There will soon be a new generic top flight level internet domain, namely .XXX. This will be available only to companies specializing in “adult entertainment.”
Many brand owners are concerned that companies in this industry will hijack their brand names. Can you imagine www.ibm.xxx?
A procedure (called Sunrise A) will be available to prevent this, at no cost. If a trademark owner proves it owns the trademark, the mark will be taken out of circulation on a permanent basis. The company behind the XXX domain name (ICM Registry) will post a landing page that says the mark is not available for registration.
Sunrise A is available only for the exact mark registered and not a “substantial” match. For example Kodak can be protected, but not Codak or Kodac.
The time for applying for Sunrise A is September 7 through October 28, 2011. More information is available at http://www.icmregistry.com.
