Usually, we don’t blow our own horn at FSC, but since posting our FSC Anti-Piracy public service announcement videos on YouTube in April, we have received more than 670,000 views and hundreds of comments. Content piracy and copyright infringement are a hot topic – and the adult industry is part of that discussion.
The first publication that featured the videos was Wired.com, and from there, it spread like viral wildfire. Our SFW PSAs were featured in Huffington Post, Defamer.com, Media Bistro, Ad Week, the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune and the NY Times. Most recently, the PSAs were the inspiration for an article in well-respected financial pub The Economist.
We even made it onto a couple of TV and radio stations, including a mention on L.A.’s KTLA, Chicago’s Pat Down videoblog, as well as Canadian radio.
Around the globe, publications in other countries translated the PSAs so that their viewers could get the message;
Spain’s El Mundo featured the PSAs en espanol, und in Bild.de sprechen sie auf Deutsch. And oo- la-la, they love us inFrance. And Portugal. And Greece. And Turkey. And Russia… well, you get the picture.
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If you go to YouTube to watch the vids, you will see hundreds of comments there and most were extremely negative, vulgar and even vicious. At first, it was hard to not answer – but then we thought, ‘If this is how people react when we’re asking them nicely not to steal, then let them vent.’ Let the world see their reasons for thinking it’s okay to take something for free.
But not every comment was offensive. Some brave souls tried to take the counterpoint.
Lioyd1rving said, “It might seem hypocritical, but I think I see the point. People think they’re giving “the system” what’s coming to it,? but the truth is, those on top of said “system” couldn’t care less, because they’re already sitting on millions. It’s the ones at the bottom — that is, those who aren’t swimming in dollars; cameramen, actors, etc. — who end up taking the brunt of the hit. (Just because you’re an actor doesn’t mean you’re world-famous and rich-out-your-ass, especially in porn.)”
Afilmdatabase said, “As a mom and pop business in the adult film industry, I can attest to the truth of this PSA. Yes, you are screwing over the “little” people who work behind the scenes. Yes, this does affect tax revenue both nationally and locally (our state taxes, for examples, are a? percentage of our income). Finally, the industry employs a ton of people. In this economy, with the high unemployment rate, that’ a very good thing. BTW, amateur porn is a cheap alternative to stealing if you can’t afford a $2 VOD.”
As I said, anti-piracy is a hot topic. Senate recently approved a bill that may force torrent pirates to walk the plank, while the MPAA and RIAA are flexing their collective muscles. European nations seem ready to make pirates walk the plank, taking fire at the tubes and torrent. New media formats are changing faster than the media players can keep up with, and new media moguls will be born when innovation leads to monetization.
Until then, the adult industry will continue to make the adult entertainment content that you enjoy – because we know you’re watching. – jc
