iEstates.com

The Sale of Sex.com has now been entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. The entry is currently listed online only, but will be included in the next print edition. The domain name was sold for $13 million USD by Escom LLC to Clover Holdings Ltd on 17 November 2010. Sedo brokered the sale.

(c) 2011 DomainNameNews.com (5)

As Sedo and Escom just announced with a press release that Sex.com has just sold for $13 Million USD. The name was originally purchased in 2006 for a then record $11.5 million. The sale was brokered by Sedo’s Jeff Gabriel and the domain is now free and clear of all creditor liens.

See the full press release after the jump.

Escom Sells Sex.com with Sedo for Record $13 Million

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., November 17, 2010 – Sedo, the online domain specialist today announced the sale of the domain name Sex.com for a record $13 million. The sale was brokered by one of Sedo’s senior domain brokers, Jeff Gabriel, who conducted a three-month search for a buyer on behalf of Escom in accordance with an order issued by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.

“We are very pleased with the fact that the bankruptcy process provided a basis for the sale of the domain free and clear of all creditor liens, which has now yielded this record breaking price,” stated Del Anthony, CEO and president of Escom.

“It is very rare when a domain name of this quality and value becomes available, and we are delighted that Sedo was involved in this historic event. To our knowledge, this sale represents the single largest recorded price paid for a domain name in the history of the Internet,” said Jeff Gabriel, senior domain broker, Sedo.

Escom acquired the domain in 2006 for a then record $11.5 million. Sedo’s recent $13 million sale of Sex.com now holds the record as the largest domain sale to date, which further demonstrates the continued demand for premium domains and the increasing value of Sex.com.

About Sedo

Sedo, an acronym for “Search Engine for Domain Offers,” is the leading domain marketplace and monetization provider. Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Sedo has assembled the world’s largest database of domain names for sale, with more than 16 million listings. The success of Sedo’s model has attracted a global membership base of more than 1 million domain professionals.

(c) 2010 DomainNameNews.com

The sex.com saga continues. Escom, LLC the holding company that owns the domain name went into foreclosure earlier this year. An auction for the domain name had been scheduled for March, but was stopped last-minute. As reported before on DNW, Sedo now confirmed that they are going to be the broker for the sale of the Sex.com domain name. Parties interested in buying the Sex.com domain should contact Sedo at consult@sedo.com.

Even though Mike Mann had conditionally offered to donate his portion of the domain to PETA, it appears that the IRS will not allow him to deduct the amount as a donation.

See the full press release after the jump.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 1, 2010 – Sedo, the leading online domain marketplace and broker of super premium domain names, today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Escom, LLC to privately broker the sale of Sex.com, widely considered to be the world’s most valuable domain name, as well as two related trademark registrations with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

“We are excited to be working with Sedo and believe Sedo’s vast experience, expertise with high value domain names, credibility and worldwide network of clients will ensure that Escom receives a price for the sex.com domain name and its related trademarks that reflects its true value as the best domain name in the world” said Del Anthony, CEO of Escom.

“It is an extremely rare opportunity that a domain name of this caliber becomes available for sale”, said Kathy Nielsen, Director of Sales at Sedo. “We are very pleased to be chosen as the exclusive brokerage firm to represent this domain sale. Short, descriptive domains are an amazing marketing vehicle. The sale of sex.com presents potential buyers with a once in a lifetime opportunity. The possibilities for this domain are endless and will enable the new owner to instantly define itself as a leader in its industry.”

Descriptive domains that define a category historically have been the most valuable properties on the Web. ‘Sex’ continues to be one of the most searched for terms on the Web and its mainstream appeal has grown exponentially over the past few years. The new owner of this domain will enjoy a clear competitive advantage as a market leader, dramatically enhanced organic search rankings, tremendous traffic generated from direct navigation and an unsurpassed ability to drive online marketing and branding initiatives.

Parties interested in buying the Sex.com domain should contact Sedo at consult@sedo.com.

About Sedo

Sedo, an acronym for “Search Engine for Domain Offers,” is the leading domain marketplace and monetization provider. Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Sedo has assembled the world’s largest database of domain names for sale, with more than 16 million listings. The success of Sedo’s model has attracted a global membership base of more than 1 million domain professionals.

(c) 2010 DomainNameNews.com

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As if the whole saga of Sex.com being stolen and then given back to the original owner wasn’t a strange enough story, now Mike Mann, who is one of several reported owners of Sex.com, has agreed to donate his portion of the domain name to the animal rights activist group PETA.

As Domain Name Wire points out, PETA is known for grabbing headlines by chiming in on hot topics with off the wall suggestions had suggested in a letter that the owners donate the domain to them. Writing on their blog about the donation, they add Mann’s donation to the “Things that nonbelievers thought were never going to happen”.  I’m sure PETA didn’t really see this one coming either.

Mann has stepped up to the plate and said he’d donate his share of the Sex.com domain to PETA on the condition he receives a $50 million tax deduction for the donation.   Sure, why not .  Mann is seeking the IRS to accept HIS appraisal of the domain name at $50 million .  Why his appraisal ?  Well because Mann claims to be the world’s foremost authority on domain values.

The Sex.com domain is caught up in a huge legal tangle as creditors sought to recoup their investment and auction the domain which was set for last week.  ESCOM a company partially controlled by Mann declared bankruptcy shortly before the auction which indefinitely postponed the auction of the domain.  This new little wrinkle should continue to drag things out and complicate the matter even more and bring more mainstream press interest. . . .Good or bad ?

(c) 2010 DomainNameNews.com

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According to Sedo and Mike Mann (as reported by Elliot Silver) the auction for Sex.com that is scheduled for tomorrow, may not take place after all. Both sources say that an Involuntary Chapter 11 was filed against Escom, LLC the company that owns the domain. The auction page now states that the auction has been postponed.

Involuntary Chapter 11 Petition Filed Against Escom, LLC – Owner of the Sex.com Domain Name

Woodland Hills, California – Creditors of Escom, LLC (“Escom”) today filed an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition against Escom in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California (San Fernando Valley Division).

Petitioners took this action to protect their interests and to maximize value for all other creditors and equity holders. The filing will stay the public auction foreclosure proceedings previously scheduled for March 18, 2010, which petitioners believe would have diminished the value of Escom’s assets.

For more information, please contact:

Lawrence Morrison, Esq.

Meister Seelig & Fein LLP

(212) 655-3582

lfm@msf-law.com

The sex.com saga continues.

(c) 2009 DomainNameNews.com

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With the buzz circulating around the upcoming Sex.com sale, mainstream press is picking up the story of  “the world’s most expensive domains”.  Several people contacted us to tell us about CNN running the Sex.com domain sale on the ticker this morning.

Now HuffPo is getting in on the story with their take on the top domain sales.  They’ve included a couple domains on their list that many reading will point out were more than just domain sales (insure.com,casino.com, fund.com ).  The story actually looks like it may have been sourced from the Daily Telegraph story from today.  See I told you that everyone is getting in on this story.

The best part of the HuffPo story though is that they allow their readers (the average Joe) to rate, on a 1-10 scale, whether these were good buys or not.  Only a couple domains have broken out of the 5 range so far. If you’ve ever wondered what people thought of these sales. Now you can see first-hand

(c) 2009 DomainNameNews.com

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In the ongoing drama that is Sex.com another major twist in the story has occurred. Sex.com has now been listed at Maltz Autctions as an asset to be sold at a foreclosure auction.  Elliot Silver scooped the legal documents listing the domain name, the loan agents, as well as the investors involved.

The domain name was sold in January 2006 for a rumored $14 million to a group of previously private investors. It was rumored at the time that Internet RealEstate and former BuyDomains owner Michael Mann were involved.  The rumors obviously can be confirmed by this filing.

Sex.com is already a popular domain by nature of the subject matter. The 2006 sale gave it the highest domain sale bragging rights.  It’s the one domain that has been the focus of two books, one by Kieren McCarthy and one by lawyer Charles Carreon.  It’s been stolen and returned and then sold and now it’s gone in to foreclosure.  If it’s popular subject matter didn’t make this name interesting, surely the history and ongoing story behind Sex.com makes it one of the most popular domain names ever.

(c) 2009 DomainNameNews.com

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