Safeguard your brand against porn
6/09/2011

Most companies won’t be “lusting” for a .xxx domain name, but the unscrupulous cyber-squatters see this new domain as a business opportunity. The inevitable scam would be to register a domain name that corresponds with a well-known brand, which has the potential to direct internet traffic to a website. Just imagine the detriment to a brand of a well-known company, if the domain name is directed to a porn site!

Luckily, there are measures in place for companies that do not want to be associated with what has been dubbed as the internet’s “red light district”. The .xxx domain name registry has created a specific sunrise period for brand owners, who are not members of the adult industry. This sunrise period commences tomorrow, 7 September 2011 and will run for 52 days.

Brand owners can protect their registered brands by blocking the corresponding .xxx domain name. A defensive domain name will be reserved and be set to resolve to a standard informational page indicating the status of the name as reserved. Brand owners are encouraged to be proactive and register their brands as defensive .xxx domains. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Those .xxx domain names that are not blocked will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Brand owners can file a complaint, if a domain name conflicts with its brand. Provision has been made for the “rapid take-down” of .xxx domain names that clearly conflict with a brand owner’s rights. Due to the potential detriment to a brand, the swift censorship of the cyber-squatters is crucial and we anticipate frequent use of this procedure.
Nishan Singh
Senior Associate
nishan-s@adamsadams.co.za