HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - In the "Anti-Piracy 101" luncheon held Monday afternoon during Internext Summer in Hollywood, Fla., Diane Duke, executive director for the Free Speech Coalition, kicked things off with a special thanks to the Global Anti-Piracy Association and Sureflix for unwavering support and a donation of $25,000.
Attendees then converged on three separate tables in order to discuss the plague of piracy with industry professionals well schooled in the process of filing copyrights, tracking pirated copy and filing suit against violators.
Adam Lucas, an expert in copyright laws, led one roundtable in a discussion surrounding the basics of copyrighting.
"Copyright is a form of protection offered by the laws of the U.S. (title 17, U.S. code) to the authors of ‘original works of authorship,'" Lucas explained. "It is a protection available to published and unpublished works and is a vital first step in combating piracy."
Lucas went on to cover copyright fees, registration of various works and methods for filling out application forms properly.
Kevin Song delved into tracking pirated content, how to identify the problem, what to do once a problem has been recognized and the anti-piracy services to employ in order to protect your content.
Heading up the legal roundtables were industry attorneys Clyde DeWitt and Greg Piccionelli. DeWitt covered topics on creating a case, attorney fees and making a decision to litigate.
"We have to develop a business model that basically makes suing people for copyright infringement a viable revenue stream," DeWitt said. "The industry has to unite and be ready to go all the way in litigation to deter these criminals and set an example for others."
Piccionelli conferred with attendees about cease and desist letters, what they are, how to compose one and how to arrive at a desirable outcome.
Clearly piracy is a hot-button topic in the adult industry today and with the support of organizations like the Free Speech Coalition and the Global Anti-Piracy Association, and companies like Sureflix, everyone can do their part in combating this growing problem.
Duke closed by saying "the idea is to bring our industry together so we can position ourselves as effective, knowledgeable professionals who will not stand for this criminal activity."
