FTC: Video Makers Gone Wild

Feds Accuse Company Of Charging For Unordered Products

(AP)  The government has filed a complaint against the marketers of "Girls Gone Wild" videos and DVDs, saying the company shipped unordered products and then charged customers.

The videos and DVDs feature young women who bare their breasts and perform sexually suggestive acts. Millions of copies have been sold.

The Justice Department filed a complaint against California-based Mantra Films Inc. on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission. The government alleges Mantra enrolled customers who responded to Internet and TV advertising for a single video or DVD in a "continuity" program that did not give them an effective means to cancel.

"In a case of deceptive marketing gone wild, consumers were enrolled in a program of monthly deliveries without their knowledge," Howard Beales, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

Mantra said it is in discussions with the FTC, adding that no customer has ever requested a refund and not received it. Company officials said they have complied with all laws and regulations and that "we are disappointed the commission felt it necessary to file an action at this time."

The case was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The "Girls Gone Wild" series was the target of an unsuccessful lawsuit last year by a 17-year-old girl who flashed her breasts to a cameraman. The girl argued that the film, its creators, producers and distributors had violated her right to privacy and had cast her in a false light by including her in the "Sexy Sorority Sisters" video.

The judge ruled that Mantra Films did not have to compensate the girl, who contended she did not know that her image would be used in a commercial video.