Adult gigastar Jenna Jameson has alleged that the motive behind Acacia Research Corp. suing nine cable and satellite television companies is that Acacia realizes their case against the adult Internet is failing.
Calling the cable/satellite suits over Acacia's streaming media patent claims (known as Digital Media Transmission), "a new attempt to extract millions of dollars in licensing fees," Jameson whose own ClubJenna is one of the adult companies Acacia has sued for alleged patent infringement, said Acacia picked adult because it's a "politically incorrect group and an easy target."
She also charged that Acacia began chasing the cable/satellite companies to get what it could before a federal court determines what the DMT patent group does or does not actually cover.
"Acacia has come to realize that its legal theory has stumbled and that it won’t succeed in lumping all adult companies into a single class," Jameson said in a statement released June 23. "So it is now trying to grab what it can by going after the cable and satellite companies before the Court tells everyone what Acacia’s patents really cover. People in the adult industry should still be concerned because anything can happen in court. If Acacia somehow succeeds they will essentially be able to shut down or get a judgment against any company they accuse of violating their bogus patent claims.”
Acacia sued nine cable and satellite TV providers, including Comcast, Echostar, and others, in federal court last week. Victor de Gyarfas, one of the attorneys helping the adult Internet defend against the patent infringement claims, said at that time that Acacia's actions showed the litigation wouldn't stop "until they get everybody who streams audio or video, though they've made an exception for live [material]. Anyone who streams stored video or audio, they're on Acacia's radar screen."
Acacia also wants a federal judge to grant class action status involving several of the adult Internet suits, which ClubJenna said would deny the companies involved the right to have individual voices in the cases and possibly force them to choose between paying Acacia or closing up shop. Attorneys with Fish & Richardson, leading the adult Internet companies' legal defense, have filed motions to deny the class action status, instead calling for a mechanism "to streamline and swiftly end" the legal proceedings, ClubJenna said.
Acacia executive vice president Robert Berman declined to comment on Jameson's remarks when reached by AVNOnline.com. ClubJenna joined the Internet Media Protective Association – a group of some of the adult Internet challengers to the DMT claims, led by New Destiny/Homegrown Video and VS Media, Inc. – in May, five months after the company was hit with an Acacia infringement suit.
