Frequently Asked Questions

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The service covers all of ICM Registry TLDs - dotXXX, dotSEX, dotADULT and dotPORN.
No, AdultBlock has been designed to block registrations across the ICM Registry adult-themed TLDs.
Trademark holders with a valid Signed Mark Data (SMD) file issued by the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), dotXXX Sunrise B participants, and trademark owners that own trademarks under the New Eligibility Criteria.
The Trademark Clearinghouse is a database of validated and registered trademarks established by ICANN to prevent infringing behaviour in the domain name system.
A service offered to trademark and service mark owners to block their marks from being registered when dotXXX was being launched in 2011.
Contact your TMCH agent to obtain a list of your marks registered in the TMCH database.
Please contact the registrar who originally submitted your dotXXX Sunrise B registrations.
Please provide your registration details here and one of our customer service members will respond within two business days.
You can still use your eligible Sunrise B dotXXX domain(s) to secure an AdultBlock at any accredited agent.
AdultBlock will block all corresponding available domains irrespective of the price point and automatically block any additional dropped names while the block service is in place.
No, domains that are currently registered cannot be blocked until the name is deleted or expires.
Once the redemption period has ended and the domain name becomes available, the domain name will be added to the block for the remainder of the block registration service period.
Once you purchase an AdultBlock then any domain currently registered will remain active until you either delete it or decide not to renew. Once the domain is deleted, it will automatically be included in your AdultBlock service.
Only holders of a matching trademark with a valid SMD file issued by the TMCH, an original Sunrise B dotXXX or a trademark that matches the new eligibility criteria can apply for the AdultBlock service.
The AdultBlock service does not allow the domain name to be unblocked.
The variant generation software is based on Unicode Consortium standards. This means that the service blocks characters available today along with any future language character sets that become available in the ICM Registry TLDs.
Yes, the service will block other confusingly similar characters for example, replacing an ‘L’ with a ‘1’ and an ‘E’ with a ‘3’.
The number of variants can sometimes run into the thousands and for this reason, ICM Registry only provides a sample of the variants for reference. Acquire a sample along with the number of variants here.
Sunrise Bs expire in December 2021. Registrars will work with their Sunrise B customers to decide whether they want to buy an AdultBlock registration or not. If not, the name will become generally available unless it is otherwise part of the AdultBlock program (i.e., another trademark owner purchases an AdultBlock for that name).
If the Sunrise B registration is deleted, the domain will become available on a first-come, first-served basis upon the completion of the grace period beginning December 2021.
The transfer of Sunrise B registrations will soon be available. Please contact your AdultBlock accredited agent to arrange a transfer once the functionality becomes available.
Sunrise B registration information will soon be available in the registry system and to your current accredited registrar who will be able to update your registration data. This functionality will become available later in 2021.
For policy reasons, a conversion is not possible. Registrants will need to either register an AdultBlock or attempt to register the domain when it becomes available on a first-come, first-served basis in December 2021.
The product is available in 1, 3, 5 and 10-year registration periods.
AdultBlock renewals mirror registration periods with 1, 3, 5 and 10-year options available to a maximum of 10-years.
Yes, registrants may transfer the AdultBlock service between registrars. The transfer request will add one additional year to the life of the service.
ICM Registry will check the validity of the SMD file from time to time during the AdultBlock service. Registrants are responsible for ensuring the SMD file remains valid.
No, the AdultBlock+ product will block all variants in the SMD file.
All blocked domains will include the following message in the WHOIS database, “This name subscribes to the AdultBlock+ product; therefore, this name is not available for registration”.
The AdultBlock service is available through any of our accredited partners. View our partners here.
.xxx was the first TLD to offer a blocking service in 2011; that blocking service was called Sunrise B. With the launch of the new gTLD program many TLDs now offer enhanced blocking services that provide additional value for rights holders. In this spirit, ICM’s TLDs (.xxx, .adult, .porn, and .sex) launched the AdultBlock and AdultBlock+ Service. The AdultBlock Services not only protect brands from cybersquatting in all 4 of ICM’s TLDs (.xxx, .adult, .porn, and .sex) but also add phishing and other abuse related protections. The industry standard has changed a lot since 2011 and with the updated, enriched AdultBlock Services available in .xxx, .adult. .porn and .sex, it is no longer commercially practicable to continue the outdated .xxx Sunrise B program. In honor of the original program and as an additional value to Sunrise B rights owners who want to participate in AdultBlock Services, Sunrise B rights owners automatically qualify, without needing to re-verify the underlying trademark. For Sunrise B owners interested in the expanded and enriched AdultBlock Services, contact your AdultBlock accredited registrar to find out more about registration terms and fees.

Frequently Asked Questions – New Eligibility Criteria

Interested parties may now use a Registered Trademark, Unregistered Trademark, Company Name or Celebrity Name to purchase an AdultBlock product.
A nationally or regionally registered trademark that is in force at the date the application is submitted.
Examples of national and regional intellectual property registration offices:United States Patent and Trademark Office - https://www.uspto.gov/trademarksUK Intellectual Property Office - https://www.gov.uk/search-for-trademarkEuropean Union Intellectual Property Office - https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/Benelux Office for Intellectual Property - https://www.boip.int/en
The applicant must be the holder of the name or an appointed representative. The following may be provided with the application: •Certified Copy of trademark registration •Screenshot of online record of Intellectual Property body database •Documentary evidence confirming (e.g., certificate of authorisation) that the applicant is an authorised representative of the registered owner of the trade mark
Applicants do not need to have their trademark in the TMCH, but it can be.The third-party verification agent assesses the application based on the historical or expanded rules now available.
An unregistered trademark is a mark created by a business or individual to signify or distinguish a product or service. An unregistered trademark utilises graphics, images, words or symbols, or a combination of such, to signify the distinctiveness or source of a product or service. In some jurisdictions/countries, unregistered trademarks are also referred to as common law trademarks and are things such as business names, celebritynames, etc.
Applicants may use any of the following:
•Dated advertising and marketing materials (e.g., brochures, pamphlets, catalogues, product manuals, displays or signage, press releases, social media marketing materials etc.); •Links to websites, screen shots from websites; •Headed and dated stationery, receipts, invoices; •Dated photographs or scans of product labels, storefronts, billboards; •Articles of Incorporation / Articles of Association. Please note that the above are examples and at all times, it is in the Registry’s sole discretion whether or not complete and satisfactory evidence has been met.
Registered Companies as well as “Trading As” or “Doing Business As” names are eligible for the AdultBlock service.
Applicants may use any of the following:•Invoices •Bills •Articles of Incorporation / Articles of Association •Screenshots of website - URL and business name must be visible •Company letter head, promotional items, invoices from and too company •Ownership details •Copy of registration documentation for registered companies (or a company registration number).
Famous persons, sports stars and personalities, political figures, actors, social media celebrities and public figures.
The following may be provided: •Links to websites, social media or screen shots from websites or social media relating to sale or advertisement •Registered trademark number if one exists •Proof of status e.g.: IMDB, poster of movie or TV show, leaflets showing their name associated with a show, team roster, advert with theirname on it, actors registration number (US and Europe) •Political party lists •Pamphlets •Listing on a government page (provide link to page)•Other forms of proof which justify application
Interest parties should contact their AdultBlock accredited provider. A list of accredited partners is available here: https://adultblock.adult/where-to-buy/
AdultBlock accredited providers will be able to check if an application is likely to be successful based on the evidence provided, please contact your provider for more details.
There are no additional costs to applicant when using the verification service. The registry however reserves the right, on a cost recovery basis, to charge for failed applications. Your AdultBlock accredited provider will work with you to ensure all the information provided is correct at the time of application, however if your application fails, the registry reserves the right to charge you or your provider for the verification attempt charges.
The verification agent is the same third party the registry used to assist inthe original .xxx Sunrise B program in 2011.
Applications with complete and accurate information usually take 3-5 business days to be verified.
AdultBlock accredited providers have access to the verification portal and will be able to advise on the current status of the application.
Yes, for the AdultBlock and AdultBlock+ service label variants will be generated based on the ICANN rules as they have been since the launch of the AdultBlock service.
Please contact us using this page to find out more: https://adultblock.adult/contact/
Law firms and trademark representatives should initially contact their AdultBlock accredited provider. If you are unsure who that is please contact us here https://adultblock.adult/contact/