Sex.com to be Auctioned Off in March

Auction represents yet another sad saga for the domain that has never been properly managed or monetized

CYBERSPACE—The domain that many people consider both the most valuable—potentially—and the most cursed—absolutely—is once again for sale. Sex.com will be auctioned off March 18 through David R. Maltz and Co., during a live action at the law offices of Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP in New York City.

In order to bid, potential buyers will have to provide a $1,000,000 bank certified check made payable to "Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP, as escrow agent."

Sex.com is the only domain to have a book written about it. The book was even possible because of the intrigue that surrounded the site after it was originally bought by Gary Kremen and then stolen by Stephen Cohen after he forged a letter to Network Solutions, which then transferred the domain to him. It took years and the intervention of several courts to finally return the domain to Kremen, who subsequently sold it in 2006 for an amount that is widely believed to have been somewhere between $10 million and $14 million. (The lower estimate is probably closer to the actual amount.)

The auction comes after Escom LLC, which was formed in 2006 to manage the domain, defaulted on its loan. The holder of that loan—New Jersey-based DOM Partners LLC—is auctioning the asset, according to a Notice of Foreclosure Sale available on the auction site.

The sale is for complete interest in the domain.

"All of Borrower’s interest in and to all right, title and interest in an undivided 100% interest in the internet domain name and related INERNIC registration of the URL www.sex.com, and 100% of all cash proceeds, accounts receivable, licensing rights and intellectual property rights directly associated with or derived from the ownership of such URL,” reads the notice.

Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP is located at 156 W. 56th St., New York, NY 10019.