<p>The distinctive name was put up for auction in July 2010 when its former owner, Escom LLC, went bankrupt.</p>.<p>Clover Holdings, a company registered on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, put in the highest bid for the domain.<br /><br />At least 12 companies were understood to be bidding for the name. The price is among the highest ever paid for a domain, reports the Daily Mail.<br /><br />In 2006 when Escom bought sex.com it is thought to have paid up to $14 million for it. The highest price ever paid for a domain was $16 million, which marketing firm QuinStreet paid for insure.com in 1999.<br /><br />Sex.com was first registered by Gary Kremen, the owner of the dating site match.com, in 1994.<br /><br />He later had the name 'hijacked' by a conman called Stephen Cohen and waged a long legal battle to retain control of the name.<br /><br />Cohen ended up being jailed and fined more than $65 million for stealing the domain name. </p>
<p>The distinctive name was put up for auction in July 2010 when its former owner, Escom LLC, went bankrupt.</p>.<p>Clover Holdings, a company registered on the Caribbean island of St Vincent, put in the highest bid for the domain.<br /><br />At least 12 companies were understood to be bidding for the name. The price is among the highest ever paid for a domain, reports the Daily Mail.<br /><br />In 2006 when Escom bought sex.com it is thought to have paid up to $14 million for it. The highest price ever paid for a domain was $16 million, which marketing firm QuinStreet paid for insure.com in 1999.<br /><br />Sex.com was first registered by Gary Kremen, the owner of the dating site match.com, in 1994.<br /><br />He later had the name 'hijacked' by a conman called Stephen Cohen and waged a long legal battle to retain control of the name.<br /><br />Cohen ended up being jailed and fined more than $65 million for stealing the domain name. </p>