German Court Upholds Ban on PornHub, YouPorn

German Court Upholds Ban on PornHub, YouPorn

BERLIN — Germany’s Berlin Administrative Court has upheld a “network ban” on adult sites Pornhub and YouPorn for failing to comply with that country’s age verification regulations.

The order was issued by Germany’s federal media regulator, which in 2023 instructed telecom providers Telekom, Vodafone, Telefónica and 1&1 to initiate the blocking process.

That action came in response to a campaign by the State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia (LfM), which has targeted adult sites as part of a crusade to enforce certain provisions of Germany’s Youth Media Protection Interstate Treaty (JMStV). Those provisions require that pornographic sites accessible in Germany meticulously verify visitors’ ages via methods such as ID or biometric facial scans.

Spearheaded by agency director Tobias Schmid, an energetic anti-porn campaigner, those efforts previously led to a network ban blocking access to xHamster in 2022.

German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine has called a network ban “the harshest sanction provided by the German Telemedia Act,” terming it “unpopular” and noting that the measure is viewed as censorship. According to Netzpolitik’s Sebastian Meineck, however, xHamster, Pornhub and YouPorn have all circumvented network bans by altering their domains.

Pornhub and YouPorn are both owned by Aylo, which is legally based in Cyprus.

This new decision may be appealed to a higher court — or the matter could ultimately be decided via a separate case in which access provider Vodafone is the plaintiff before the Administrative Court in Düsseldorf. According to Netzpolitik, the telecom provider has contended that the European Union’s Digital Services Act shifts responsibility for matters such as age assurance compliance to the EU Commission.

Vodafone told Netzpolitik, “Because the DSA also regulates the protection of minors on the Internet, the provisions of the JMStV become inapplicable.”

An EU Commission spokesperson agreed, telling Netzpolitik, “We firmly believe that action at EU level is more effective in protecting minors from harmful content on online platforms, given the cross-border nature of these services and the need to offer users a consistent level of protection across the EU.”

A meeting of the European Board for Digital Services on Tuesday included discussions on the protection of minors, including the prospective EU age verification solution that incorporated a digital wallet-based AV app. The technical specifications of that app are available on GitHub.

Other countries, such as France, have said that their own AV measures are placeholders until that EU-wide plan can take effect.

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

NYC Adult Stores Petition for Rehearing in Zoning Law Case

A group of adult businesses on Tuesday petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit to rehear a case involving a zoning law that could severely limit adult stores’ operations in New York City.

Ofcom Releases Transparency Reporting Guidelines

Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, has made public its official guidance detailing how online service providers — including adult sites — will be required to publish annual transparency reports on their efforts to protect children from online harms.

New AV Rules Take Effect for Ireland-Based Sites

Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force Monday, including a provision requiring adult sites headquartered in Ireland to implement age assurance measures beyond self-declaration.

XBIZ Amsterdam Calls on New Startups for 'Spotlight' Program

XBIZ is pleased to announce that its new “Startup Spotlight” programming will make its European premiere at XBIZ Amsterdam 2025, set to take place Sept. 2-5 at the Jakarta Hotel Amsterdam.

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Show More