Protect Yourself and Your Brands. The .XXX gTLD Domain Names are Coming!
9.20.2011
The ICM Registry, which facilitates the registration of new domain names using various top level domains, has received the green light from ICANN to operate the .XXX gTLD. ICM Registry has set up a sunrise period (called Sunrise B) which is open to applicants outside the "Sponsored Community" (i.e., the global adult entertainment industry) who wish to permanently block domain names based on their trademarks. If you have a trademark registration for the brand you wish to protect, you can permanently block a .XXX domain name if someone is trying to register a domain name that is an exact match of your registered mark with the .XXX gTLD. The Sunrise Period runs from September 7, 2011 until October 28, 2011.
Below is the information you will need in order to proceed with a Sunrise B application:
- Trademark Name: the registered trademark corresponding to the name to be Registered or Reserved;
- Country: the country, region, or organization in which the registered trademark is registered;
- Registration Number: the current registration number of the registered trademark;
- The date on which the trademark registration was submitted, and the date on which the registered trademark was issued;
- The class or classes for with the trademark is registered; and
- Registrant Status/Entitlement: the status of the Applicant (e.g., the owner, licensee, or assignees of the registered trademark).
Further details about Sunrise B can be found at the registry's website at http://www.icmregistry.com/launch/sunrise-b/. Please feel free to contact John Pickerill at jpickerill@fredlaw.com if you have any questions or would like to further discuss.
