Imagine you own a clothing company that you operate online with the domain newdigs.com. Now imagine that the domain newdigs.xxx was recently registered as a TLD. Due to the potential risk of being associated with an adult-themed website, you decide to open a UDRP case against the registrant of the new domain. You win the case, and the registrant is forced to give up the domain.
This may seem like an acceptable outcome at first glance. You won the case – so no harm, no foul, right? Not quite. You spent valuable time and resources on a case that you shouldn’t have had to fight in the first place.
To avoid this situation, there are a few options you can take. The first is to defensively register your brand across TLDs that can potentially damage your brand. Unfortunately, the list of TLDs is constantly growing, so this strategy would become cumbersome and costly faster than you can say “defensive registration.”
Fortunately, there is an alternative solution to defensive registrations and UDRPs that is much easier and more cost-effective. The solution comes in the form of an automatic domain-blocking service called AdultBlock. It works by proactively blocking registrations of any trademark-infringing domain under the four adult-themed TLDs (dotXXX, dotPORN, dotADULT, and dotSEX).
Origins of AdultBlock
When the dotXXX TLD launched in 2011, brands worried about the potential for brand association on an adult-themed TLD. To fill this need, ICM Registry launched the Sunrise B Block, which provided blocking protection to brand holders for the dotXXX TLD for a ten-year period. Over the past nine years, Sunrise B has protected approximately 70,000 registered trademarks. With extremely low infringement rates, Sunrise B has demonstrated the power of proactive blocking.Out With Sunrise B, In With AdultBlock
In 2021, Sunrise B will expire and be replaced by AdultBlock. Current Sunrise B holders can transfer their trademarks to AdultBlock before the Sunrise period ends, ensuring they retain uninterrupted domain blocking service. Additionally, AdultBlock will protect domains from dotSEX, dotPORN, and dotADULT registrations in as well as the dotXXX TLD.
Why AdultBlock?
As shown in the scenario above, UDRPs and defensive registrations can be time-consuming and costly. AdultBlock will proactively “future-proof” your domains immediately, requiring no effort on your end. For any brand holder, AdultBlock protects against any potential brand damage in a way that is efficient and cost-effective.
Further, the adult industry is constantly growing online, more popular than ever. 3 of the top 20 websites in 2019 were adult-themed, combining for 6.5 billion visits. The adult entertainment industry is huge and sophisticated. Its technicians are skilled in diverting traffic to their websites. One way they do this is through domain registrations of popular trademarks.
For more information on AdultBlock, visit our AdultBlock page here. Or email Paul Thomson at [email protected].
