Interview with Robert White
Robert White is the Head of Brand Protection at Lexsynergy and brings nearly 20 years of experience to the team
10 May 2023
Read nowPublished: 14 Mar 2023
History of .XXX and AdultBlock
2011
In 2011, .xxx launched as a new extension for the Adult Entertainment industry. During the initial launch, trade mark owners were able to purchase a 10-year block during a phase called Sunrise B. The .xxx Sunrise B blocks included only an exact match of trade marks and only within the .xxx extension. These blocks were not available to purchase after the initial launch ended.
2019
Fast forward 8 years and in 2019, the .xxx registry launched a new blocking service called AdultBlock and AdultBlock+. These blocking programs include all four of the adult entertainment extensions: .xxx, .adult, .porn and .sex. All owners of a .xxx Sunrise B block then had the opportunity to convert their Sunrise B block to an AdultBlock.
2021
In December 2021, any remaining .xxx Sunrise B blocks that had not been converted to an AdultBlock expired. Since then, the registry has been holding on to all remaining .xxx domains that were previously blocked and they have been unavailable for standard registration, until now…
Releasing Reserved .XXX Domains
The registry plans on releasing the reserved .xxx Sunrise B domains in a two-phase approach over the next few months of 2023. As previously mentioned, this is only for Sunrise B .xxx domains that have NOT been converted to an AdultBlock. If you have upgraded your Sunrise B .xxx block to an AdultBlock , your .xxx domain will NOT be released for registration.
Phase One: 16 March 2023 – 18 May 2023
During this phase, original owners of a .xxx Sunrise B block will have the opportunity to register the matching .xxx domain. If you purchased a Sunrise B Block in 2011 and don’t have the matching .xxx domain, then please get in contact as we can process your registration during this priority phase. Please take note, that as a .xxx Sunrise B owner, you still have the option to upgrade to an AdultBlock during this time.
Phase Two: 22 May 2023 – onward
All remaining domains that have not been registered will be available on a first come, first served basis with no restrictions, leaving brand owners exposed
Next Steps
Lexsynergy are assisting owners of .xxx Sunrise B blocks who wish to register the matching .xxx domain or upgrading to an AdultBlock. If you have any questions about .xxx, AdultBlock, or protecting your brand online, then please reach out to us below.
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