It has been reported by XBiz that Sex.com has officially been sold to Boston-based Escom LLC for the record sum of $14 million, almost double the price of business.com domain name which was sold in 1999 for $US7.5 million.

Sex.com owner Gary Kremen has expressed interest in getting out of the adult business and had been seeking a buyer for the web site over the past year.

Kremen had originally registered Sex.com in May 1994 but in October 1995 Stephen Cohen fraudulently transferred the domain to his name and built up a large pornographic empire. In 2000, after a long battle in the courts, Kremen won the case and ownership was restored to him, and Cohen was ordered to pay $US65m damages. Rather than pay, Cohen fled to Mexico, taking his money with him. He was finally caught in Tijuana in October.