U.S.-based Businesses Complain over .XXX Domain

The new triple-x domain that will launch in December is already facing criticism from businesses across the U.S. as porn and mainstream businesses feel they are being forced to buy domain names they don’t want.

Recently, lawyers for the most storied brands in the U.S. started taking action to prevent the loss of their corporate Web addresses.

The domain operator administering the .xxx domain is now accepting early applications from owners of different brands who want control over them. The ICM Registry revealed that it has received over 900,000 "expressions of interest" from companies wanting to pre-register their trademarks or block others, according to Reuters.

"Many feel they're being blackmailed to protect their brands," said Kristina Rosette, a trademark lawyer at Covington & Burling. She also added that requiring preregistration fees to protect trademarks is common among domain registries, which include the expected revenue in the business plans and projections.

Some adult-content providers are paying the $200 fee because they want to use the domain, while other non-porn brands like MTV Networks and Red Cross are preregistering to avoid any kind of legal battles in the future with cybersquatters who register trademarks for reselling them.

However, at ICM's request, Red Cross has submitted a list of its brand names, along with their Spanish and French translations, which will be blocked from .xxx free of charge, according to a Red Cross spokeswoman.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have also signed up and instead of blocking its name the organization will launch peta.xxx as a pornography site that draws attention to the plight of animals, according to PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt.

Most big companies, like Warner Brothers, own tens of thousands of domain names, according to Frederick Felman, the chief marketing officer of MarkMonitor, which helps companies protect their brands online, Reuters reported.