 25% of all registrants basically have no interest in the extension. There are only a handful of adult keywords, and the extension basically exists to just extort brand owners. This is obvious from the “Protect Your Brand” marketing.
Brad
*
How many are those are defensive regs?
Oh, I guess it really doesn’t matter.
The registry is laughing all the way to the bank with its legal extortion scheme.
*
The ~25% “defensive registrations” should give pause to the regulators…
Nothing more than a shakedown.
I looked at the ICANN Monthly registry reports, and noticed that roughly 90% of .xxx domains were only registered for 1 year. Lawley might be looking for something to boost the renewal rate for domains, otherwise it’ll be very painful if a substantial portion of .xxx doesn’t get renewed at the end of this year.
the drops will be ‘orgasmic’
not in terms of catching but as a popcorn fest
I’m guessing you regged a hatful of .xxx? as new extensions and .xxx seem to be the mantra on here
so BOOOORING
What would you prefer, that .xxx started out like .com did, where nearly all big companies were being cybersquatted?
The fact is that there is a big change coming with the release of potentially thousands of new TLDs. Did/do you expect no adult extensions to granted?
& what is wrong with a company not wanting their domain extension to be full of cybersquatting? Especially one that in the adult entertainment business.
Lets imagine an opposite reality, where companies were not warned about a new adult extension being created…
The fact is that some of the negative people on here don’t like the creation of new extensions full stop (for whatever reason personal or business), and the rest do not like the adult entertainment business, and are all here to follow their agenda. No matter what is said by ICM registry, ICANN, anyone, they will continue with their agendas. Nothing will change their minds (i.e. they are not open minded).
“The interview makes it seem like a foregone conclusion that these extensions will be approved by ICANN and that ICM will win them”
Michael, I think ICANN will reward these three extensions to ICM simply becasue of two main reasons :
1. ICM made it clear that they will NOT charge a registration fee for them and these extensions will automatically be given to their holders in the .xxx which makes ICM the only organisation that deserves to control all adult related TLDs from a pure social responsibility view .
2. Granting these TLDs to ICM will guarantee the safty and responsibility of all society members becasue of the proven record of ICM organisation
@Ann
Is that a fact?
Why do so many Domainers disagree with so many Domainers? Wouldn’t a bigger pie make better for all?
*will NOT charge a registration fee (from the existing holders of the .xxx)
@ Ben
What proven record? Extortion?
I don’t get the naysayers. I mean yeah, it’s pornography. And maybe it’s a little extortion in a country that’s very uptight about sex. But clearly he has been enormously successful in the domain business. Maybe it’s time to watch and learn, kids. LOL.
@David
Proven record of social responsibility.
Before .xxx came into existence many adult companies practiced extortion . ICM was founded to stop extortion, abuse and many unethical business acts that were practised by those adult companies.
I also don’t understand why so many complains about .xxx after all they do have traffic and the extension has not been a year around!
Ben
I think its a great idea to give the matching .sex, .adult and/or .porn to the .XXX holder, I do own a couple of hundred .XXX domains.
But still these extensions may never be approved nor do we even know if there will be competing applicants for the same extension which I think the average joe needs to at least know when doing this type of interview to the general public.
@ Ben.
You’re looking at this from the wrong angle. The extortion we are all talking about is the way ICM has got colleges, universities and businesses to buy or pay for the blocking of their respective .xxx domain in order to ‘protect their brand’ from the possibility of someone registering LLLCOLLEGE.xxx. We have all said many times that it amounts to racketeering!!!
If you haven’t watched Lawyley’s interview on DomainSherpa.com, you’re missing out. It’s packed with some great information and insights. Definitely worth — at least — reading the transcript.