PHOENIX — Gay adult studio BelAmi today settled claims against the operator of Teens-Boys-World.com and TBWStudio.com.
BelAmi made copyright and trademark infringement claims in March, alleging the two sites poached 16 of the studio’s videos and streamed them.
BelAmi’s complaint targeted the sites’ owner, Ivan Foka, and his companies, as well as 10 John Does, seeking $150,000 per act of infringement, plus injunctive relief and attorneys' fees, as well as other costs.
Chad Belville, an industry attorney who represents BelAmi, told XBIZ, “As expected, this case has been settled.”
Belville, however, declined to reveal financial terms of the settlement, which has yet to be signed off by a federal judge.
BelAmi’s suit against Foka and his companies was potentially worth millions in damages. Foka did not respond to XBIZ for comment relative to the settlement.
BelAmi, which has a catalog of more than 1,000 gay adult films, is considered one of the most easily recognized brands in the space. Foka’s sites, Teens-Boys-World.com and TBWStudio.com, offer similar content.
Belville last month told XBIZ that he and Stuart Davis, president of BelAmi, have been strategizing “an ongoing comprehensive intellectual property protection program” for the studio.
“[W]e must protect our videos from blatant piracy by those who invest nothing and republish our works as their own,” he said.