Download pirated porn = lawsuit -- From MSNBC

[SteveHardeman]

On MSNBC. That's a good thing.


http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...d-porn-lawsuit

Some of us become exposed to it in spam or worms, like what happened with the recent "Twitter onMouseOver incident", but others seek it out.

I'm talking about porn, people. In one of my first journalism jobs, at the Village Voice, I had to fact-check web site reviews. A few were on fetishes and bestiality. You can't erase those images once you've seen them! But, to each his/her own. Unless you've illegally downloaded copyrighted sex scenes. Then, you might be in trouble.

Under scrutiny by the porn industry: users who are downloading copyrighted naughty bits at BitTorrent sites that use peer-to-peer networks to exchange the material, according to a story by Agence France-Presse (AFP). AFP reported that in recent weeks, porn producers have filed lawsuits targeting those users, with the first salvo reserved for downloads of titles that focus on shemales/transsexuals and 18-year-olds that probably look a lot like jailbait, or "barely legal." (Those lawsuits are coming from studios that specialize in the production of those niche videos.)

The studios are counting on the threat of public exposure to deter pirates and those that benefit from their distribution.

While the industry is usually not known for its solidarity, producers are coming together to fight practices that threaten their very existence. AFP's story mentions Pink Visual as one studio that "is rallying dozens of adult entertainment studio operators at an unprecedented Content Protection Retreat in Arizona in October to train in ways to combat piracy and defend intellectual property."

Just as video revolutionized the industry, the Internet changed it in a fundamental way as well, making it possible for individuals to indulge in their private preferences in the privacy of their own homes, without the embarrassing trip to the video store. But soon, sex saturated free content, for anyone who would type in search terms online.

"People were willing back then to pay top dollar for porn, now it looks like the majority of users think adult content is free," Pink president Allison Vivas told AFP. (That's right, women aren't just the stars in the industry. They call the shots from behind the scenes, too.) "That is a huge shift in just a few years."

UPDATE: I got a hold of Vivas to ask her about how the material spreads. She told me some leaks are happening through Pink's subscriber-only Internet clips, possibly from some customers who are bringing it to the peer-to-peer networks. She and the heads of other studios have also noticed entire DVD rips online.

"We have also noticed that one piece of infringed content that shows up on one site, somehow that ends up on 50 different 'tube' sites," Vivas said. "This seems to indicate that they're spidering each other, looking for new content."

The studios are in active litigation against the company that operates the top "-tube" sites, such as PornHub.

"What's ironic is that the adult industry has always been seen at the forefront of technology, but when it comes to piracy, we're three years behind," she said. "The perception porn is free makes a huge impact." And not in a good way, on their business.

In a CNBC original documentary released last year, "Porn: The Business of Pleasure," CNBC anchor Melissa Lee also made the connection between the proliferation of free sites such as Redtube and Porntube in aiding and abetting a situation that has clearly gotten out of hand.

AFP reports Larry Flynt Publications is already charging forward, having sued 635 users in a Texas court last month.

Studios are in for an uphill fight, as the Internet opens up those worlds at an earlier age for tech-savvy younger generations. In 2009, Symantec's OnlineFamily.Norton reported that "sex, porn, and Michael Jackson" were among the most popular items kids ages 18 and under searched for online that year. For boys, "porn" was the fifth most popular search term and for teens (ages 13-18), it came in at No.6. But this is the jaw-dropper: it came in at No.4 for kids ages 7 and under.

Always reliable for their insight, Mashable made an observation about the development that studios probably find all too true:

Many of these producers built their careers by distributing their goods through web-based channels that challenged traditional distribution models. Now those technologies have developed to the point that the average user can simply acquire the goods for free.

[RawAlex]

Change is in the air. It's not a big movement yet, but it appears that there is change coming.

[LAJ]

I'm hoping that 2011 is the banner year for cleaning out this industry... and putting a huge hurt on piracy.

[TheEnforcer]

Originally Posted by LAJ

I'm hoping that 2011 is the banner year for cleaning out this industry... and putting a huge hurt on piracy.

That would be good.....