By David Farrell
Montreal company behind Pornhub accused of being a “criminal enterprise”
International law firm Brown Rudnick LLP has filed a lawsuit against MindGeek, the parent company of tubesite Pornhub, various of its affiliates, owners, and officers, as well as a credit card company.
The suit alleges that Pornhub's parent company, MindGeek — and its "constellation of porn brands" — is a criminal enterprise that purchases, launders and uploads illegal content often obtained through human trafficking and sexual assault.
The lawsuit follows one filed in December in California by 40 women who claim the Montreal-based company knew or should have known that one of its commercial partners regularly used fraud and coercion to get women to appear in videos.
In April, the Liberal government announced it would introduce legislation to create a new regulator that will ensure online platforms remove harmful content, including depictions of children and intimate images that are shared without consent, according to a CP report.
The news agency reported again, last week, that while discussing Bill C-10 which will revise the Broadcasting Act to regulate platforms like YouTube and Facebook, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told a House committee that the bill will steer clear of content moderation, including for porn. The agency reports that the minister said that a new regulator will handle child pornography and non-consensual material.
In a statement, Pornhub said it is reviewing the lawsuit but added that it has stringent measures now in place, including a ban on uploads from unverified users.
It said it takes all complaints seriously, including Brown Rudnick LLP's suit.
As reported by CBC News, a statement reads that the company "has zero tolerance for illegal content and investigates any complaint or allegation made about content on our platforms.''.
None of the allegations has been proven in court. – Various
Two words the CRTC will not tolerate
And they are ‘bitch’ and ‘fuck’.
That’s a problem for broadcasters because the CRTC is watching over mainstream broadcasts like a vulture seeking carrion. Canada’s record for signing black artists can easily be faulted, but the failure rate is notable too; unless, of course, the act has the multi-million greenbacks playing the system to give them a rise to the top, but that’s an entirely different discussion. An e-mail to the column suggests something that talent managers and record companies need to pass on to clients:
“We play a good (amount of) black music. The big issue across radio is the hits are profane. We can’t touch them (because we are) under constant scrutiny. One fuck and the Commission will shut us down.“
Separately, it would be educational to know how the regulatory authority rules in having black Americans use the unspeakable N-word in their lyrics. It is, after all, as pervasive as bitch and fuck. Of course, we know it's a verboten word for whites to use, but is it permissible for some but not others to use?
Yes, there are two rules–but taking a positive approach nets the ball.
Want to add to this discussion, write me and if you wish to remain unnamed say 'Unnamed' in the subject line of your e-mail: davidcfarrell@gmail.com
New Housing Price Index, 12-month change
Ad dollars are in short supply for broadcasters these days. Maybe there’s a reason.
Nationally, new home prices rose 11.3% year-over-year in May—the largest increase since November 2006.
New home prices were up in all 27 markets surveyed on a year-over-year basis, with prices rising at their fastest pace on record in Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (+27.0%), Ottawa (+24.8%) and Windsor (+20.6%).
In May, prices for lumber and other products were up 17.9% from the previous month and have more than doubled (+119.6%) year-over-year. Prices for fabricated metal products and construction materials were up 2.4% from April, and 15.0% higher year-over-year. – Statistics Canada
