Adult XXX Porn Domain Gets Official Ok

Official approval has been given for the creation of an internet domain dedicated to pornography.

The board of net overseer Icann gave initial approval for the creation of the .xxx domain at its conference in Brussels.

Icann's approval will kick off a fast-track process to get the porn-only domain set up.

ICM Registry, which is backing the domain, said .xxx would make it easier to filter out inappropriate content.

The decision ends a long campaign by ICM Registry to win approval.

Stuart Lawley, chairman of ICM, welcomed the decision and said it was "great news for those that wish to consume, or avoid, adult content".

Icann, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, said the next step would be talks with ICM Registry to ensure that it still had sufficient backing from the adult industry to justify its creation.

Icann oversees the net's addressing system and demands that new top level domains, such as .biz, must be "sponsored" in that they must serve the needs of a defined community.

ICM has said it expected the first .xxx domains to go live in early 2011. It said it had more than 110,000 pre-reservations for .xxx domains.