, USA TODAY
Universities and companies are scrambling to buy up new .xxx domains.New .xxx addresses became available to the public last week, but some schools didn't wait that long to secure important addresses, as a way to prevent adult content providers from profitting off them.
Beginning two months ago, ICM Registry gave trademark holders an opportunity to pay $200 per address for a one-time blocking charge to ensure that it not be used for adult content. At that time, the University of Kansaspurchased the rights to several addresses including kansas.xxx and rockchalkjayhawk.xxx and jayhawks.xxx.
Then, last week when the public sale began, the college bought several more—including kustore.xxx, kugirls.xxx and jayhawk.xxx—bringing its total to nearly two dozen. "We settled on the ones that we thought it would be reasonable for us to protect," says Paul Vander Tuig , the university's trademark licensing director. "It's truly a preventative blocking measure, blocking others from doing it."
Across the country, other colleges including Michigan,Penn State, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Indiana did the same thing. The University of Missourisecured the addresses missouri.xxx, missouritigers.xx and mizzou.xxx. " I think it's a smart thing to do," says Terry Robb of the university's information technology department.
Internet domain group Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved the .xxx domain earlier this year; ICM Registry originally submitted a proposal in 2000.
New .xxx addresses became available to the public last week, but some schools didn't wait that long to secure important addresses, as a way to prevent adult content providers from profitting off them.
Beginning two months ago, ICM Registry gave trademark holders an opportunity to pay $200 per address for a one-time blocking charge to ensure that it not be used for adult content. At that time, the University of Kansaspurchased the rights to several addresses including kansas.xxx and rockchalkjayhawk.xxx and jayhawks.xxx.
Then, last week when the public sale began, the college bought several more—including kustore.xxx, kugirls.xxx and jayhawk.xxx—bringing its total to nearly two dozen. "We settled on the ones that we thought it would be reasonable for us to protect," says Paul Vander Tuig , the university's trademark licensing director. "It's truly a preventative blocking measure, blocking others from doing it."
Across the country, other colleges including Michigan,Penn State, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Indiana did the same thing. The University of Missourisecured the addresses missouri.xxx, missouritigers.xx and mizzou.xxx. " I think it's a smart thing to do," says Terry Robb of the university's information technology department. see more on http://www.usatoday.com
