.XXX Domain Names Go On Sale

.XXX Domain Names Go On Sale

The .xxx domain names suffix has gone on sale today, bringing the digital red light zone for porn and adult sites one step closer.

The BBC reports that 100,000 addresses have already been purchased via restricted sales to self-identified adult sites. Today's general availability sale puts the domains within reach of anyone.

"It has been 10 years in the coming and today the floodgates are open," ICM Registry chief executive Stuart Lawley told the BBC.

The domain names, issued by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), cost £38 per year from ICM Registry, and a one-off fee of £100 and £200, more than ten times the domain name fee charged by domain registers like UK Reg.

The high fees for the risque domains has raised the ire of porn companies.

The firm claims that the registry has a monopoly over the domains, which are a modern business necessity, saying that the increased pricing for .xxx is "anti-competitive."

Companies could be forced to buy .xxx domains to protect their brand names, although any additional domain name could serve as another entry point for their existing site.

General availability means the domains are open to everyone on a first come, first served basis. No pre-existing rights to a brand name or performer name are required during this phase.

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