LOS ANGELES — Strike 3 Holdings — the copyright holder for the Vixen Media Group brands — was the subject of a feature by leading legal analysis news site Law360, highlighting the success of their IP strategy.

Law360 framed the article by noting that although “several adverse court rulings have dismantled controversial business models that center on filing a high volume of infringement suits accusing internet users of downloading copyright-protected pornographic movies, yet a Los Angeles-based porn studio is continuing to bring these cases at a steady clip across the country.”

Strike 3 Holdings has for years been the subject of much fascination in the world of legal strategies for not backing down from its lawsuit-heavy strategy, even after previous practitioners have been rebuked by judges, or even found outright fraudulent or predatory.

Law360 noted that “Strike 3’s active litigation campaign appears to follow in the footsteps of Malibu Media, a porn studio that also launched thousands of copyright suits against internet users, as well as Prenda Law, a now-defunct law firm [with their principals condemned in court] that filed a similar stream of cases on behalf of its clients.”

Strike 3 Holdings and its main legal enforcer, attorney Lincoln Bandlaw, have never relented in the practice of pursuing lawsuits against individual content pirates and anonymous file-sharers, even if occasionally they have been sharply criticized by some judges for the legal strategy of subpoenaing ISPs for customer information.

As XBIZ reported, a top legal analytics firm released a report in June confirming that just two adult companies — Strike 3 Media and Malibu Holdings — were responsible for the bulk of all copyright litigation in federal courts between 2018 and 2020.

Rachel Bailey, a copyright legal data expert at Lex Machina told Law 360 writer Andrew Karpan wrote that Strike 3 “has brought more than 900 suits this year and should be on track to file about the same or slightly fewer cases as in 2021.”

Filings from Strike 3, the article explained “rose to a high of 2,092 suits in 2018, and while new suits slowed to 818 by the end of 2020, the company picked up the pace last year, with 1,931 filings, according to data from Lex Machina.”

The Law360 article describes Strike 3 strategy as, “After targeting anonymous Internet Protocol addresses, the plaintiffs use the suits to file ex parte subpoenas to demand internet service providers turn over information to identify the subscribers attached to the addresses. Armed with that information, the plaintiffs then pursue the defendants, who often pay small amounts to settle because they are too embarrassed to fight the allegations or don’t want the expense of hiring an attorney.”

The article also points out that “most of the copyright cases that Strike 3 files in federal court settle, with 98% resolved with a stipulated or voluntary dismissal, according to Lex Machina’s review of about 6,250 terminated cases filed by Strike 3 between 2017 and the middle of May. As for the other 2% of cases, 23 of those ended in default judgment and 31 cases ended on a procedural issue, usually a failure to show that the defendant was properly served. Only one of Strike 3’s suits has ever reached a decision on the merits, according to Lex Machina’s Bailey.”

To read “This Litigious Porn Studio Is Still Going Strong,” visit Law360.

AUSTIN, Texas — Interactive Life Forms, maker of the Fleshlight brand, has named Luna Star its newest Fleshlight Girl with her own custom-molded sex toys.

“We are beyond excited to welcome the 2019 Urban X ‘Female Performer of the Year’ award-winner to the Fleshlight Girls family,” Director of Marketing Daniel Harvell said. “Luna has been one of our most-requested porn stars over the last year, so her fans are in for a special treat with these lifelike replicas of her anatomy. Just like Luna, these masturbators will not disappoint.”

Star’s Fleshlight Girl toys were modeled after her vulva and bum, featuring the exclusive “Glimmer” and “Gleam” textures, respectively.

Each of the new sleeves were designed and produced in the United States with 100% body-safe, patented SuperSkin material.

Visit Fleshlight online and on Twitter; follow Luna Star on Twitter.

PARIS — Dorcel has released director Fred Coppula’s “Contact 2” with contract star Clea Gaultier and Agatha Vega.

A rep noted that “each sequence in this colorfully-directed all-sex opus,” which runs 124 minutes, “unfolds with unhurried intimacy and a welcome emphasis on eye contact that finds the ladies breaking the fourth wall to engage the viewer at home.”

As the film opens, “Clea and Agatha need a break from the hustle-and-flow of their high-pressure, big city careers,” the rep said. “While Agatha enjoys a sun-drenched poolside romp with her boyfriend, Clea retreats to a quaint cabin in the snow-capped mountains to seduce handsome Joss Lescaf. These trysts set the stage for more vigorous pairings and a concluding seaside B/B/G triad,” featuring Yanick Shaft, Ricky Mancini and reigning XBIZ Europa “Female Performer of the Year” Cherry Kiss.

Chloe Duval, Angelika Grays and Axel Reed complete the cast.

The feature weaves together “many of the elements that have earned Dorcel critical success and robust sales over the years — exotic European locations, luscious ladies and high production values that imbue the project with an artfulness that never gets in the way of the hardcore fun, but is there if viewers want it,” noted the rep. “From the seductive cover featuring lingerie-clad Latinx model Agatha to the sensual vignettes inside, this production is an ideal introduction to Dorcel’s elegant world of desire and abandon.”

Daniel Metcalf, U.S.-based publicist for the studio, noted Coppula is shepherding the “Contact” series for Dorcel.

“He knows instinctively what viewers are expecting when they watch these movies,” said Metcalf. “Fred plans, casts, shoots and edits them specifically to maximize the models’ eye contact with the camera duing sex. And with a larger cast and more robust locations, ‘Contact 2’ surpasses the original in virtually every way.”

Find additional details about “Contact 2” here.

Direct sales inquiries to Josh St. John at jstjohn@pulsedistribution.com or call (818) 435-1610.

May 27, 2022 4:20 PM PDT

LAS VEGAS — Lexi Luna will perform in her first live B/G/G threesome on Chaturbate, opposite cam couple Blonde Rider and Rob Rider, Saturday at 1 p.m. (PDT).

Blonde Rider and Luna will first enjoy a sapphic twosome on Blonde’s Chaturbate account before Rob Rider joins the action on the couples’ shared Chaturbate profile.

“This is my first live B/G/G show, and I am so happy it’s with Blonde and Rob Rider,” Luna said. “There’s no telling how long we’re going to go, so make sure you stay tuned. Follow me on Twitter for more updates and maybe some pre-show teases.”

Find Blonde Rider and the Riders’ shared account on Chaturbate.

In related news, Luna landed the cover spotlight of “Wife-Swap Schemes 2” from Devil’s Film, and recently spoke to Fleshbot’s Holly Kingstown for its “Five Things…” feature about filming the movie.

Nexxxt Level Talent represents Lexi Luna; follow her on Twitter and find her premium social media links here.

TOKYO — A controversial bill that will effectively change the way adult content is produced in Japan, and which has sparked protest among the Japanese adult video community, passed the Japanese Lower House today on its way to being signed into law.

The bill is being pushed by the current ruling coalition, comprised of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and the religious-conservative Komeito party, along with four opposition parties.

Neither sex workers nor members of the local adult community were consulted by the politicians who drafted the bill.

The bill’s proponents claim that it will “protect people from appearing in pornographic videos against their will.” News about the bill is currently being sensationalized by the local press amidst a moral panic campaign.

The press-driven moral outrage kicked into high gear last month, when some legislators brought up the issue of adult performers during a debate about lowering the legal age of adulthood from from 20 to 18, particularly for legally binding contracts.

New Requirements for Adult Production

The bill, which passed the Lower House today, requires producers to explain to adult performers when they sign contracts “that they will appear in a pornographic film and that the actors may be identified,” the Japan Times explained today.

But the bill also explicitly allows all performers, regardless of age or gender, to “cancel their contracts unconditionally within one year of the release of videos in which they appear, and within two years for the two years following the enactment of the law.”

The new legislation will also require “an interval of at least a month between the signing of the contract and filming, and four months between filming and the release of the video.”

The Japan Times also reported that producers “found guilty of giving false explanations or intimidating actors will face prison sentences of up to three years or a fine of up to ¥3 million ($23,000). Corporations would be subject to a fine of up to ¥100 million.”

Adult Video Community Not Consulted

Actual members of the Japanese adult industry, both performers and producers, gathered at the parliamentary National Diet Building yesterday to protest the bill.

Performer Miyuki Itoi said she wanted lawmakers “to ask people working in the industry about what problems they face, aside from coercion to take part in filming, which is one out of many.” 

“I think this is buck-passing of society’s problems,” another performer told the Japan Times. The performer also called for “improved welfare support and other measures that would enable people with financial or other struggles to make different choices.”

Groups of Japanese sex workers have also organized to protest the bill, under “red umbrella” banners.

Misato Nakayama, a representative of the Japan Production Guild, one of the main trade groups that controls the tightly-knit Japanese adult industry, expressed concern that the new law “would restrict the work of actors” and “may thus result in a sharp decrease in work for female actors.”

Conservatism, Feminism and Hypocrisy

XBIZ spoke with a Japanese producer familiar with the situation, who said this headline-grabbing attack on the adult video community in the name of “protecting the youth between 18 and 20” was the product of an alliance between political and religious conservatives and Japanese feminists.

“Japanese politicians only care about next month’s election,” the source told XBIZ. “In Japan, the age of majority has been lowered to 18 this year. Politicians and feminists have introduced a terrible bill against adult videos without listening to any of the parties involved.”

The source also indicated that the debate is being muddled by the country’s hypocrisy about sexual expression, which is exemplified by the “mosaic,” or pixilation, required to be imposed over images of genitals.

“Even the Japanese law loves the gray area around sexual content,” the source told XBIZ. “The Supreme Court has even ruled that ‘adult content’ is technically legal because ‘there is no explicit sex behind the mosaic’ — even though everyone knows that actual people are having actual sex behind the mosaic.”

The controversial new bill is expected to become law by June 15, the end of the current parliamentary session.

DÜSSELDORF, Germany — The local official behind the crusade for Germany to require age verification for viewing sexual content is now seeking to expand to all of Europe the use of his new AI tool, KIVI, which automatically scans all online content to determine which images are not compliant with the law.

Last month, as XBIZ reported, Tobias Schmid, director of the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia, and one-man War on Porn, held a press conference boasting of the surveillance. He explained that he coined the name KIVI after “KI” — the German initials for AI — and “VI” from the Latin word “vigilare,” meaning “to survey.”

Today, German tech news site NetzPolitik.org reported that Schmid’s regulatory bureaucracy is currently “working with KIVI throughout Germany and hopes that the whole of Europe will soon be using this tool to monitor the public internet.”

NetzPolitik reporter Sebastian Meineck, who has been covering Schmid’s meticulous, obsessive attempts to ban all sexual content from open platforms in Germany and Europe, wrote that Schmid told a newspaper, “We are pleased that our European colleagues are also very interested.”

Schmid’s agency “networks with regulatory authorities in other EU countries in a group called ERGA (European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services).”

A spokeswoman for the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia confirmed to NetzPolitik that “there were exploratory talks with several authorities” about expanding KIVI surveillance all across Europe.

First Düsseldorf, Then the Continent

KIVI was developed by Berlin-based Condat under local bureaucrat Schmid’s supervision and is now reportedly being used by all 14 state media authorities in Germany. While KIVI has been trained to detect categories like “extremism, hate speech, swastikas or the glorification of drugs,” Schmid also included “pornography” as a target for the new surveillance engine.

Schmid is particularly obsessed with “pornography” and has repeatedly singled out “gangbangs” as a concept that bothers him.

KIVI is currently surveying images, texts and videos on all websites, as well as apps like “Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, the Russian Facebook competitor VKontakte and the video portal Bitchute,” NetzPolitik reported.

According to NetzPolitik’s Meineck, “the media regulator under director Tobias Schmid appears to play a leading role in the distribution of the surveillance software.” If the obscure bureaucrat’s European expansion dreams come true, “the regulatory authority from North Rhine-Westphalia would be largely responsible for the introduction of a European porn detector,” Meineck added.

Main Image: Tobias Schmid, director of the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia

LOS ANGELES — Pineapple Support will host “Navigating Relationships,” a free online support group with a focus on helping performers to better navigate different types of relationships.

The six-week support group will be led by Pineapple therapist Rachael Farina and will start on Tuesday, May 31 at noon (PDT).

“Throughout the course of this group,” Farina explained, “we’ll address various topics, such as conflict resolution, communication skills and setting and maintaining boundaries with others. We’d encourage attendees to try to attend all sessions, so we can maintain consistency for everyone. If there are any important relationships in your life that you would like to strengthen, this group is for you.”

Pineapple Support’s founder Leya Tanit said, “In this six-week, virtual support group, performers will learn how to navigate sexual and romantic relationships, as well as relationships with friends and family. Rachael is a talented and licensed therapist who specializes in sexuality, sexual health and relationships.

“With a non-judgmental, humorous and authentic approach to therapy, attendees will benefit tremendously from understanding how to approach the important relationships in their lives,” Tanit added.

Sessions will take place online each Tuesday, starting May 31 and until July 5.

For more information about this support group and to reserve a place, visit PineappleSupport.org.

LOS ANGELES — Pineapple Support will host “Navigating Relationships,” a free online support group with a focus on helping performers better manage various types of relationships.

The six-week support group will be led by therapist Rachael Farina and will start on Tuesday, May 31 at noon (PDT).

“Throughout the course of this group, we’ll address various topics, such as conflict resolution, communication skills and setting and maintaining boundaries with others,” Farina explained. “We’d encourage attendees to try to attend all sessions, so we can maintain consistency for everyone. If there are any important relationships in your life that you would like to strengthen, this group is for you.”

Pineapple Support founder Leya Tanit stressed that performers will learn how to navigate sexual and romantic relationships, as well as those with friends and family.

“Rachael is a talented and licensed therapist who specializes in sexuality, sexual health and relationships,” she added. “With a nonjudgmental, humorous and authentic approach to therapy, attendees will benefit tremendously from understanding how to approach the important relationships in their lives.”

Sessions will take place online Tuesdays, starting May 31 and continue until July 5.

For more information, and to reserve a place, visit PineappleSupport.org.

May 27, 2022 1:34 PM PDT

LAS VEGAS — Kaiia Eve has made her debut for Adult Time’s Nuru Massage opposite Nick Strokes.

Titled “Extra-Virgin Oil,” the action begins with Eve “working at the massage parlor when young Nick comes in for his massage,” a rep said. “Nick explains why he’s so stressed and admits he’s still a virgin. Kaiia knows Nuru massage is just what he needs. She starts her body-to-body contact massage and then slides down to give Nick a blowjob. With a little encouragement, Nick shows Kaiia that her method is successful, giving Kaiia much pleasure.”

Eve noted her inaugural experience with the label was “a great experience.”

“Everything’s better when it’s wet, and between the oil and my squirt, this scene was a lot of slippery fun,” she added.

Find “Extra-Virgin Oil” here and follow Adult Time on Twitter.

Follow Kaiia Eve on Twitter and access her premium social media linkage here.