Sex.com
|
Type of site
|
Pornography |
|---|---|
| Owner | Clover Holdings, LTD |
| Created by | Sex.com Team |
| Revenue | Private |
| Website | sex.com |
| Alexa rank |
 703 (April 2014[update]) |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | October 18, 1995 |
| Current status | Active |
Sex.com is an Internet domain name and web portal currently owned by Clover Holdings LTD. The domain name was the focus of one of the most publicized legal actions about ownership of domain names. Kieren McCarthy, a journalist who followed the case, wrote the book Sex.com, which was published in 2007.
On October 18, 1995, entrepreneur Gary Kremen (who also founded Match.com) registered sex.com with Network Solutions, but did not develop the site as he focused on growing Match.com.
Later in 1995, Network Solutions transferred, without permission, the domain to Stephen M. Cohen, who had been trying to gain control of the domain for some time by misrepresentation, using phone calls, e-mails and forged letters. He eventually persuaded an employee of Network Solutions to change the ownership details by submitting a fake fax. After gaining control of the domain, Cohen produced an advertising-heavy site that received up to 25 million hits a day. From payments for click-throughs and other advertising, Cohen was reportedly making $50,000 to $500,000 per month. Kremen undertook steps to recover the domain, while Cohen claimed he obtained the domain legally from Online Classifieds (OCI). A five-year legal battle ensued, led by cyberlawyer Charles Carreon.
Kremen was victorious in November 2000, when Network Solutions was ordered to return the domain to the plaintiff. According to the record of Kremen v. Cohen, Cohen was ordered to pay $25 million into court; in April 2001, the California District Court awarded Kremen an additional $40 million for lost earnings, for a total judgement of $65 million. Cohen appealed the judgement and refused to allow assessment of his business: He provided false information and declared most of his companies bankrupt while illegally moving assets out of US jurisdiction. When an arrest warrant was issued, Cohen fled to Mexico. Kremen offered a $50,000 reward for information, but Cohen remained at large while continuing to file appeals that were rejected. In October 2005, Cohen was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico for immigration violations, and was handed over to US authorities.
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Wikipedia