In an effort to protect its name online, the University has reserved several sites on the new ostensibly pornography-focused domain .xxx.
“In accordance with our interest in protecting the 'Princeton' name and its use, we have registered selected names under the .xxx domain,” University spokesperson Martin Mbugua said in an email. “The University's domain names are handled by the Office of Information Technology in collaboration with the Office of Communications and the Office of Trademark Licensing.”
Mbugua did not cite which sites the University claimed, but the page "princeton.xxx" indicates it has been "reserved from registration."
The .xxx domain is an effort by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to create a voluntary option for sites with pornographic content. ICANN approved the domain last March and it began operation last April, although .xxx domains were not open to the public for purchase until Dec. 6.
Since then, profiteering individuals have reserved rights to university names with the intent to sell the names back to the universities, threatening to post pornographic content instead. Other non-pornographic sites have begun operating and advertising on the .xxx domain in order to draw in viewers. Kite.xxx, a site now under construction, contains no pornographic material but is instead devoted to the extreme sport of kite-surfing.
The University of Pennsylvania, like Princeton, reserved a variety of domain names, according to an article in The Daily Pennsylvanian. The University of Colorado, however, was not so lucky. The university reserved 27 domain names related to its brand name including “CU.xxx” and “UniversityofColorado.xxx.” However, “Colorado.xxx," the name that most closely resembles “Colorado.edu,” was purchased by a Las Vegas entrepreneur. Colorado and the individual are now in negotiations to settle the dispute, according to press reporting.
Additionally, religious organizations have been targeted by “cyber squatters." Many organizations have proactively reserved their trademarks in order to avoid expensive legal battles to win back their names.
With the exception of Cornell, no other Ivy League school has a .xxx domain name available for purchase at this time.
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