According to a Press Release we just received, ICM Registry, the registry operator for the .XXX top-level domain (TLD) for online adult entertainment, today announced that is has sold 40 .XXX domain names for $650,000.
All of the domain names sold today were reserved and owned by the Registry.
The Buyer is IRIS SARL, “based in Luxembourg and backed by a number of investors and entrepreneurs, has secured over 40 .XXX Premium names and has plans to make a major impact in the adult entertainment space.”
“The .XXX names include hentai.xxx, sluts.xxx, cougars.xxx and many more popular niche sectors of the adult market. The group is investing significant resources to produce unique and original content coupled with a strategic approach to become a leading adult brand.”
“We have followed .XXX for several years, and it is an obvious choice for our investment group. We were able to acquire some powerful keyword domains, and we are totally in step with the .XXX messaging and position of responsibility. We will continue that highly professional theme when it comes to customer support and billing,” said IRIS’ managing partner. “Internet users across the globe will rapidly become aware of the new letters to the ‘right of the dot’ given the release of hundreds, if not thousands of TLDs, over the coming years. .XXX clearly identifies the content as adult.”
“Representatives from the new company will be looking for partnerships and content deals at the upcoming adult trade shows in Europe, including The European Summit in Prague.”
“ICM Registry Vice President, Steve Winyard added, “IRIS has been a pleasure to work with, and we will support their efforts with the launch of a dedicated .XXX search engine at the end of September 2012. We are even more thrilled that the availability of premium .XXX names has allowed a new player, with significant resources and skill sets, to enter the adult space, and we look forward to the development of these sites over the next few months.”
short.xxx
Good one from Mann.
This is exactly the type of continued growth I want to see with .XXX. End users vs. a bunch of speculators. I’ve stated in earlier comments that I will develop all the .XXX domains which I own.
I believe when renewal time comes along, you’ll see a lot of speculators fail to renew. Why? A. The renewal cost. B. They never intended to use the domains. C. They bought lousy domain names. Sedo has me shaking my head. cinnamonbunz.xxx? Seriously?! Someone thought they could flip that domain name?
At least speculators like Frank Schilling did it right, with his $1.65 million investment in .XXX. If you’re going to speculate, at least pick some good domain names!
I totally agree with the thrust (no pun intended) of this article. As hundreds or thousands of new extensions come online, .XXX will become THE home of adult entertainment. Change takes time, but ICM Registry already lists lots of end users.
Even Manwin, with their suit against ICM Registry, has speculated .XXX could take over adult entertainment online.
Oh sure. So how many people actually believe these news releases by registries claiming all these domain sales? I like the part about “a number of investors and entrepreneurs”… which translates to “a bunch of pornographers who can’t figure out how to develop the domains they already have.” Since they are based in luxumborg it is probably related to the same group of losers that have all those .mobi domains.
We must not forget that the gentlemen at ICM are all graduates of Bill Clinton’s What-is-is School of Language. So let’s back up a moment. ICM’s press release does NOT say that they sold $650,000 in domains. It says that ICM has “secured” an “order.”