YNOT – ICM Registry LLC on Thursday pulled back the curtain on its plans to open three “sunrise” registration periods for dot-xxx domains “in early 2011.” Sunrise periods allow significant stakeholders to protect trademarks, service marks and other existing assets in new domain spaces before registration is opened to the general public.

“ICM sincerely acknowledges the sensitivity surrounding adult domains and how adult webmasters are in a unique position compared to mainstream webmasters,” the formal announcement noted. “As a result, dot-xxx domains will be launched using never-before-seen methods to ensure adult webmasters who are members of the sponsored community are being served fairly, equitably and offered incredible new opportunities.”

Because of the unique nature of adult domains, certain latitude will be offered to adult webmasters to protect their existing properties, ICM’s Thursday statement indicated.

“For example, those with registered trademarks and famous brands will have the chance to apply for matching dot-xxx domains during the Sunrise A period, with appropriate documentation for verification,” the statement noted. “Special provisions also have been outlined in the Sunrise B period for those outside the sponsored community to reserve and block dot-xxx domains. [Sunrise B] provides intellectual property protection to businesses operating outside the sponsored community while ensuring priority to adult webmasters who wish to use dot-xxx domains.”

ICM Chief Executive Officer Stuart Lawley told YNOT he expects the first sunrise period to open in April or May, depending upon the date ICM and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers sign a registry contract. During its Dec. 5-10 meeting in Cartagena, Colombia, ICANN’s board of directors indicated the organization intends to sign such a contract early next year, perhaps as soon as February.

Lawley told YNOT the entire three-phase sunrise period likely will last 60 days, with Sunrise A and Sunrise B launching almost concurrently, followed by the launch of Sunrise C approximately 30 days later. Sunrise A and Sunrise C each will last 30 days, and Sunrise B will last 60 days, overlapping both other periods, Lawley said.

The “land rush,” or open registration period for the adult industry, will begin as soon as Sunrise C closes. The registry will open to the general public about 90 days from the date Sunrise A opens.

“All existing and future pre-reservants whose applications are time- and date-stamped will be notified in a timely manner about which sunrise process they need to use and how to upload their pre-reservation data,” Lawley told YNOT Thursday morning.

Sunrise A will allow registration of trademarks and service marks used within the adult entertainment industry. Names secured under Sunrise A will become conventional, resolving domains. Since dot-xxx is a sponsored community for members of the adult entertainment industry who elect to participate, a string applied for under Sunrise A will receive priority over the identical string applied for under Sunrise B.

In addition to the standard domain-name registration fee, Sunrise A applicants will be assessed a one-time fee per domain to cover the submission, processing and validation of the relevant rights.

Sunrise B will allow rights owners outside the sponsored community (including adult industry insiders who elect not to develop dot-xxx websites) to “block” the registration of domain names that could infringe upon their intellectual property. Names secured under Sunrise B will resolve to a “standard, plain page indicating only that the string is reserved from use through ICM’s rights protection program.” The corresponding WHOIS information will contain standard registry contact details.

“This was an innovative idea by us to prevent 404 error or NX [non-existent] domain results for these names,” Lawley told YNOT. “The process will prevent ISPs from monetizing NX domain results [as they do in other domain spaces].”

According to ICM’s Thursday statement, “Any names that have been blocked cannot be unblocked and converted into resolving names without being made generally available. Any entity applying for blocks under Sunrise B as a non-member of the sponsored community cannot apply for names in Sunrise A or C or during the land rush.”

Sunrise B applicants will be assessed a one-time fee per domain to cover submission, processing and validation of the relevant rights. The fee will include an indefinite reservation or blocking of the term in the registry.

“ICM does not envisage charging any additional fees for blocking this string over the term of their contract to run the dot-xxx registry,” according to the Sunrise Program page on the registry’s website.

Sunrise C is for individuals and companies who own un-trademarked domain names in other Top Level Domains. Sunrise C registrants will be required to demonstrate they own a corresponding registration at another TLD registry. Names secured through this route will result in the registration of a conventional, resolving domain name within the dot-xxx registry.

In the case of Sunrise C, the one-time fee per domain to cover the submission, processing and validation of the relevant rights will be substantially lower that for Sunrise A or Sunrise B because the processes will be automated, the ICM statement noted. In addition, the standard domain-name registration fee will be assessed.

The one-time fees for sunrise registration have yet to be determined but will be based on fixed costs amortized across the pool of registrants and certain variable costs, Lawley told YNOT.

He also said ICM has contracted with London-based Valideus to help in implementing the sunrise program. Valideus was founded by two of the directors of ICANN-accredited registrar Com Laude in order to assist corporations and others in navigating ICANN’s new generic TLD program, expected to launch early next year. According to ICM, Valideus “will provide an impartial and unbiased [intellectual property] validation agent.”

Although the adult entertainment industry remains conflicted about the controversial dot-xxx domain, Lawley said the same cannot be inferred about those outside the industry.

“Many ICANN registrars are already gearing up,” he said Thursday.

Within the adult industry, pre-registrations are brisk, Lawley said. ICM is receiving about 500 new pre-registrations daily, he revealed.

“Of the 192,000 pre-reservations to date, around 6,000 are Sunrise B and the remaning 186,000 are split between Sunrise A and C and land rush, with land rush being slighly ahead,” he told YNOT.