Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings

August 19, 2011

Cost of .XXX at GoDaddy

GoDaddy recently released the prices for the first .XXX domain names. Adult content providers are apparently being charged almost 17 times the cost of a regular .com domain extension. As the world’s largest web hosting provider, GoDaddy is charge existing adult providers $209.99 as a one-time non-refundable application fee in addition to the initial year of service. The cost to renew the extension is $99.99 per year. GoDaddy currently charges an average of $11.99 for a .com name.

Sunrise AT/AD Period

During the “Sunrise AT/AD” period, GoDaddy will charge $209.99 for adult content providers that current hold domain names. Therefore, these clients will be able to register those exact same names with an .XXX extension. The managing body for the top-level domain extensions is ICM Registry who stated that the Sunrise AT/AD period will begin September 7th and end October 28^th, 2011.

Digital Red Light District

Approved in March 2011, the .XXX extension was intended to create a digital “Red Light District” for adult content providers. These businesses admitted that there is no need for the new domains and would only cause additional cost burdens. Unfortunately the fees charged by GoDaddy are significantly more than expected.

Cost Burdens

When the online adult industry was reviewing the newly proposed extension, the Free Speech Coalition indicated that it would add significant cost burdens to those holding existing, trademarked names at around $60 to $70 per domain name. The .XXX top-level domain is the first of many generic top-level domains (gTLDs) to be released. The additional “.anything” extensions are also expected to be a major cost burden to companies with an online presence.

A Statement from GoDaddy

A representative from GoDaddy confirmed the cost of registration which is not yet available on the website. However, he was unable to provide an answer as to why GoDaddy is charging significantly more for an .XXX domain than a .com. ICM Registry also has an incorporated function to protect major corporations from being associated with adult content websites.

Legal Muster

Instead of continuing to protest the implementation of the new extensions, the Free Speech Coalition is utilizing its legal resources to protect the adult industry. Also, it is using its legal muster to notify the ICM Registry that it does not have the right to legally sell domain extensions with existing trademarks.

The new naming convention set forth by ICANN continues to be a legal and political mess. However, regardless of the number of protests and complaints, it appears as if ICANN will continue the new naming convention indefinitely.

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