Domains have significantly increased in value over the past year, suggesting the internet is flourishing while other areas of the economy struggle. Sedo, the on-line domain name auction company state the average price has increased from £1,282 a year ago to £1,757.

Domain names such as Toys.com have already sold this year for astonishing sums as companies and individuals pour money back into the Internet, in a repeat of the dot.com boom of 1999. Toys.com was sold for $5.1 million (£3.11 million) in March to the retailer Toys R Us, while Fly.com sold for $1.76 million.

Nora Nanayakkara, director of Business Development at Sedo, said "The Internet was becoming increasingly valuable because of the recession. With the credit crunch many customers are looking to save money and are turning to the internet and price comparison sites. Buy buying up domain names – especially catchy names – companies are trying to garner the audience online that they have lost on the high street."

One of the most expensive domain name registrations in history was Sex.com, which was sold for between $11 and $14 million, according to different and conflicting reports, in 2006.