YNOT EUROPE – Due to what ICM Registry calls “stronger than expected demand” for registering dot-xxx domains, the registry has extended the sunrise registration periods by three weeks, moving the closing date from Oct. 7 to Oct. 28. Sunrise periods allow significant stakeholders to protect trademarks, service marks and other existing assets in new domain spaces before registration is opened to the general public.

Under the new launch plan, revealed late Sunday, Sunrise A and B registration periods will open Sept. 7. Sunrise A serves adult industry insiders who want to protect existing trademarks and domain names they own in other spaces. Sunrise B allows non-adult entities to “block” their trademarks from registration in dot-xxx.

“The response from adult webmasters has been very exciting, and we have received a lot of interest in names that aren’t adult properties in the dot-com space but will create exciting new opportunities plus direct and search traffic in dot-xxx,” ICM’s Greg Dumas said. “We are thrilled to extend the sunrise periods so that everyone who wants to fully participate in the dot-xxx launch process has that opportunity.”

ICM President Stuart Lawley told YNOT.com the extension became necessary after registrars remarked they were overwhelmed with applications during the first few weeks after announcing pre-registration availability.

“Seventy-five percent of our registrars are reporting more interest in this than in any other [Top Level Domain] they have launched, and more than a few report their ‘phones ringing off the hook,’” he said.

Because the sunrise periods require what Lawley called “hand-checking” of background data in order to verify trademark and domain-ownership claims, the dot-xxx registration process is time-consuming and expensive. The more domains registered during the sunrise periods, the more time registrants can expect to wait before their ownership of new dot-xxx domains is confirmed.

“Dot-co, which has now sold more than a million names, had around 6,000 applications in their sunrise,” Lawley continued, adding that ICM expects to see 10,000 applications under Sunrise B alone.

The “landrush” registration phase, during which interested individuals and companies may register domains not spoken for during the sunrise periods, will launch Nov. 8 and run for 18 days. Landrush registrants need not be members of the adult entertainment industry or own adult domains in other spaces in order to apply for dot-xxx domains. Closed auctions will award to the highest bidder those domains that attract more than one registrant-hopeful.

The “general availability” registration period is expected to begin Dec. 7, allowing anyone to acquire unclaimed names on a first-come, first-served basis.

Gaps between the ending of one registration period and the beginning of the next are built into the system so registrars, ICM and verification authority IPRota may ensure all domains registered during each phase are finalized before moving on to the subsequent phase.

Pre-registration is available now through approved registrars, but ICM no longer is accepting pre-registrations directly. It is important to note that all pre-registrations tendered to ICM will expire with the closing of the landrush registration phase, meaning trademark and website owners may lose their opportunity to protect existing properties — at least short of legal action — if they wait to register until the general availability period. Registration during the general availability period will be less expensive per domain than during the sunrise and landrush periods because additional fees charged during sunrise and landrush will not apply during the general phase. Lawley said ICM charges registrars the additional fees on a “cost-recovery basis,” but the registrars are free to mark up those fees to meet their own financial goals. At retail, the fees range from about $175 to as much as $350 per domain.

“We will shortly be notifying all applicants on the next steps they will need to take to process the expressions of interest they made directly to us,” Dumas said. “ICM Registry urges those interested in applying for dot-xxx domains to make inquiries with their registrar and sign up for updates directly from ICM Registry.”

Registration for ICM’s Founders Program is set to end July 31. The Founders Program licenses premium dot-xxx domains to “leading members of the sponsored adult entertainment community” at no charge, as long as the licensees agree to develop websites that will add some sort of value to the dot-xxx space as a whole.

“This program has never been offered in previous TLD launches, and was constructed specifically for only those adult companies who had interesting new ideas for premium generic names or well-known companies with sizeable portfolios,” Lawley said, adding that he expects to announce Founders Program members and their websites in mid-August.

For more information about ICM Registry and dot-xxx, visit ICMRegistry.com.