.XXX TLD sunrise period closes with 80,000 applications

The .XXX TLD went into
effect April 15, 2011.

The newly approved .xxx top level domain's sunrise period ended yesterday, October 31, with over 80,000 applications for domain names, according to a press release by the ICM Registry. The sunrise period was set to allow trademark and brand holders to purchase their corresponding names before sales go public on December 6, 2011.

Initially, the sunrise period was set to end October 28, but the sale was extended due to demand and a backlog of applications.

Nine domain names were sold in the sunrise period for over $100,000, including Gay.xxx for $500,000.

Currently, obtaining a new .xxx domain name is only voluntary. Some fear that the creation of the TLD will lead to legislation that forces all pornographic websites to make the swap, though no such official action has been introduced in Congress.

UPDATE: As I neglected to mention, the sale of these domain names is not limited to websites that will host pornographic content. Gizmodo recently reported that universities are buying up domain names from the .xxx TLD to prevent others from using domain names related to the schools.