Is Your School Ready for .XXX Domains?

The recently approved XXX domains went live on December 6th, with over 100,000 pornography sites and according to an article on The Higher Ed CIO, many colleges were not prepared.

What does it all mean?

The XXX top-level domains were approved by ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) in an effort to improve safety and create better control over adult content and access to pornography sites. But it is under scrutiny for, as some would say, promoting and supporting such an industry’s existence. There was a short window that ICANN allowed only trademark holders to purchase the domains for their brands, for a nominal $200 (one time) fee per address, to ensure that they wouldn’t be used for adult content. At the end of that period (Dec 6th), the domains became available for public purchase, allowing the possibility for any individual or organization to purchase them.

Some schools jumped all over the opportunity to protect their brand. The University of Kansas purchased the rights to several addresses, including Kansas.xxx and rockchalkjayhawk.xxx, etc. during the early registration window and then several more after the public sale date. The University of Missouri did the same thing. “I think it’s a smart thing to do,” says Terry Robb of MU’s information technology department. Brands in other industries, especially consumer products, have done the same in an effort to keep adult content away from their brand name, as well as protect themselves from squatters who buy the domain names in an attempt to  sell them for an additional fee.

So what should your school do?

PlattForm reached out to Cheryl L. Burbach of Hovey Williams, a KC law firm specializing in intellectual property, for more direction on the matter. Cheryl has been with Hovey Williams since 2003 and focuses exclusively on trademark, copyright, trade secret and related intellectual property matters. Cheryl drafted an insightful document explaining the risks and possible implications of the new XXX top-level domains. For more information on what you can and should do to protect your brand, read the article HERE.

The bottom line.

The impact of XXX domains will be different for different schools. For example, trademark holders are more protected than those brands without trademarks. But that doesn’t mean everyone else is left to fend for themselves. The takeway is that marketers need to be educated. It’s important to understand how the XXX domains can impact your school and your brand. Then, create a plan of action and seek legal advice if necessary.