Oct 31, 2011 4:30 PM PDT    Text size: 

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — ICM Registry, the company behind the .XXX top-level domain (TLD) officially closed its Sunrise A and Sunrise B periods at noon EST on Monday with more than 80,000 applications for domain names, ICM Registry CEO Stuart Lawley announced.

The Sunrise Period, which was extended by three days to accommodate what ICM said was "overwhelming demand," was designed to allow trademark and brand holders ample opportunity to apply for their corresponding .XXX domain names. During this time, 78,938 trademarked/pre-owned names were submitted, while 1,524 other names were allocated as part of The Founders Program.

“We couldn’t be happier about the success of the Sunrise period,” Lawley said. “There is always a risk with a new TLD that you may build it and nobody will come. We are thrilled that over 80,000 applications came! In fact, the .XXX Sunrise period results far exceeds those of any other new sTLD, including .mobi, .asia and even that of .co that re-launched last year with a significant marketing campaign. We look forward with great anticipation to Landrush, opening next week and General Availability on Dec. 6, which is when the fun really starts.”

Landrush, which opens on Tuesday, Nov. 8, is a restricted 17-day period set aside for members of the adult Sponsored Community who want to secure premium .XXX domain names, guaranteeing them the chance to either buy them outright or to participate in a closed mini-auction where they can bid for them.

Unlike General Availability, Landrush is not administered on a first-come, first-served basis, thereby guaranteeing anyone applying for an available domain name the chance to obtain it. At the end of the Landrush period, domain names with only one application will be simply awarded, while those with two or more applications will proceed to a closed mini-auction between the respective applicants.

For more information, please visit ICMregistry.com.