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National A-1 to Fight 2257 Addendums With Sizeable Donations

By: Justin Bourne

Posted: 06/27/2007

PHILADELPHIA - National A-1 Internet Inc., owner and operator of pay-per-minute video-on-demand website HotMovies.com, among others, announced earlier this week that it will match the ultimate $10,000 grant AdultFriendFinder.com makes to the Free Speech Coalition to support the FSC's fight against certain amendments to the 18 U.S.C. § 2257 recordkeeping statute.

FSC was quick to express its deep gratitude to the studios that participated in FreedomStreams '07, which garnered the participation of 69 donors representing 323 studios. HotMovies brought everyone together under its leadership and matched all donations dollar for dollar.

"This is the second year National A-1 has led the way to raise funds through a FreedomStreams event," said Scott L. Lowther, director of membership services for the FSC. "It took months of preparation and hard work by the staff of HotMovies to enlist the support of their online studios for this special event. We are truly indebted to HotMovies.com."

James Seibert, National's director of business development, told AVNOnline.com, "We congratulate and support AdultFriendFinder's acknowledgment that the Free Speech Coalition is the only organization actively fighting this provision. We will match AFF's highest grant to the FSC and send another $10,000 in addition to [what was garnered] the last fundraising event in April, which netted close to $20,000. Platinum Bucks stepped up and offered $10,000, and we urge all affiliate programs, webmasters, and end users to help us in this important fight for free speech."

If the U.S. Department of Justice makes the amendments challenged by the FSC effective, it would require ostensible "secondary producers" to acquire and maintain records for every performer in every sexually explicit image used by that producer. The FSC continues to warn that the addendums to the 2257 law would subject secondary producers to inspections by the FBI. The expected changes in the law would cost millions of dollars in additional staffing, filing and computer resources apart from the cost of defending prosecutions.

"If the Department of Justice prevails, the struggle to reverse these measures will be longer, more expensive, and even more laborious," Seibert added.

Seibert continues to urge industry affiliates and other concerned parties who want to stop the "assault on freedom of expression" to help the FSC by making contributions allotted for the matching grants.

In the past year, government involvement has increased within the adult entertainment industry at both the state and federal levels.

"The best way to turn that tide is as the unified voice of a unified industry through the Free Speech Coalition," Lowther said. "It's more important than ever that we continue to work together to meet our challenges head on."

The FSC is the trade organization devoted to the security of the adult entertainment industry. Its mission is to preserve the industry and thwart oppressive government regulation.