XXX Domain Registration Begins: Should You Buy One?

07.09.2011
ICANN has begun accepting registrations on a limited basis for . If you are in the adult entertainment business, or your site is related to adult endeavors, then is a no-brainer, but even businesses that offer more "traditional" goods and services may want to consider getting in line for a XXX domain.

Why? That seems like a fair question. The answer is simple: to protect your brand and reputation.

You would buy a XXX domain for the same reason you might buy the NET, US, INFO or other equivalent of your own primary domain--to ensure that your customers get to your site no matter what they type and just redirect all of the alternate domains to your primary website.

Funny story--once upon a time, if you wanted to shop online for some equipment from Dick's Sporting Goods, you had to make sure you went to 'dickssportinggoods.com'. Going to 'dicks.com' would reveal "equipment" of an entirely different nature. Apparently, Dick's Sporting Goods eventually managed to acquire the 'dicks.com' domain, though, because now it redirects to the sporting goods website.

That example is a little beside the point, though, because it focuses on buying varying spellings and permutations of your primary domain to try and ensure that anyone who would just go online and start typing to try and find your business can basically stumble on it no matter what they type. For example, you can type 'amzon.com', 'amszon.com', or 'amaxon.com' and you will be redirected to Amazon every time because Amazon has acquired the domains for virtually every possible typo or misspelling imaginable.

Is there any real risk, though, for a domain like ? Whether we consider the possibility of a customer in search of the legitimate fishingluresandbaits site inadvertently visiting the XXX equivalent, or the possibility of an actual adult-oriented site choosing to set up shop at fishingluresandbaits.xxx--what are the odds, really?