ICANN Extends gTLD Application Deadline, Blames Software Glitch

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. — A software glitch is forcing ICANN to extend its generic top-level domain application process by another week.

The Internet overseer's move to temporarily close the gTLD application system until Tuesday comes just hours before the process was about to close.

"ICANN constantly monitors the performance of the TLD Application System (TAS)," ICANN said in a statement. "Recently, we received a report of unusual behavior with the operation of the TAS system. We then identified a technical issue with the TAS system software.

"ICANN is taking the most conservative approach possible to protect all applicants and allow adequate time to resolve the issue."

ICANN went on to say that rather than closing the bidding, it will reopen at Tuesday for three days and close on Friday, April 10.

Bidding for the gTLDs opened Jan. 11 and was meant to close at midnight on Thursday. ICANN planned to announce gTLD applications on April 30.

A single gTLD application fee is $185,000 and applicants who win rights to their planned suffixes will pay an annual fee of $25,000 per suffix to maintain them.

ICM Registry just this morning announced that it had applied for three more adult-related TLDs (top-level domain) — .sex, .porn and .adult. ICM Registry is the operator of .xxx.

If awarded these new TLDs, ICM said it will offer a “grandfathering” clause that will automatically reserve matching names at no cost for those who already have .XXX domains.

Current .xxx registrants can chose to do nothing and the matching names will never be released under the new TLD suffixes. If however, registrants choose to register the new names for use, there will be a nominal fee of about $15.

ICANN said it expects it will take at least 18 months before the first of the new web address suffixes start to appear on the Internet.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Strike 3 Holdings Sues Meta for Pirating Vixen Media Group Content to Train AI

Vixen Media Group owner Strike 3 Holdings filed suit in federal court this week, accusing Facebook parent company Meta of copyright infringement and alleging that Meta has extensively pirated VMG content to train its artificial intelligence models.

Pineapple Support, Streamate to Host 'Navigating Grief and Loss' Support Group

Pineapple Support and Streamate are hosting a free online support group to help performers cope with grief and loss.

Friday is Final AV Compliance Deadline in UK

Friday, July 25 marks U.K. media regulator Ofcom’s deadline for user-to-user services such as tube, cam and fan sites to implement its requisite “highly effective age assurance” measures for preventing minors from viewing adult content.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for May, June

AEBN has released the top search terms for the months of May and June from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Show More