After years of trying to get the .xxx TLD up and running, general availability began today at 12 noon EST. According to ICM Registry, all .xxx domains are being allocated on a first come, first serve basis. ICM Registry also stated that members of the adult sponsored community could apply without preexisting rights or qualifications unlike in the previous launch periods.
ICM Registry has been blasting the news with a tv ad campaign and other promotions, but because of the controversy surrounding the launch, they have received quite a bit of free publicity as well, including CNN’s homepage [1].
Many registrars had pre-orders available through yesterday and have closed their queues for awhile today because of the anticipated rush. According to CNN, more than 100,000 .xxx sites are expected to go live today.
According to ICM Registry the first domain name registered during the general availability period today was iOwn.XXX.