Adult Film Company Sues X-Rated "PornTube"

A major adult entertainment company has sued an X-rated knockoff of YouTube, accusing the Web site of profiting from piracy by allowing its users to post videos that can include copyrighted material.

Vivid Entertainment Group filed the federal lawsuit Monday against PornoTube and its parent, Data Conversions Inc., which does business in Charlotte, N.C. as Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network.

Like YouTube, users submit short video clips on PornoTube for free viewing, but the adult fare on that Web site are undercutting porn producers who earn most of their money from long-form videos.

"We've decided to take a stand and say 'no more,"' Vivid co-chairman Steven Hirsch said. "We will go after all the free sites."

Vivid said it's required by law to record the ages and birth names of its performers, but PornoTube has an unfair competitive advantage because it doesn't always have to do that, according to the lawsuit.

An AEBN executive didn't respond to a request for comment.

The suit seeks damages of $150,000 per infringed work.

Other porn companies also are upset by the explosion in Web video sites, many of which rely on user submissions that borrow heavily from copyrighted material, reports the Los Angeles Times.