Faceporn Trademark Suit Could Be Dismissed

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal court, on its own motion, has raised the issue of personal jurisdiction in Facebook's suit against Faceporn.com, operated out of Norway.

Facebook has been ordered to show cause why its trademark infringement lawsuit against Faceporn shouldn't be dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction.

"Facebook alleges that Faceporn is a highly interactive website that has 250 users in California and 1,000 users in the U.S., and that Faceporn targeted 'a U.S. audience' by registering its website with a domain name ending in 'com.,'" the court said in an order.

"These allegations alone, without facts showing that Faceporn’s California viewer base was 'an integral component' of Faceporn’s business model and profitability, falls short of meeting Facebook’s burden to establish that the exercise of personal jurisdiction over defendants is proper."

The court, citing precedent in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case Mavrix Photo vs. Brandtech, said that '[n]ot all material placed on the Internet is, solely by virtue of its universal accessibility, expressly aimed at every state in which it is accessed.'" 

Facebook sued Thomas Pedersen, of Bergen, Norway, and company Retro Invent, which ran the Faceporn site (The site currently redirects to tube site Faceporn.no.). Faceporn offered porn and allowed users to create profiles, join groups, upload photos and video and conduct live chats.

Facebook served Pedersen and Retro Invent using the Hague Convention on service abroad of judicial documents, and later moved for default judgment, which was stymied by the order to show cause by U.S. District Judge Nathanael Cousins.

Cousins gave Facebook until Monday to show cause why the case infringement case shouldn't be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

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

Industry Attorney Paul Cambria Retires After 50 Years of Practicing Law

After more than a half-century in practice, during which he provided the defense in some of the adult industry's most notable legal cases, attorney Paul Cambria has retired.

2026 XMA Nominations Party Set for Nov. 19 in Hollywood

The 2026 XMA nominations reveal party will take place at Keys on the Sunset Strip on Wednesday, Nov. 19, with red-carpet arrivals starting at 8 p.m.

New VR Membership Site 'DeepInSex.com' Launches

The new 8K VR membership site DeepInSex has officially launched.

NATS Launches Integrated Content Management System

Too Much Media (TMM) has rolled out an integrated, no-charge Content Management System (CMS) to its NATS platform.

AEBN Reveals Avery Lust as Top Trans Star for Q3 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the third quarter of 2025, with Avery Lust landing atop the leaderboard.

FSC: California's Device-Based AV Law Does Not Apply to Adult

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) put out an advisory today explaining that California's new device-based age verification law does not apply to adult websites.

Reena Sky Launches New Paysite

Reena Sky has launched her new official paysite, ILoveReenaSky.com.

NextGen Payment Joins ASACP as Corporate Sponsor

NextGen Payment has signed on as the latest corporate sponsor for the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP).

Lauren Phillips, Derek Kage Cap AEBN's Top Stars for 3rd Quarter of 2025

AEBN has revealed its most popular performers in straight and gay theaters for the third quarter of 2025.

XBIZ 2026 Conference to Debut All-New Company Lounges, Community Track

The event website for XBIZ 2026 is now live, unveiling details for North America’s largest adult industry conference, including two all-new show features: Company Lounges and a Community Track.

Show More