ICM Registry Claims 900,000 "Expressions of Interest" For A .XXX Domain Name

According to a Press Release that the ICM Registry, the company behind .XXX, will announce tomorrow, they have received nearly 900,000 expressions of interest for .XXX domain names during its pre-reservation process.

I reached out to the ICM registry and asked how many of the 900K expressions of interests represented unique domains.

Stuart Lawley [pictured] wrote back to tell me the 900,000 expressions of interest were for about 650,000 unique domain names.

At that level 650,000 domain names would net over $30 Million in registration fees in just the 1st year for the ICM registry at the $50 wholesale price the ICM registry has set for a .XXX domain (not including the $10 fees going to the non-proft)

Of course that also does not including any landrush auctions or premium and reserved domains.

However the Press Release is really not about the number of reservations, but the time frame for the roll out of the Sunrise period which has been pushed back “due to the huge demand for .XXX domain names”

“The ICM Registry will be extending its Sunrise to now run for 50 days commencing 7th September 2011 and finishing on 28th October 2011.”

“The extended period will enable ICM Registry to receive and process all applications from existing domain name and trademark owners who have applied to either opt their brand in or out of the .XXX registry.”

“”Stuart Lawley, CEO of ICM Registry said, “We believe the Sunrise period offers businesses a comprehensive rights protection mechanism where they can protect their brands and trademarks. We are advising businesses to either opt-in or opt-out and want to give them the best opportunity to do so at the launch of our new TLD. Given the high level of interest in the domain, we see that many businesses wish to be proactive in avoiding any brand conflicts.”

“After the close of Sunrise, a Land Rush period will run for 14 days where businesses from the adult entertainment industry will have premium access to remaining .XXX web addresses, following which general availability will ensue. Sunrise applicants using registered marks to qualify will be required to own a subsisting trade or service mark registration of national effect. ”

“The Sunrise period offers brand managers a unique opportunity to secure relevant trademarked terms ahead of wider availability, effectively safeguarding them.”

Lawley also added, "We wanted to take an innovative approach to the launch of .XXX and show best practice at all stages including investing in a global awareness campaign. ICM Registry believes in consumer choice, and while we believe the .XXX will satisfy the needs of the sponsored community, we recognise there is also an audience who would like to opt-out and safeguard their IP prior to the domain going live".

According to a story in the FT.com tonight, the controversial block fee, the price a trademark holder will have to pay to have its trademark not resolve to a .XXX domain will be $200-$300 on a cost recovery basis.
Stuart Lawley, chief executive of the ICM Registry is quoted to say that “ICM will not be making any profit from the blocking fees, but merely be recovering the costs it would face in checking trademark owners’ credentials.”

“We are trying to show that .xxx is a responsible internet domain,” Mr Lawley said. “The triple-x domain has sensitivities so we have gone out of our way to provide protection for companies.”