What pops up when you search for www.wustl.xxx on the internet? Nothing—and it will stay that way.

In response to the upcoming launch of internet “.xxx” domains, the University has preemptively blocked its trademarked names from being scooped up by pornography companies.

According to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the new .xxx domain is intended only for members of the online, sexually oriented adult entertainment (pornography) community to use.

Washington University, among other institutions, was concerned with protecting its image in the presence of this new domain.

“We want to protect our brand names from being used by others,” said Karen R. Daubert, the Director of Product Licensing at the University.

The .xxx domain was proposed by International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR). The domain is meant to allow for easier identification of sexually explicit websites for both the people who wish to access it and people who wish to block or avoid the adult content.

“As a part of the process, they offered a period of time, called ‘Sunrise Phase,’ for trademark registrants to block [the trademarks] from being available,” Daubert said.

The Sunrise Period began this year on September 7 and ended on October 28. Colleges and many other organizations all across the nation have been filing applications to block their trademarks from use by third-parties during this time.

Trademarks the University owns include “Wash U,” “WUSTL,” and “Washington University.” The earliest trademark was bought in 2004.

To block the domains, an organization must buy its trademarked names off the .xxx domain at a cost of $200 each.

“I think it’s a smart thing to do,” sophomore Brooke Yarrows said. “In the long run [owning] the .xxx domain names will be preventive.”

While many students agree with the University for taking this measure, some were still astonished by the idea of University buying porn domains.

“When I hear about the University buying porn domains, the first thing that comes to mind is [to prevent] students buying them as jokes,” junior Kristelle Aisaka said. “I guess it shows how much faith they have in us.”

Certain students were not as pleased with the spending.

“I don’t think [buying porn domains] is among our most critical issues,” said sophomore Alaina Smith.

The effectiveness of .xxx domains is still under debate by both pornography providers and people who wish to avoid the content.

Providers argue that the domain will allow the explicit sites to be easily blocked on networks with internet filters, while those opposed to pornography complained of the lack of a mandate requiring all providers to adopt the .xxx domain.