NEW YORK - San Francisco-based LBB Corporation, the parent company of Spunk Video, has filed a lawsuit charging New York-based Lucas Entertainment Inc., Lucas Productions Inc., Lucas Distribution Inc. and their president and chief executive officer Michael Lucas with willful copyright infringement.
The suit, filed May 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleges Lucas and his companies misappropriated Spunk's hardcore bareback title Nasty Piss Boys and redistributed it as Raw Twinks in Czech. The suit seeks injunctive relief in addition to unspecified actual and punitive damages, attorneys' fees and costs.
"Michael Lucas produced a bareback movie and then refused to pay for it," Spunk producer Mike Brady explained. "He told the director to go sell it to someone else, and we bought it [and distributed it as Nasty Piss Boys]."
Lucas has been an outspoken opponent of bareback content.
Brady said his company became aware of Lucas' Raw Twinks in Czech shortly after it was released in April. He and the lawsuit avow the two movies are identical, and Spunk owns exclusive rights to the content.
Brady also alleged Raw Twinks in Czech does not adhere to the recordkeeping and labeling requirements of 18 U.S.C. ยง2257, although that charge is not included in the lawsuit out of what Brady called "deference to the industry's stance on the unconstitutionality of 2257.
"[Spunk is] the owner and copyright holder of this material and the true custodian of records," he said. "It is our duty to prevent the distribution of this material with improper labeling."
Lucas Entertainment released a brief public statement about the suit on May 15.
"Lucas Entertainment never had and does not have any intentions to produce bareback videos," the statement noted. "Our company is also not concerned about Spunk Video's motives to issue such a baseless [accusation]. Furthermore, Michael Lucas and Lucas Entertainment are not interested in continuing this conversation. We feel this issue was closed before ever being opened."
According to a Lucas Entertainment representative, Lucas was in South America when news of the lawsuit surfaced. His press agent released a statement from him. "I'm not even remotely interested in reading Spunk Video's press release, and Spunk Video is welcome to take any letter they have to any court they choose," the press agent said Lucas told him by phone.
GayVN
- By
