People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation are a UK-based charity dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA is also famous for their sexy and saucy vegetarian ads.
PETA has announced their desire to acquire sex.com, which is on sale right now. Executive Vice President has written this letter to Dom Partners LLC stating:
“Visitors to the newly revamped Sex.com site could watch our sexy Super Bowl ads like “Veggie Love†(about how a vegan diet can enhance your time between the sheets) or watch Alicia Silverstone’s naked testimonial—living proof that a vegan diet does a body good.
They could gaze on sultry ads featuring gorgeous vegetarians, like Pamela Anderson and Owain Yeoman, or join the action and participate in one of our Sexiest Vegetarian contests. They could also read about the many vegan foods that are natural aphrodisiacs.â€
PETA’s Banned Super Bowl Ad – Veggie Love
History of Sex.com
The Internet domain name sex.com is a web portal owned by Escom LLC. It was the focus of one of the most publicized legal actions about ownership of domain names.
In 1994, entrepreneur Gary Kremen (then founder of Match.com) registered sex.com with Network Solutions. In October 1995, Network Solutions transferred 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-through and other advertising, Cohen was reportedly making $50,000 to $500,000 per month.
Meanwhile Gary Kremen undertook steps to recover the domain, while Cohen claimed he obtained the domain legally from Online Classifieds (OCI). A five-year legal battle brought Kremen victory in November 2000, when Network Solutions was ordered to return the domain to the claimant. Cohen was also 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 judgment of $65 million.
Cohen appealed the judgment 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.
Cohen was released from custody on December 5, 2006, when Judge Ware determined that "the Court is satisfied that Cohen has provided an accounting of assets to the extent that he is able from jail." Cohen currently is representing himself and provided the Court with an address in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Sex.com was reported sold to Escom LLC in January 2006. At a reported $14 million price, the domain name has widely been cited as the highest priced domain sale.
As of February 18th,2010, the domain name has been ordered to be sold at a foreclosure auction.
As of March 18th, 2010, in a last minute twist to the story, the foreclosure auction looked likely to be cancelled as Creditors of Escom, LLC 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). This action was taken by creditors to prevent a possible loss of value by selling the name as a foreclosure auction.
