Perfect 10's $25M Suit Alleges 165,000 Poached Images

SAN DIEGO — No stranger to filing claims against alleged pirates, Perfect 10 has waged a $25 million suit against Texas-based Giganews Inc. and Livewire Services Inc., claiming the operator is illegally posting its copyrighted images on its servers.

Perfect 10 claims in its suit that Giganews and Livewire, as well as scores of accompanying websites, broker "massive quantities" of infringing materials and that the company was rebuffed by cease-and-desist letters sent in August to the companies.

In all, Perfect 10 says the defendants have in total, copied, distributed, displayed, and sold more than 165,000 Perfect 10 copyrighted images. "Roughly 15,000 Perfect 10 copyrighted images per website," the suit said.

All of the allegedly infringing sites, Perfect 10 noted, are hosted by Data Foundry Inc. and controlled by Ron Yokubaitis, a longtime Austin, Texas-based Internet entrepreneur.

Websites owned by Giganews include Giganews.com and Supernews.com; Livewire sites include RhinoNewsgroups.com, PowerUsenet.com, InfinityUsenet.com, EuroUsenet.com, GalacticGroups.com, CheapNewsgroups.com, FastUsenet.com, UsenetGiant.com and Usenet.net.

"On each of the websites, defendants sell to their customers for as little as $4.99 per month, access to their servers, which are virtual warehouses containing billions of dollars worth of copyrighted works, including pictures, movies, songs, and copyrighted software," the suit said. "Defendants purportedly copy all of the materials on their servers from a global system of online bulletin boards.

"Defendants allow users to search their massive collections of infringing materials for specific files."

Perfect 10's Norm Zada, who founded the company, told XBIZ that the two companies on their 11 sites "have posted more that $30 million worth of content without paying a dime."

"I'm trying to protect the property Perfect 10 owns," he said. "If you get robbed you do something about it. Copyright infringement is copyright infringement, and cyberspace shouldn't be any different."

Yokubaitis, who owns and operates Data Foundry, was not available for immediately available for comment to XBIZ. Data Foundry is one of the largest and oldest data centers in Texas. It was founded in 1994.

The suit, filed Thursday at U.S. District Court in San Diego, seeks for the destruction of Perfect 10 copyrighted images and an injuction, as well as restitution of $5 million, actual damages of $5 million, statutory damages under the Copyright Act of $5 million, treble damages of $5 million and additional statutory damages under California law for $5 million, as well as punitive damages.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

2025 XBIZ Amsterdam Website Launches With Call for Speakers

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the website for its annual European conference, XBIZ Amsterdam, is now live.

NC Governor Vetoes Bill Targeting Adult, Could Face Override

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein today vetoed a bill imposing new regulations that adult industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

25,000 Sign Petition to Legalize Pornography in Ukraine

An OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine has amassed the 25,000 signatures required for official consideration by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

WannaCollab Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

WannaCollab has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

FSC Unpacks SCOTUS Age Verification Ruling in Webinar

The Free Speech Coalition conducted a public webinar Tuesday to help adult industry stakeholders understand the Supreme Court’s recent decision in FSC v. Paxton, and its potential implications.

UK Lawmaker Calls for Appointment of 'Porn Minister'

Baroness Gabrielle Bertin, the Conservative member of Parliament who recently convened a new anti-pornography task force, is calling for the appointment of a “minister for porn,” according to British news outlet The Guardian.

FSC Toasts Jeffrey Douglas for 30 Years of Service

n the very same evening when the adult industry was hit hard by the Supreme Court ruling supporting Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181, members of the Free Speech Coalition board, staff and supporters gathered to celebrate Jeffrey Douglas’ 30 years as board chair — a fitting reflection of his reputation as an eternal optimist.

TTS Opens UK Testing Location

Talent Testing Service (TTS) has opened a new U.K. location in Ware, Hertfordshire.

FSC: Age-Verification Laws Go Into Effect in South Dakota, Georgia, Wyoming on July 1

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a statement regarding new age verification laws set to go into effect tomorrow in South Dakota, Georgia, and Wyoming.

FSC Responds to Supreme Court Decision on Texas AV Law

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement responding to last week's Supreme Court decision on FSC v. Paxton, the Texas age verification law.

Show More