Some business owners from outside the adult entertainment industry are scrambling to register .XXX versions of their website domain name ever since the .XXX extensions were created to indicate sexually explicit material on the Internet.

They are feeling pressured into paying for an .XXX domain to protect their .com domain name out of fear that Internet entrepreneurs will create x-rated versions of their website.

This has created a small gold rush as business owners and brand managers race to beat the October 28th deadline to block a .xxx domain version of their trademark or opt out —

ICM Registry LLC (“ICM”), the company responsible for operating the .XXX domain, is offering a the option to “opt-out” — otherwise known as “Sunrise Period B” and will run from September 7, 2011 to October 28, 2011. Sunrise Period B will permit companies, licensees, assignees and individuals with trademarks that were formally registered as of Sept. 1, 2011, to apply to have their trademarks permanently blocked from the .XXX registry.

To successfully do so, a registrant must present its trademark by way of an application to an accredited .XXX registrar. This process involves a one-time fee, typically in the range of $200 to $250 per domain name. Once blocked, the protected domain name will be removed from the ICM registration pool. Additionally, that domain name will simply resolve to an information page stating that the domain name is not available for .XXX registration. (From the The Gibbons IP Law Alert website)

But is securing an .xxx version of your website really necessary, or mostly hype?

I mean, will anyone really be searching for x-rated versions of brightperfectsmiles.xxx or smithlakedentistry.xxx? Somehow I just don’t see the porn industry rushing to grab these types of domain names.

The people most at risk here are celebrities and global brands like Disney and Coca-Cola. Thousands of celebrities have already had their names permanently banned from the new .XXX domain, while global brands are weighing in on just how many .XXX names they need to trademark.  One such brand is Disney, who has thousands of secondary brands like Toy Story with those beloved characters of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Barbie.

The .XXX domain registrations could become very expensive for many large brands who are calling the porn registration a “shakedown.”

As reported in Rueters, not all brands are looking at the registration negatively. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals plans to launch peta.xxx as a pornography site to draw attention to the plight of animals.

What are your thoughts? Are you worried about the new .XXX domain registration of your dental website?