BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - HUSTLER founder and publisher Larry Flynt and "Girls Gone Wild" mogul Joe Francis have proposed a $5 billion government bailout on behalf of the ailing adult entertainment industry.
The two controversial porn moguls are appealing to Congress for financial relief, citing an economic downturn that has sent adult DVD sales plummeting by a reported 22 percent during the past 12 months.
"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind," Flynt said. "It's time for Congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America."
Francis plans to personally deliver the message in Washington, D.C. The embattled "Girls" CEO compared the T & A industry to America's Big Three automobile manufacturers....only bigger, according to TMZ.com.
"Congress seems willing to help shore up our nation's most important businesses; we feel we deserve the same consideration," Francis said.
It's a publicity stunt - but one with a serious point. A writer for Associated Content pointed out that the porn relief plan is "just as nonsensical as trusting government spendthrift politicians to get America out of the mess they got it into in the first place."
Meanwhile, news reports confirm that Flynt was not joking with his threat to file a trademark infringement lawsuit against his nephews, Dustin Flynt and Jimmy Flynt II. According to the Los Angeles Times, the suit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Lawyers for Larry and company served the younger Flynts with a stern cease-and-desist order in late December, following the announcement on AVN.com that Dustin and Jimmy had formed a rival adult video venture under the corporate banner of Flynt Media.
"To come into the adult entertainment business and use my name not only confuses people who buy my products, but if they're not maintaining a certain quality, it could also hurt my name," Larry Flynt told the Times.
The younger Flynts remain adamant about their right to do blue business with their famous surname. While the brothers' chosen sales rep Bill Rix has already jumped ship over the Flynt family feud, the newly formed company is staying the course with a VIP launch party to be held this week during the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas.
"It's my brother['s] and my turn to be successful in this business," Dustin Flynt told the Times. "The fact of the matter is my name is Flynt. If I can't use my name to do business, then what kind of society, what kind of world is that?"
According to reports, Dustin and Jimmy Junior have already packaged seven new adult videos under their Flynt brand. Sample titles include Positive Exposure, Sex at Your Service and Xtreme Jugs.
