Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

Summary: Universities and schools are snapping up .xxx domain names to prevent cyber-squatting of domain names. But where does it end, exactly?

U.S. schools are becoming increasingly concerned that the new .xxx domain name, intended for pornographic and adult websites, will be cyber-squatted or taken by others who may misuse the domain name.

What better solution than for the universities and schools to buy them up for their own use?

This aggressively defensive move is part of ongoing worries among the academic community to prevent the new ICANN approved top-level domain from being associated with their institutions.

(Source: CBS News)

AP reports via CBS News that many academic registrars like the University of Missouri and Washington University, are buying washu.xxx and missouri.xxx, along with mizzou.xxx to be on the safe side.

The domain name regulator ICANN has allowed a 'sunrise period', allowing trademark owners to snap up the top-level .xxx domain name to prevent abuse when it comes into force later this year.

Many are taking a "better safe than sorry" approach. At $200 a pop for each domain, it is not a bad investment for these institutions, which could end up paying thousands, if not tens of thousands in legal costs later on down the line, in a bid to protect their trademarked university names.

It's likely that the .xxx domain when under DNS control will simply point to the legitimate .com or .edu web addresses instead.

But where does it stop, exactly?

While .xxx is associated with pornography and the adult industry, will universities consider buying seemingly more benign domain names, like .soda or .cola, or even .chocolate domain names as well?

Arguably, spending around $200 each time for web addresses that may be used for abuse against the university or school is wise, considering the negative impact that can be caused through damaged reputation or legal costs in clawing back the domain.

But with 'opening up' of the domain name system, the .xxx top-level domain could be one of many headaches for academic institutions to face, amidst even more purchasing power needed to counter-act the effect of cyber-squatting.

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Topic: Networking

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  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    This new thing to allow approved entities to create their own TLD extensions, is basically just a scheme by ICANN to allow them to make an extra buck off these big companies/universities.
    dtdono0
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  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    LOL, with UCLA.XXX coming online your "work study" options just took a very interesting turn.
    dsf3g
  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    psu.xxx takes on a whole different meaning...
    aep528
    • .edu just doesn't ...

      @aep528 ... associate the mental picture you'd expect for, say, "Kinky Co-Eds", as far as a search parameter or a 'link to' goes ... but this sure as h3ck goes a long way towards fixing that. <br><br> ;)
      thx-1138_
    • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

      @aep528 LOL! I quite agree with you! :-)
      Met01
  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    I don't know if anyone would really go to these .xxx domains. Yes they are fun to make a vanity domain name but driving traffic to them will be difficult. Most people stick with the .com, .net, and .org, or in this case .edu.
    LoverockDavidson_-24231404894599612871915491754222
  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    They are defeating the whole purpose of trying to separate all the names.
    They are also doing exactly what they say they are trying to prevent, squatting.
    MoeFugger
  • what's the point?

    Anybody who runs a corporate network, or a school, or has kids at home is going to block all access to .xxx anyway.

    I'll blackhole it in my DNS server, parents will demand better controls from the OS vendors and ISPs.
    PepperdotNet
  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    For the past 5 decades or so, academic management has been best categorized as 'the blind leading the blonde'...this is just one more example that helps confirm the premise.
    decryobliviots
  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    this is so weird and wrong
    Htalk
  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    I dont think these domain names will become that popular really. Its a fad I think!

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  • RE: Schools, universities snap up .xxx domain names

    .XXX (and future new TLDs) are a way to classify content. We use systems like that for libraries and stores (think Amazon departments). This is just classification on a meta-level.

    My company registers .XXX domains (http://www.uniteddomains.com/xxx) and we did see some schools applying for blocks. But I saw a lot more orders from investors looking to build actual sites.
    kehutchinson