CANOGA PARK, Calif. - The Free Speech Coalition has announced the program for the "Issues Roundtable" it will hold at Cybernet Expo, set for June 10-12 in San Francisco.
From noon-1:45 p.m. June 12, Cybernet participants will discuss issues of importance to the industry over lunch. MovieDollars.com is sponsoring the roundtable.
"We wanted to give industry professionals an opportunity to have substantive discussions over issues of real importance to them," said Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition. "Special thanks to MovieDollars.com for making this event possible.
"The roundtable discussions will be facilitated by leaders from throughout our industry. People won't be talked at; they will be encouraged to participate in what we hope to be educational, interactive discussions."
Obscenity will be among the topics discussed at the roundtable.
Max Hardcore's obscenity trial is coming to a close. In early April, John Stagliano was indicted on several counts of obscenity violations. Although the number of obscenity violations is miniscule compared to the number of video transactions, in adult entertainment, there are risks to take into account when developing a business and a business model. Stagliano will moderate the discussion. Jeffrey Douglas, Hardcore's attorney and chair of the Free Speech Coalition's board, may contribute.
The roundtable also will include a discussion titled "OSHA - Oh, Shit!"
Cal/OSHA has cited a handful of adult companies for workplace safety violations. One of the areas in question is blood-borne pathogens. Current standards for blood-borne pathogens are based on clinical settings and, in essence, would require everyone on a set to be covered from head to toe in plastic. The discussion will be moderated by Tom Hymes, a Free Speech Coalition board member, executive editor for XBIZ and news director for Sex.com; and Michael Fattorosi, managing partner of the Fattorosi and Chisvin law firm and owner of AdultBizLaw.com.
The OSHA discussion will include questions such as:
"Is this a real concern for OSHA or just another veiled attempt to chip away at the industry?"
"What are the real workplace dangers on the set?"
"What are the producer's responsibilities?"
"Do the performers understand the risk factors?"
"What are the key factors for informed consent?"
"Should we as an industry self-regulate? Can we self-regulate and still maintain diversity of content? What are some ways we could self-regulate?"
The roundtable also will include a discussion titled "Down the Tubes - Or Not?" Many, if not all, in the industry are suffering as a result of pirated content. Add to that the immense amount of legal, free content, and some are wondering whether they can continue to make a profit. Tube sites are the focus of much of the blame. But what's an industry to do? The discussion will be moderated by Eric Bernstein, a Free Speech Coalition board member and adult-industry attorney; and Theresa Reed (Darklady), a Free Speech Coalition board member and adult-industry journalist.
The discussion will explore questions such as:
"Is the industry shooting itself in the foot by flooding the market with free content?"
"The cat is out of the bag, as far as tube sites. How can the industry fight back? Should it?"
"Are there acceptable tube sites? What makes a tube site acceptable?"
"Can producers and distributors profit from tube sites? How?"
For more information, visit CybernetExpo.com.
