Crystalmaree wrote:
Models need to be careful, even if they are doing TFP that they have a contract between them and the photograph that states that the photographer nor the model is allowed to sell those pictures to third parties. Without that contract, someone can sell those pictures because you have no legal rights to it, even though it is your image. You can go to court, but it will be very expensive to sue these companies because they have their asses covered as well. One of the models with my former agency who has a seven page layout in SHOW magazine can me found in the back of urban magazines like Black Men and XXl on the cover of pornos. They chopped off her head, and used ass shots and slapped a pole between her butt cheeks, and now they're making thousands of dollars off of her and she isn't getting paid a dime.

That doesn't really have much to do with this issue. Because None of it matters when somebody STEALS that image from a site and uses it as their DVD cover without informing either party.

I THINK you are talking about an issue for another thread.

Sarah Ashley Barker wrote:

That's what I thought....

"Classic" adult films are not put out with the same care that we rerelease classic MAINSTREAM films on DVD. In many cases the original materials and photography has been long lost and it takes time, effort, and money to retrieve it all to make a good DVD cover and extra material.

OR, if you are like TV X Films, you just go online and find photo of a pretty model that you like (maybe one of YOU), slap it on the cover, maybe in the DVD itself on the menu, and call it your own, despite who the photo really belongs to.

Michael Fryd wrote:
Typically porn companies are very good at following the law.

Local governments score big PR points when they arrest or prosecute an adult entertainment company.

Pornography is currently our nations #1 law enforcement priority (above terrorism and drugs).


I would expect a company in the adult entertainment business to be quite willing to pay for a image they used.  It really is to their advantage to avoid a court battle.

These companies usually have a very good understanding of intellectual property laws.  After all, intellectual property is their primary product.


If the image really was taken of a 14 year old, they are some extremely serious child pornography issues.

You do know why Porn is the #1 priority riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... Lil history for ya... (Since I am affiliated in the adult industry... The major companies that started porn were ran by the Mob... now all the distribution companies are ran by those same mobsters... lmfao... so yea...

The Narcissist wrote:
You do know why Porn is the #1 priority riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... Lil history for ya... (Since I am affiliated in the adult industry... The major companies that started porn were ran by the Mob... now all the distribution companies are ran by those same mobsters... lmfao... so yea...

About a year ago, the US Department of Justice decided that porn would be their number one priority (this was a national decision, made in Washington DC).

Agents have been pulled off drug and terrorism investigations and moved to porn prosecutions.

Apparently, an arrest and prosecution in a porn case is very good for a political party trying to maintain the support of the religious right.


I strongly suspect that the local US Attorney's office would be quite interested in information that would allow them to make legitimate charges against an adult entertainment company.

The danger lies in the possibility that they will also go against the people who created the image in the first place (is the image adult in nature? was there proper record keeping? etc.)

Studio 530 wrote:
I found one of my photos from DA on one of the cover's as well! They grabbed one of my photos from DA apparently. I think it's way funny the photo they choose-- I am inclined to let it go just because of that. I'm laughing my ass off right now!

The thing about that is that it could hurt you down the road if somebody else was to steal that image (or possibly another) and use it in a way you don't like. One of the requirements for protection as I recall is that you need to sincere effort defend your copyright. If you let one person steal your copyrighted material, then you can't really make a legitimate effort to prohibit or punish somebody else for doing the same thing.

That said, I discovered one time that a font I created had been stolen and was being resold on a CD. That really pissed me off, but I don't make a living from it and it turned out to be to much of a hassle. I would have prefer to just smack the guy around.

However, if I saw an image of mine that was being used without permission, I would contact my agency. I'm sure they would contact the photographer and it would go from there.

CYC.

Manuel Rego wrote:
***IMPORTANT UPDATE***

Today I received both a voicemail and an email message from the attorney representing Lara Jade Coton.  He contacted me because he has no direct way of getting ahold of anyone here, so he asked me to relay a message.

Hey, good for you! Sounds like a class action suit in the offing...