.porn

Overview

• .porn is an active generic top-level domain (gTLD) operated by ICM Registry.
• The string is dedicated for use by the adult entertainment community and was applied for in ICANN's New gTLD Program.

History

• The .porn application by ICM Registry succeeded and the string was delegated to the DNS Root Zone on 06 December 2014.
• ICM Registry, the operator, positioned .porn as a competitively priced adult-targeted gTLD related to its experience operating .XXX.
• At launch (general availability activity noted around June 4, 2015), ICM reported that over 4,000 domains across .adult and .porn were registered within the first hour of availability.

Usage and Audience

• Primary audience: businesses and entities in the global adult entertainment industry (AEI).
• Market positioning: an alternative adult-targeted gTLD option for registrants who chose not to use .XXX due to price, membership criteria, or governance concerns.
• Target use cases include sites and brands that wish to identify explicitly as adult content.

Registration Rules

• Grandfathering and reservations:
  • ICM proposed that existing .XXX registrants and reservants would be automatically grandfathered into the .porn registry-reserved list at no cost.
  • Registry-reserved names (including proactive reservations and Sunrise B protections from .XXX) would be carried into the new gTLD's reserved list for the duration of the underlying .XXX registration and the registry services agreement.
  • Registrants could elect to register their matching .porn domain (activate the grandfathered name) for a nominal fee; activation and registration pricing was proposed to be substantially lower than existing .XXX fees.
  • No additional action was required by reservants to preserve their reserved status under the proposed plan.

SEO and Brand Impact

• ICM emphasized experience and consumer-trust practices from operating .XXX, noting protections provided on .XXX sites (examples cited included daily malware scanning and family safety tagging).
• .porn was marketed as a lower-cost alternative to .XXX, intended to expand options within the adult industry while offering brand opportunities.
• Independent commentary noted that clearly labeled adult-targeted TLDs can make it easier for users and administrators to block or avoid adult content, potentially aiding parental controls and filtering.

Notable Cases or Examples

• Controversy and objections:
  • Christian advocacy group Morality In Media ran a campaign opposing ICM's applications for .adult, .sex, and .porn.
  • Saudi Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) filed an objection against the TLD.
• Independent Objector review:
  • ICANN's Independent Objector (Alain Pellet) examined objections to so-called controversial strings including .porn and concluded that the objections were not supported by international law, noting cultural and regional differences in views on pornography.
• Registry policy and consumer protection proposals (from the applicant):
  • Extensive grandfathering and reservation plans for existing .XXX names to protect brands and reservants were part of ICM's application materials.

% IANA WHOIS server
% for more information on IANA, visit http://www.iana.org
% This query returned 1 object

domain:       PORN

organisation: ICM Registry PN LLC
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)

contact:      administrative
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

contact:      technical
name:         IANA Contact
organisation: GoDaddy Registry
address:      100 S. Mill Ave, Suite 1600
address:      Tempe AZ 85281
address:      United States of America (the)
phone:        +1 480-505-8800
fax-no:       +1 480-624-2546
e-mail:       iana@registry.godaddy

nserver:      A.NIC.PORN 2001:dcd:1:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.192.10
nserver:      B.NIC.PORN 2001:dcd:2:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.194.10
nserver:      C.NIC.PORN 2001:dcd:3:0:0:0:0:10 37.209.196.10
nserver:      X.NIC.PORN 156.154.172.82 2610:a1:1074:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Y.NIC.PORN 156.154.173.82 2610:a1:1075:0:0:0:1:82
nserver:      Z.NIC.PORN 156.154.174.82 2610:a1:1076:0:0:0:1:82
ds-rdata:     53866 8 2 6fc2a5cc5949b5300aa6bdfdd041d34ba5ab08604f22f7b3e34654fb22f89b68

whois:        whois.nic.porn

status:       ACTIVE
remarks:      Registration information: https://nic.porn

created:      2014-11-26
changed:      2024-04-17
source:       IANA