A man has been jailed for 20 years over the first known instance of armed "domain hijacking" in which he sought to gain control of a website at gunpoint.

Sherman Hopkins Jr, 43, broke into the apartment of an internet entrepreneur in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, wearing pantyhose on his head, dark sunglasses, and brandishing a stolen handgun.

He demanded that Ethan Deyo, 26, get on his computer and transfer owenership of the internet domain name DoItForState.com from one account to another.

After being pistol-whipped and repeatedly targeted with a Taser, Deyo gained control of the handgun during which he was shot in the leg.

He then shot Hopkins several times in the chest and called police.