SAN DIEGO, Calif.—Gay adult content producer Corbin Fisher has resolved a copyright infringement dispute with mobile phone content provider Hunkfest, Corbin Fisher’s corporate counsel announced Thursday. Terms of the settlement, finalized before the action was filed with the court, were not disclosed.
“We initially tried to settle this matter for a small but reasonable fee,” Corbin Fisher Chief Operating Officer Brian Dunlap explained. “Hunkfest rejected that offer, so we had our attorney draw up a complaint to be filed in federal court seeking more than $300,000 in damages. We sent [Hunkfest] a copy of it the night before it was to be filed. When their attorney saw that we meant business, they came to the negotiating table.”
According to Corbin Fisher General Counsel Marc J. Randazza, Hunkfest pirated Corbin Fisher content to bolster the offerings of the former’s Android mobile-phone application, Hunkfest Platinum. This particularly aggravated Corbin Fisher, as the company is in the final stages of developing its own mobile application.
“When we saw that Hunkfest was using our content to seed their business, we went into action,” Randazza said. “We police our copyrights vigilantly. If you infringe on our intellectual property rights, you pay. No exceptions.”
Dunlap hastened to add that in no way was his company’s action an attempt to prevent competition.
“We don’t mind healthy competition,” Dunlap said. “But, competing with us by using our own content is intolerable.”
Hunkfest attorney Karla F. González-Acosta said the settlement amount was substantial, but fair. She said the situation could have been avoided entirely if both parties had received expert legal advice from the outset.
“Corbin Fisher was firm, but reasonable,” González-Acosta said. “Unfortunately, before my client retained me, they were under the impression that this was not a serious matter. My client could have gotten out of this much less expensively had they accepted Corbin Fisher’s initial settlement offer.”
Randazza agreed.
“When we approach infringers, we usually offer a reasonable settlement,” he said. “When it is rejected, my orders are to go full-bore. This company will take even the smallest infringer to court.”
Dunlap indicated Corbin Fisher will not shy away from similar confrontations in the future. The company now feels as though it has an ally in future endeavors to combat content theft.
“Online piracy is one of the biggest threats to this industry, so we have to—and will—be vigilant and aggressive about protecting our rights,” he said. “However, moving forward, we wish Hunkfest the best of luck as it embarks on a new path of developing its own intellectual property.”
For more information about Corbin Fisher, visit CorbinFisher.com.
