Internet .porn and .adult domains open to buyers Thursday

Anyone can buy a .porn or .adult domain name starting Thursday after an initial phase allowing some trademark holders to snap up those URLs first.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved those and other so-called top-level domain names recently. Hundreds of these new domain names are joining the more commonly known ones such as .com, .organd .ca.

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ICM Registry, which sells the domains as well as the .xxx domain offered two initial so-called sunrise periods. During the first, trademark holders could purchase .porn and .adult URLs if they wanted to. During the second, anyone who already owned a .xxx domain could purchase the same .porn and .adult domain.

Pop star Taylor Swift reportedly purchased TaylorSwift.porn and TaylorSwift.adult before anyone else could.

It's unclear what the cost of a .porn or .adult URL was or will be. In March, when the first sunrise phase started, the company said in a statement that trademark holders would be charged standard registration fees during the sunrise period.

GoDaddy is an accredited registrar of .porn. "For many of the new domains, pricing hasn't been set," according toGoDaddy's website. But the company's regular domain fees start at $2.99 a monthto buy and keep a domain name.

The company said it worked with the Trademark Clearinghouse, anICANN-recognized,centralized database of trademarks for all new internet domains, "to reduce the TMCH'snormal registration fees."

ICM Registry plans to launch the .sex domain in fall 2015.

Pricing controversy over .sucks

Another controversial domain will be available to the public soon. Vox Populi Registry is readying to sell .sucks web addresses to the public starting Sunday, June 21.

The .sucks domain was originally scheduled to become available to the public in early June. But its sunrise period, during which trademark holders and celebrities can register domains,was extended.

Already, numerous corporate names have been purchased, The Associated Press reported, including:

• YouTube.sucks.
• Bing.sucks.
• Visa.sucks.
• BankOfAmerica.sucks.
• Yahoo.sucks.

Some complained to ICANN about the prices the company is charging for registration. Most of the names sold during the sunrise period to trademark holders are priced at $2,499 US, according to Vox Populi's website. The company also came up with a list of premium names, including life.sucks and divorce.sucks. Premium names are individually priced.

An advisory panel of industry groups and large companies complained to ICANN in April, asking the organization to stop the .sucks domain.

ICANNresponded by sending a letter to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs for clarification on whether Vox Populi is acting illegally.