ICANN Approves .XXX

Its been over 10 years since the debate of having .XXX as a top level domain (TLD) started and finally, ICANN has approved the ICM Registry’s application to operate .XXX as a TLD. This decision was taken at the 40th ICANN Meeting at San Francisco earlier this year.

This single agenda has definitely generated the highest volumes of community comments than nearly any other issue ever faced within ICANN in the past.

The ICM Registry has been handed over the responsibility of operating the .XXX TLD provided there are improved and new benefits to the TLD.

All said and done, not everyone in the Adult industry has welcomed the .XXX TLD wholeheartedly. The Free Speech Coalition, a group sponsored by the Adult Entertainment Trade Association is against .XXX and the Registry’s rulings.

The Sunrise periods (3) will be starting over the coming months.

Do you see .xxx as the next “big thing” in the domain market?

New gTLD Program

The process for the introduction of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) is central to fostering choice and competition in domain registration services, and as such is significant to the promotion of ICANN’s core values. The evolution of the namespace toward enhanced diversity of services and service providers must be planned and managed effectively to preserve the security, stability, reliability, and global interoperability of the Internet.

The proposed policy to guide the introduction of new gTLDs was created by the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) through its bottom-up, multi-stakeholder policy development process. The questions addressed in the development of new gTLD policy involve technical, economic, operational, legal, public policy, and other considerations. The intended result is a straightforward, fair, and efficient process for allocating new gTLDs. Continue reading »