Sex.com once again goes up for sale
The never-ending saga that is the history of the domain name Sex.com is taking yet another curve.
The history of Sex.com has become legendary in Web development and domain name circles. It was originally purchased in 1994 by Gary Kremen, the founder of Match.com, via domain registrar Network Solutions. Then a gentleman named Stephen M. Cohen spent over a year trying to steal it away through subterfuge, forged letters and fake faxes, and was finally successful. What followed was a lengthy court battle for Mr. Kremen to regain control of his domain, and after five years he did so. The tale of Mr. Cohen still continues and even includes fleeing the country to avoid paying the $65 million dollars in damages that were awarded to Mr. Kremen. In January 2006 the domain sold for a reported $14 million dollars to Escom LLC, a record amount paid for a domain name.
Now Elliot’s Blog, a site focused on domain name news, is reporting that it is once again going up for auction. Apparently there are foreclosure proceedings happening against Escom, and the domain is one of the assets that will be auctioned off to cover the bills. The auction will take place on March 18 at the offices of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP in New York, and to even be considered you must bring a $1 million dollar certified check with you to be held in escrow during the auction.
While there is no way to predict if the domain will once again set a record, it is sure to bring in a considerable amount. During the height of Mr. Cohen’s ownership, it is reported that the site saw up to 25 million visitors a day, and he brought in between $50,000 to $500,000 a month in revenue. The Internet has changed significantly since that time, but there is still probably no more desirable domain name out there than Sex.com.
