

Settle up: voicemails show P2P porn law firms in action - grellas
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/04/settle-up-voicemails-show-p2p-porn-law-firms-in-action.ars

======
jtreminio
I understand the disdain some people may have with the lawyer's tactics.

What most people don't understand, however, is how badly the adult industry is
hurting right now.

In the late 90's, early 00's, the adult industry absolutely exploded thanks to
the internet. Millionaires were being made every day. Really the only thing
you had to do was put up a site with a few images and videos, pay someone to
link to you, and you could see the money start rolling in.

Then, the affiliate model came into play, and TGPs were created (thumb gallery
posts). Some owners complained that these would hurt sales because affiliates
were giving away content for free. It didn't hurt - in fact, sales grew much
stronger.

MGPs followed (movie gallery posts), where images were replaced with short
video clips. Sales remained strong. The industry was quick to see how these
tools benefited them.

What the industry did not see coming, however, were the tube sites. How can
you have a profitable business selling adult videos and images online when
some website is letting you stream full-length videos for free? Why would you
pay for adult content? Thus, adult companies have been dropping like flies.
Not only providers, but also payment processors. Millions have been lost or
stolen.

I know, I know, "Boohoo those poor porn people aren't getting their money"...
but what if you woke up tomorrow and realized that someone was giving away
YOUR software for free (assuming you've created software that is not open
sourced)? All of a sudden your income gets sliced and diced.

Nowadays, the only adult companies making a good amount of money are those
that offer a more "personal" experience - live cam shows, girls/boys who blog
with their members and do requests. Things you can't pirate: the human
experience.

Oh, and gay sites. Gay always sells.

Porn companies can't really go after these illegal porn tube sites. Many are
based in China, and the owners are hidden behind layers of privacy sheets. The
know what they're doing is hurting thousands of people, but their greed for
personal profits are first in their minds.

While I would not like receiving robocalls from lawyers threatening to sue me
if I don't settle, I can see how some of these guys really have no choice but
to turn to litigation to recoup some of their lost income.

~~~
jbri
People _are_ giving away software. It's called piracy. Millions of dollars
worth of software is being acquired for free.

And yet Microsoft etc. don't feel the need to bully individual users into
legal settlements.

~~~
jtreminio
Ah, but at least Microsoft has the option of requiring keys to use their
products.

To watch a full-length video all you have to do is go to www.blahblahtube.com
and click a thumbnail.

Also, Microsoft is making quite a bit of money off of corporate users... porn
sites don't really have a place in a Fortune 500 board room.

------
bricestacey
This has been going on for awhile. TorrentFreak reported on the law firm
Davenport Lyons doing the same in 2008[0] and later ACS:Law[1].

[0] [http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-lawyers-start-
protecting...](http://torrentfreak.com/anti-piracy-lawyers-start-protecting-
gay-gestapo-porn-081118/) [1] google "site:torrentfreak.com acs:law"

------
robryan
Wonder if they bother pushing forward with an individual case against those
that don't settle or just quietly stop contacting them. Would probably end up
losing them money to with years of legal costs against someone who probably
doesn't have all that much even if they win a massive amount.

Sure they have to push on with some high profile cases to prove that they
actually would, but that has already been done. Interestingly if no one paid
the settlement their model would fail pretty quickly.

