DALLAS — The operator of now-defunct websites MegaClassicPorn.com and ClassicPornBox.com must pay civil damages and legal fees to Command Cinema and HotMovies after the membership sites were purportedly found to have streamed pirated content.
Floyd Hodges of Houston, the operator of MegaClassicPorn and ClassicPornBox, sold a large collection of classic adult videos from the 1970s and ‘80s on his two sites, but some of the content was poached and distributed, according to the suit.
Included on the two sites were copyrighted Command Cinema classics, including "Platinum Paradise," "Neon Nights," "Babylon Pink" and "Foxtrot."
Command’s exclusive distributor, HotMovies, entered into the suit after it received a tip from RemoveYourContent.
"After confirming that Hodges was running an illegal pirate operation, we reached out to HotMovies.com and Command, who then pursued legal remedy through the courts," RemoveYourContent's Eric Green said.
In his pleadings, Hodges argued that copies of the films did not merit infringement because they were dubbed in German.
Attorney Evan Stone responded that such an alteration in an adult film was not sufficiently transformative to make a difference.
“One need not examine the films themselves to know that the meat of an adult motion picture is typically not the dialogue,” he said.
The judge agreed with Stone.
"I hope this sends a clear message to other site operators profiting from stolen content," said Cecil Howard, the legendary producer/director behind Command Cinema. "I invested my time, my money and a lot of sweat to make special movies for a discerning audience. These pirate sites are offensive, illegal and in general disgust me. Take note, we will stand up and defend what is ours."