As professionals, we work hard to build and maintain a trustworthy brand. That hard work disappears in an instant when scammers and impersonators pollute a brand’s online presence. These scammers and cyberattackers host all kinds of content on impersonation pages. They associate innocent IP with off-brand messaging like competitor content, cybersecurity risks, and even pornography. Such associations affect any industry or organization, particularly ones with vulnerable audiences like children or families, so today, we’re discussing AdultBlock.
This tool delivers a concrete solution to safeguard your brand. With AdultBlock, you’ll stop impersonators linking you with adult content, pornography, and the sex industry. Let’s define the tool itself, its features, and its benefits, so we can explore a different way to fight impersonators and protect your brand. You can also learn more about other domain blocking solutions right here.
What is AdultBlock?
AdultBlock allows you to block domain name registrations in the adult-themed extensions .ADULT, .PORN, .SEX, and .XXX. When the .XXX extension launched in 2011, its registry, ICM Registry, created a specific mechanism for intellectual property owners. This tool allows organizations outside the adult industry to protect their trademarks by blocking related domains. Since them the registry expanded the tool to cover all four adult extensions, offering two options: AdultBlock and AdultBlock+.
The best part of the service is that you can implement AdultBlock without registering a domain in .ADULT, .PORN, .SEX, or .XXX. Instead, you prevent others from registering them. With AdultBlock, you safeguard your brand from unwanted registrations on adult websites and avoid the recurring cost of annual domain renewals. The service primarily benefits two groups: trademark owners listed in the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), and intellectual property rights holders who previously qualified for .XXX Sunrise B—a category created in 2011 for non-adult-industry entities to block irrelevant .XXX domains.
How does AdultBlock work?
The AdultBlock service functions through a coordinated framework between trademark authorities, domain registries, and brand protection professionals. At its core, the system relies on preemptive domain blocking mechanisms. These mechanisms integrate directly into the registry systems for .ADULT, .PORN, .SEX, and .XXX extensions. When a trademark owner submits a valid claim through AdultBlock, the registry configures its DNS infrastructure to reject any attempted registration. This protects the specified brand name across all four extensions. Unlike a conventional domain registration, AdultBlock imposes a permanent reservation at the registry level, rendering the names technically unregisterable by third parties.
Domain professionals typically implement this service by first verifying a client’s trademarks with various authorities, leveraging existing relationships and data feeds for a smooth, stress-free implementation. You can check to see if there are any adult domain extensions already impersonating your brand right now with a free domain audit.
The Benefits for Your Brand
AdultBlock offers brands a powerful safeguard against online misuse, particularly threats like cybersquatting and phishing that could harm reputation. By proactively blocking domains across .ADULT, .PORN, .SEX, and .XXX extensions, the service eliminates the risk of malicious registrations while providing flexible protection periods of 1, 3, 5, or 10 years.
The solution is also cost-effective, significantly cheaper than defensively registering domains in all four extensions. With no hidden fees—regardless of name variations—it delivers long-term value by avoiding expensive disputes and legal procedures. This streamlined approach ensures brand protection without the administrative burden of managing multiple defensive registrations.
Types of AdultBlock Services
This service comes in two options, so you can compare each one and see which suits your business best.
AdultBlock
The standard AdultBlock service covers domain blocking across all four adult-themed extensions (.ADULT, .PORN, .SEX, and .XXX), including premium names with high economic or symbolic value, as well as public domain terms.
AdultBlock+
For comprehensive protection, AdultBlock+ expands on this foundation by blocking variations of your brand name. This protection includes including internationalized domain names (IDNs), homoglyphs (visually similar characters), and linguistic variants. The upgraded service supports over 20 languages and scripts. AdultBlock+ protects your brand in Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, German, Russian, and more. Rest assured with robust defense against opportunistic registrations across global markets.
AdultBlock vs Traditional Domain Blocking Services
Unlike traditional domain blocking that requires purchasing and renewing multiple defensive registrations, AdultBlock delivers a more efficient solution. The system prevents registrations across all four adult extensions at the registry level. While conventional methods force brands to pay recurring fees for each domain variation they wish to protect, AdultBlock’s centralized system blocks potential infringements before they occur. This tactic minimises the need to manage individual registrations.
This approach not only reduces costs but also eliminates the administrative burden of tracking renewal dates and negotiating disputes. Most importantly, AdultBlock provides proactive protection against cybersquatting. Traditional blocking services react to infringements after they’ve already happened, while AdultBlock anticipates threats in advance.
How to Get Started
In conclusion, we strongly recommend that trademark owners proactively block their key brand names through this service. If you’re unsure which trademarks to protect, ask yourself: « Which of my brand names would suffer reputational harm if associated with an adult website? »This simple test helps identify your most vulnerable assets.
As an added advantage, the registry offers a special incentive: brands opting for the 10-year protection period can access the premium AdultBlock+ features at the standard AdultBlock price. This extended commitment delivers superior protection at no additional cost.
To secure your brands across .ADULT, .PORN, .SEX, and .XXX extensions, turn your insights into actions in the form below. A domain expert’s strategy, tailored to your brand, ensures you implement the most effective blocking tactics for a secure, valuable online presence.
