Judge Grants 402 Models Copyrights to Their GirlsDoPorn Content

Judge Grants 402 Models Copyrights to Their GirlsDoPorn Content

SAN DIEGO (CN) — In an unusual decision, U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino granted an order of restitution Friday transferring the copyright of hundreds of GirlsDoPorn videos to the models who appear in them.

Judge Sammartino issued the order as part of the judgement against the site’s disgraced scout and male talent, Ruben Andre "Dre" Garcia.

A January 2019 federal indictment named owner and mastermind Michael Pratt, Matthew Wolfe, Theodore "Teddy" Gyi, Valorie Moser, Amberlyn Dee Nored (aka Amberlyn Clark) and Garcia as co-conspirators in the GDP operation.

Garcia was sentenced to 20 years in June after pleading guilty in December 2020 to charges of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; and sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.

Pratt has been a fugitive from U.S. federal authorities since late 2019 and was last presumed to be in his native New Zealand.

A Very Unusual Decision

Friday’s decision is unusual for a number of reasons. A civil case against the GDP defendants predated the unsealing of the criminal case and the arrest of most of the people responsible for the site. That case was brought forward by 22 Jane Does, who eventually won it after the criminal case was well underway.

Judge Sammartino, however, explicitly granted the omnibus copyright transfer to 402 models who appeared on the site. All these models “can now seek takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act against websites that continue to allow pirated versions of the flicks to be republished on their websites,” Courthouse News reported Friday.

“It awards the video rights to all known victims who filmed with GirlsDoPorn, not just the Does listed in the civil contract fraud case or those who sought restitution from Garcia,” one of the prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Foster, told Courthouse News after the hearing.

“I think we all recognize Mr. Garcia is not a wealthy man; what is driving this is the rights to the videos. 402 victims is significantly larger than the victims listed in the cases,” Foster told the legal news site. “They now have the ability, without filing a civil suit, to seek take down orders.”

'It Is Now a Copyright Issue'

Brian Holm, the attorney for the 22 Jane Does in the civil suit that resulted in the shuttering of GDP and exposed its criminal methods, told Courthouse News that “this order is so encompassing and wide-ranging, there shouldn’t be any question the person asking for the takedown is a victim.”

“Most sites at this point shouldn’t mess with any GirlsDoPorn content, since it is now a copyright issue,” Holm added, pointing out that “some of his clients had been previously successful in using Judge Enright’s order from Jan. 2020 to get their videos taken down, only for the videos to resurface and show up in Google search results,” Courthouse News reported.

Holm also said that all the site’s models can now use Judge Sammartino’s order to “ask videos on Google to be deindexed.”

“Every video is the result of a sex trafficking scheme and shouldn’t be showing up in search results,” Holm continued. “It’s sad it takes the copyrights, as opposed to their status as a victim of sex trafficking, to get the videos taken down.”

Sammartino’s order, the legal news site reported, “also granted $907,000 in restitution to 23 of Garcia’s victims to cover medical and mental health care and other costs. GirlsDoPorn’s gross income — estimated to be nearly $17 million — was also ordered as restitution.”

In October 2021, the FBI raised the reward offered for information leading to Pratt’s arrest to $50,000.

For more of XBIZ’s coverage of the GDP case, click here.

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

Asa Akira to Deliver XBIZ Talk at Miami Conference

XBIZ is pleased to announce that decorated performer, Pornhub brand ambassador, and author Asa Akira is set to deliver an exclusive talk at XBIZ Miami.

JustFor.fans Launches 'Fentanyl Test Strip' Initiative

JustFor.fans (JFF) has launched a test strip initiative to combat the nationwide fentanyl crisis.

2025 XBIZ Miami Speaker Lineup Announced

XBIZ is pleased to announce the release of the full speaker lineup for XBIZ Miami, the latest edition of the adult industry’s premier summer conference, set to take place May 19-22 at the Nautilus Sonesta Miami Beach hotel in South Beach.

AV Bulletin: Arizona's About-Face, What New Laws Mean for Adult

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the United States. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, the U.K. and the EU are moving ahead with their own AV mandates and strategies, and legal challenges continue to play out in U.S. courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

Million Billion Media Launches New Website

Management and PR agency Million Billion Media (MBM) has launched a new website.

'Neon Nightswim' Party Returns to XBIZ Miami

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the annual Neon Nightswim Pool Party will once again illuminate XBIZ Miami on Tuesday, May 20.

FSC Addresses UK Age Verification Guidelines

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an article offering guidance on the U.K.'s Online Safety Act and the various guidelines put forward by the country's telecommunications regulator Ofcom.The article follows:

European Commission Posts AV Guidelines, Seeks Feedback

The European Commission has made public its draft guidelines on protecting minors online under the Digital Services Act, including age verification requirements covering adult sites and platforms.

'White-Hot' Party Set to Kick Off XBIZ Miami

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the annual White-Hot Party, the official opening bash of XBIZ Miami, is set for Monday, May 19, at Mynt Lounge in South Beach.

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches for March, April

AEBN has released the top search terms for March and April from its straight and gay theaters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Show More