ICM Registry, the registry operator for the .XXX, .PORN, and .ADULT domain names announced that the new gTLD .SEX opened up yesterday for Trademark holders.

.SEX launched on September 1, with three distinct phases.

The first phase is the TMCH Sunrise phase for trademark owners (Sept 1-Oct 1).

The next is a combined Sunrise B/Domain Matching phase for existing .XXX participants (Oct 5-Oct. 30); and the final phase is general availability (Nov 4th).

Names in each phase will be available on a first-come, first served basis.

The TMCH Sunrise phase is exclusively for trademark owners who have registered their marks with the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH).

After the TMCH Sunrise, ICM will launch its combined Sunrise B/Domain Matching phase (Oct 5-Oct 30). The Sunrise B/Domain Matching phase is designed for both mainstream brands and the adult industry. This phase gives .XXX Sunrise B holders who participated in the .XXX Sunrise B blocking program and .XXX domain name registrants a chance to register available, directly matching names in .SEX.

Parties that do not have trademarks, or that have not yet registered their marks with the TMCH, can still enjoy priority registration in .SEX; simply buy a .XXX domain name before October 1, 2015 to participate in the .SEX Domain Matching program.

SEX names not registered during the TMCH Sunrise phase or the Sunrise B/Domain Matching phase will be available for purchase by the general public on Nov. 4th.

ICM also announced the launch of its tiered-pricing, premium names program for .XXX, .ADULT, .PORN and .SEX.

“For the first time interested parties can obtain a variety of high-value, premium names directly through participating registrars. These names include SEO based keywords as well as two character names.”

According to RegistrarStats.com .XXX has just over 101,637 registered domain names (not including blocks), .Porn has 11,895 registered domain names and the new gTLD .Adult has 8,834 domains registered.

ICM will continue to work with the adult industry through its “super premium” program for select names that can only be acquired through ICM directly.

Stuart Lawley, the CEO of ICM Registry is quoted as saying:

“The Domain Matching program is designed to give .XXX registrants an early option to get available, matching names in .SEX and the October 1st eligibility deadline provides additional time for interested parties to get the benefits of ICM’s unique launch program”

“Thousands of mainstream brands and celebrities registered their names in our adult-related extensions to ensure brand consistency and control over their online presence. We anticipate at least the same level of interest in .SEX. Within its first day of launch the .SEX extension showed strong performance, with more registrations than .PORN received its first day,

“The registry is reaching out to trademark owners, celebrities, and existing .XXX registrants through its free webinar series; continuing legal education credits (CLE) are available for lawyers attending a webinar. ICM Registry’s ongoing partnership with the TMCH and leading registrars provides even greater value to interested parties.

We encourage parties to participate in a webinar, access resource materials or contact a registrar directly to find out about TMCH Sunrise pricing, premium name pricing and .SEX domain name availability.

About ICM Registry: ICM Registry, headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is the registry operator for .XXX,.PORN, .ADULT and .SEX.”