.XXX domains available for general sale

ICANN started the process of approving the new .xxx domain name back in March of this year. After months of waiting people that wanted to buy the new domains can now officially get them. The addresses ending in .xxx are specifically for porn sites and was intended to allow people to identify and avoid porn sites or make it easier to find them depending on your perspective.

Already about 100,000 of the domains have been sold in a restricted sale that started in September. At least two of the big porn firms online have filed suit over the sale of .xxx domains. The ICM registry that oversaw the sale claims that the suits are without merit. The two suits claim that the industry didn't need an .xxx domain and the decision to make one was flawed.

The two firms suing are Manwin Licensing and Digital Playground. Manwin runs Playboy websites. Part of the complaint is that the ICM Registry is charging $60 per address, which is about ten times the cost of other top-level domains. The ICM also claims that the .xxx sites will be safer because they will be scanned daily by security firm McAfee.

[via BBC News]