Porn producer Vivid Entertainment sues X-rated YouTube knockoff over piracy

An adult entertainment company Vivid Entertainment Group sued YouTube over profiting from piracy by allowing users to post videos which may contain copyrighted material.

Photo: Porn producer Vivid Entertainment sues X-rated YouTube knockoff over piracy

Vivid Entertainment Group filed the federal lawsuit Monday against PornoTube and its parent, Data Conversions Inc., which does business in Charlotte, North Carolina 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 is 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 is required by law to record the ages and birth names of its performers, but PornoTube has an unfair competitive advantage because it does not always have to do that, according to the lawsuit.

An after-hours call to AEBN was not immediately returned.