Adult entertainment gets a domain name… trouble ensues.
The internet is abuzz about the new top-level domain (TLD) intended for use by members of the “adult entertainment industry”: the .xxx domain name. Today, registrars for the new .xxx, or “dot triple x,” domain-name registry will begin accepting both registrations for .xxx domain names and requests by trademark owners to reserve (in effect, block the registration of) .xxx names that include their marks.
But what does this mean for non-pornographic sites on the web? Law.com reports that brand owners are faced with the same situation they face whenever a new domain name ending comes out: cybersquatters could register the brand as a domain name and then use it for a nefarious purpose, or just some purpose that creates confusion. So even if you own the .com, .net, .org of your brand, the .xxx is about to become available to the first bidder.
