As if the whole saga of Sex.com being stolen and then given back to the original owner wasn’t a strange enough story, now Mike Mann, who is one of several reported owners of Sex.com, has agreed to donate his portion of the domain name to the animal rights activist group PETA.

As Domain Name Wire points out, PETA is known for grabbing headlines by chiming in on hot topics with off the wall suggestions had suggested in a letter that the owners donate the domain to them. Writing on their blog about the donation, they add Mann’s donation to the “Things that nonbelievers thought were never going to happen”.  I’m sure PETA didn’t really see this one coming either.

Mann has stepped up to the plate and said he’d donate his share of the Sex.com domain to PETA on the condition he receives a $50 million tax deduction for the donation.   Sure, why not .  Mann is seeking the IRS to accept HIS appraisal of the domain name at $50 million .  Why his appraisal ?  Well because Mann claims to be the world’s foremost authority on domain values.

The Sex.com domain is caught up in a huge legal tangle as creditors sought to recoup their investment and auction the domain which was set for last week.  ESCOM a company partially controlled by Mann declared bankruptcy shortly before the auction which indefinitely postponed the auction of the domain.  This new little wrinkle should continue to drag things out and complicate the matter even more and bring more mainstream press interest. . . .Good or bad ?