Piracy. It is quite possibly the biggest problem facing our industry today. Sure, the current state of our economy has a significant impact on our bottom line, but who can honestly say that they haven?t seen their profits slip since the dawn of the tube site? You would think that such a huge problem would be met by a unified front to combat this prolific, money-depleting scourge. However, one of the adult industry?s most influential companies is supporting this out-of-control racket. That company is AVN.
AVN, the self-proclaimed ?Industry Standard?, has licensed their well-known name out to a company called Etology.com. And because nobody knows who ?Etology? is, they gladly run part of their operation using the name ?AVN Ads? ? with AVN?s full blessing. Etology markets ad space to adult websites. So, if you?re looking to buy ad space for your site, you can sign up with AVN Ads and they?ll connect you with advertisers. For their efforts, AVN Ads takes a percentage of the deal.
Sounds good, right? Sure. As long as you look over the fact that the ?Industry Standard? AVN is actually supporting piracy and copyright infringement by selling their services to advertisers who buy ad space on sites that give away your product for free. Sure, they aren?t the only ones who are doing it, but someone as well-known as AVN tacitly endorsing piracy raises this problem to a whole new level.
Who is being affected by this? Well, here are a few examples complete with screen shots:
There?s a site called Xhamster.com, they are a site in AVN Ads? directory:
Now here?s some screenshots from XHamster.com?s website:
Why that looks like the Jenna Jameson / Janine lesbian scene from Vivid?s Janine Loves Jenna. *Note to self* Inform Steve Hirsch that AVN Ads is selling ad space on sites illegally carrying his copyrighted material.
Hey, here?s an entire scene from Hustler?s InTERActive title starring Tera Patrick. Oh and hey look, it?s my old friends Adult Friend Finder. I wonder if Adult Friend Finder is AVN Ads #1 customer?
See the rest of the story and proof here