Has Obama been good for the adult industry?

[Minte]

Based on the number of programs that have closed. Websites that have been sold and webmasters that have left the building. I say no.

Or are you better of today than you were 4 years ago.

[DeletedBlogger]

Adult is its own worst enemy, I don't think a different leader 4 years ago would have changed much.

[Rochard]

Programs didn't close because of Obama. They closed because of what happened before Obama took office.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Rochard

Programs didn't close because of Obama. They closed because of what happened before Obama took office.

Of course. That's exactly how it was.

[sarettah]

Yeah, when Bush pushed through the "tubes get preference" legislation that was the start of the entire, painful, downward slide.

If anything, Obama has been trying to reverse all the evil that the Bush administration did to the industry. First he did the whole bailout of hustler,playboy and penthouse because they were of course "Too big to fail". Then he started the "porn webmaster mortgage assistance program".

Obama has been better for the porn industry than any president since Clinton

[TheSquealer]

Originally Posted by DeletedBlogger

Adult is its own worst enemy, I don't think a different leader 4 years ago would have changed much.

This sums up the State of the Union. People are their own worst enemy. People buying houses they can't afford are their own worst enemy. People hoping and believing a President will fix everything are their own worst enemy. People believing a President caused all their problems are their own worst enemy. People who think they are entitled are their own worst enemy etc etc etc.

Nation of total fucking idiots. All people want is for someone to listen to their idiotic and unreasonable demands... and someone to point the finger at when it all goes south.

Two great quotes from Margin Call:

So you think we might have put a few people out of business today. That its all for naught. You've been doing that everyday for almost forty years Sam. And if this is all for naught then so is everything out there. Its just money; its made up. Pieces of paper with pictures on it so we don't have to kill each other just to get something to eat. It's not wrong. And it's certainly no different today than its ever been. 1637, 1797, 1819, 37, 57, 84, 1901, 07, 29, 1937, 1974, 1987-Jesus, didn't that fuck up me up good-92, 97, 2000 and whatever we want to call this. It's all just the same thing over and over; we can't help ourselves. And you and I can't control it, or stop it, or even slow it. Or even ever-so-slightly alter it. We just react. And we make a lot money if we get it right. And we get left by the side of the side of the road if we get it wrong. And there have always been and there always will be the same percentage of winners and losers. Happy foxes and sad sacks. Fat cats and starving dogs in this world. Yeah, there may be more of us today than there's ever been. But the percentages-they stay exactly the same.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jesus, Seth. Listen, if you really wanna do this with your life you have to believe you're necessary and you are. People wanna live like this in their cars and big fuckin' houses they can't even pay for, then you're necessary. The only reason that they all get to continue living like kings is cause we got our fingers on the scales in their favor. I take my hand off and then the whole world gets really fuckin' fair really fuckin' quickly and nobody actually wants that. They say they do but they don't. They want what we have to give them but they also wanna, you know, play innocent and pretend they have no idea where it came from. Well, thats more hypocrisy than I'm willing to swallow, so fuck em.

[Forest]

yeah free porn and tubes had nothing to do with the downfall of this illustrious industry

But to answer you question yes i am far better off than i was in 2007

[Barry-xlovecam]

Yes, Obama and his administration have made porn a "non-issue."
Yes, our company and myself personally are in a better financial position.

[xNetworx]

I'm better off and piracy fucked up the biz. Not Barry.

[DWB]

God himself could have been president and porn would have played out just the same.

[Sly]

Originally Posted by DWB

God himself could have been president and porn would have played out just the same.

God IS president.

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

I would say that with regards to the adult industry, the Obama Justice Department has been way more hands-off concerning 2257 inspections than the previous Bush Administration was, although that may have something to do with the various legal challenges which have kept 2257 in limbo for much of the past 4 years.

More certainly could have done more with regards to the current sad state of copyright law. Has the industry (FSC, etc), ever crafted some proposed legislation to replace the current DMCA farce? Might be a good time to think about doing so, since people's political juices are stewing a bit it seems.

Based upon his past own statements, and the anti-pornography position in the Republican Party platform, I definitely feel that a Mitt Romney presidency would present more of a threat/challenge to the adult industry, than four more years of Obama would.

"Current laws on all forms of pornography and obscenity need to be vigorously enforced."

Though previous Republican platforms have called for increased prosecution of child pornography, this appears to be the first time that the party has called for a crackdown on sexually explicit material involving adults - a multi-billion-dollar industry.

According to Patrick Trueman, who ran the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section at the Department of Justice under President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush and who now runs Morality in Media, an anti-porn organization, Romney intends to launch a war on porn.

In a meeting with Alex Wong, Romney?s foreign and legal policy director, Trueman says Wong told him, ?Romney is sincere about this. He?s convinced this has now had a terrible effect on society, and he will enforce the law.?

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- Three of the leading GOP 2012 Presidential candidates have made statements committing to enforce existing federal obscenity laws if they are elected, while the current administration still refuses to enforce federal obscenity laws prohibiting distribution of hardcore pornography, according to Morality in Media.

Morality In Media launched efforts in October 2011 to contact the 2012 presidential candidates, including President Obama, to obtain their respective views on the enforcement of obscenity laws. Thousands of individuals sent emails, made calls and even spoke to the candidates in person urging them to respond to the survey. As a result of these efforts, the following candidates responded:

Former Governor Mitt Romney in a written statement:
"(I)t is imperative that we cultivate the promotion of fundamental family values. This can be accomplished with increased parental involvement and enhanced supervision of our children. It includes strict enforcement of our nation's obscenity laws, as well as the promotion of parental software controls that guard our children from Internet pornography."

ADG

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude

I would say that with regards to the adult industry, the Obama Justice Department has been way more hands-off concerning 2257 inspections than the previous Bush Administration was,

Exactly how many 2257 inspections were ever done by the feds? I can't find a number when I google it. Just vague references to Ashcroft and Bush being "bad".

I know there had to be quite a few, correct? With all the worry over this..I'm assuming there were hundreds or thousands of inspections.

Where can we find the exact number?

And does anyone know if and how many folks were actually shut down and/or faced criminal penalties over 2257 regs?

[Robbie]

Nobody? Is there no reference on this and we are all being scared for nothing? Or does anyone have a link to the numbers?

[Redrob]

I know quite a few studios were inspected in the Valley; but, I don't know an exact number because the studios never broadcasts the results.

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by Redrob

I know quite a few studios were inspected in the Valley; but, I don't know an exact number because the studios never broadcasts the results.

So basically all we really know is that some of the major studios in L.A. had their paperwork looked at?

And nobody was closed down or arrested?

And we have no knowledge of how many times the Feds did this?

Call me crazy....but it sounds like we are running from a bunch of fear and not much else if that's the case.

I'm not saying that they CAN'T make it bad. I just think that IF the govt. were to come after you, they'd probably use your 2257 docs as another tool in their arsenal to take you down. (like the feds did with Al Capone and his taxes)

[Theo]

Originally Posted by Robbie

Nobody? Is there no reference on this and we are all being scared for nothing? Or does anyone have a link to the numbers?

A bit over 15 if I recall well

[epitome]

Originally Posted by Barry-xlovecam

Yes, Obama and his administration have made porn a "non-issue."
Yes, our company and myself personally are in a better financial position.

Always the voice of reason. It is simply a non-issue under Obama if you play by the rules.

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by AVN Theo

A bit over 15 if I recall well

Wow! That's a low number! Are you saying just 15 companies were inspected? Or 15 faced criminal charges?

Or were there no criminal charges from any inspection?

[Redrob]

The FSC has challenged and continues to challenge the regulations in federal court which makes enforcement and prosecution difficult.

If you prosecute a case that is based on regulations that may be overturned by the court as unconstitutional, it will not look good on your resume going forward.

You will be seen as wasting huge amounts of taxpayer money on a quixotic prosecution.

Just my opinion.

[Barry-xlovecam]

Joe Obenberger told me (6 months ago?) that he was filing a FOI (Freedom of Information Act) to the USDOJ (or, the congressional committee affected) for the USDOJ's testimony of their enforcement actions of §2257 (to be reported annually) to congress (as the statute requires).

As Joe has not reported a reply -- I can only assume that the FOI request is "in motion" ...

https://gfy.com/showthread.php?t=1065929
https://gfy.com/showpost.php?p=18938760&postcount=25
https://gfy.com/showpost.php?p=18940062&postcount=27
https://gfy.com/showpost.php?p=18940567&postcount=31

[Barry-xlovecam]

Originally Posted by JohnnyClips

Which will take years to get

But what you fail to realize is that lawyers like him NEED lots and lots of government regulations, and prosecutions so he can constantly have new clients. If the government got rid of all these laws, then he'd be out of business

Yes, that would be the most cynical interpretation ...

[AsianDivaGirlsWebDude]

Originally Posted by Robbie

Exactly how many 2257 inspections were ever done by the feds? I can't find a number when I google it. Just vague references to Ashcroft and Bush being "bad".

I know there had to be quite a few, correct? With all the worry over this..I'm assuming there were hundreds or thousands of inspections.

Where can we find the exact number?

And does anyone know if and how many folks were actually shut down and/or faced criminal penalties over 2257 regs?

Not sure how many inspections there were while Ashcroft and Gonzalez ran the DOJ, but there were reports about inspections appearing on a fairly regular basis for awhile there.

MIAMI, Fla. — The FBI's 2257 inspection team conducted five inspections of Florida-based producers last week, all of which resulted in violations, XBIZ has learned.

Special Agent Chuck Joyner, the head of the FBI’s inspection team, confirmed to XBIZ via email that the inspection team flew to Miami on Sept. 16 (2007), and conducted the inspections over the course of that week.

Joyner told XBIZ that all five inspections resulted in violations, but at this time the FBI has no evidence of any minors being included in the content. Joyner said that one producer admitted that he did not keep any photo identification records prior to 2005, and a second producer failed to produce any photo identification records at the time of his inspection.

XBIZ has confirmed that one of the producers inspected was CandidCam.com. Other media reports indicated that VoyeurDorm.com had been inspected, but Mark Dolan, who represents both companies and was present for the inspection in question, told XBIZ that the inspection was of records maintained by CandidCam, not VoyeurDorm.

“The agents were very polite, cordial and thorough,” Dolan said, adding that the inspection took about three to four hours for agents to complete.

Dolan told XBIZ that while the inspection team did identify a few violations, all of the violations were minor. Dolan said that other violations included the need to change the address for the custodian of records for the company, as some material had an old address, and that the FBI requested that the dates of production be included on the company’s DVDs so that the address displayed when the disc was played. Dolan said that the DVD boxes did have the date of production listed.

Another violation involved having too much data with the records for a given title, Dolan said. In that instance, records for performers who had nonsex roles in the video were included in the records for the performers who did engage in sexually explicit conduct. Curing that violation involved merely removing the records for the nonsex performers, Dolan said.

“All things considered, I thought the inspection went very well,” Dolan said.

Joyner was traveling and not immediately available for follow-up questions, and could not be reached to confirm the information provided by Dolan.

If anyone really wants to know, I imagine that the FBI/DOJ could provide them with the precise stats, including inspections, violations, prosecutions, etc.

So let's do the math...Republican President = Numerous Inspections, Democrat President = Zero Inspections

I don't expect any US President to embrace porn anytime soon, therefore the best that we can hope for as an inustry, is to have an Administration that for the most part leaves us alone, and not one that is strongly aligned with enemies of the industry, and who pledges to go after all porn, making no distinction between illegal CP and legal consensual adult content.

Then again, Romney did get Jenna Jameson's vote (Jenna explained her decision this way, "When you're rich, you want a Republican in office"):







ADG

[BlackCrayon]

adult has been going downhill since at least 2004. i saw the writing on the wall and started focusing on other stuff from them on. its much easier to sell a product that isn't so easily stolen.

[Minte]

Doesn't anyone think that the economy being so poor for so long had anything to do with the downward spiral in this industry?

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by AsianDivaGirlsWebDude

So let's do the math...Republican President = Numerous Inspections, Democrat President = Zero Inspections

Heh-heh...come on man, that ain't math!

That's a handful of inspections on major companies who probably had a big bullseye on them all along.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of those inspections didn't happen out of pure curiosity on the part of the guys from the fed wanting to see what a porn company looked like on the inside.

They probably had visions of naked whores everywhere...and were immediately disappointed to find rooms full of computer geeks instead.

Anyway...it sure does sound like there never was a big 2257 problem. But more of a POTENTIAL problem. And that handful of inspections was probably a "test run" to see how it would work out.

Not sure if that equates to a Romney presidency being "bad" for adult. Especially if he were to turn the economy around...which would be very good for adult.

I'm glad I voted for Johnson...his stand is to abolish all obscenity laws and give people back their freedom of choice.

[Barry-xlovecam]

Originally Posted by Minte

Doesn't anyone think that the economy being so poor for so long had anything to do with the downward spiral in this industry?

It is a factor but not the major one.

However, if there was profit in the war economy of the past years when its bubble burst we all lost.

When a politician says he wants to put me out of business, even if I know he probably can't, I am not going to give him a chance to try.

[astronaut x]

Originally Posted by Minte

Of course. That's exactly how it was.

That is exactly how it was.

agreed.

[astronaut x]

Originally Posted by Robbie

Heh-heh...come on man, that ain't math!

That's a handful of inspections on major companies who probably had a big bullseye on them all along.
I wouldn't be surprised if some of those inspections didn't happen out of pure curiosity on the part of the guys from the fed wanting to see what a porn company looked like on the inside.

They probably had visions of naked whores everywhere...and were immediately disappointed to find rooms full of computer geeks instead.

Anyway...it sure does sound like there never was a big 2257 problem. But more of a POTENTIAL problem. And that handful of inspections was probably a "test run" to see how it would work out.

Not sure if that equates to a Romney presidency being "bad" for adult. Especially if he were to turn the economy around...which would be very good for adult.

I'm glad I voted for Johnson...his stand is to abolish all obscenity laws and give people back their freedom of choice.

Johnson?

Okie dokie then. I think that is kind of reckless given the difference in the candidates, their platforms and hidden agendas.

[Rochard]

Originally Posted by Minte

Doesn't anyone think that the economy being so poor for so long had anything to do with the downward spiral in this industry?

I do believe the poor economy encouraged porn users to frequent free tube sites more often, which in turn encouraged the tube sites.

However, our industry is still making money. The business model has changed a little bit, but still going strong.

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by JohnnyClips

lol another mind controlled sheep

Johnny Clips...you disrespectful little twit.

The only "Sheep" here is YOU. In life I am a wolf and would eat you for lunch.

You are so goddamn pretentious trying to come across like you are superior or smarter than the rest of us.

You're not. I could out think you with half my brain tied behind my back. Now either contribute something of real value to the discussion or just shut the fuck up.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Robbie

Johnny Clips...you disrespectful little twit.

The only "Sheep" here is YOU. In life I am a wolf and would eat you for lunch.

You are so goddamn pretentious trying to come across like you are superior or smarter than the rest of us.

You're not. I could out think you with half my brain tied behind my back. Now either contribute something of real value to the discussion or just shut the fuck up.

Clips is like the Wizard of Oz. Loud and knowledgeable as long as he can hide behind a curtain.

[Qbert]

FWIW, I'm seeing plenty of koolaid drinking on both sides of this debate (and all the other political threads).

From where I sit the premise of the initial question is flawed, but then it was never intended to get to the truth. It was intended to stir up a debate, which it did.

Perhaps everyone needs to take a step back and examine how their personal biases may be effecting their perception of the facts.

[Slappin Fish]

Originally Posted by Minte

Based on the number of programs that have closed. Websites that have been sold and webmasters that have left the building. I say no.

Or are you better of today than you were 4 years ago.

Yep it isn't tubes, file lockers, much more savvy surfers who know where to get shit for free....noooo it's Obama.

And btw some porn programs have closed but many mainstream programs have opened and thrived, by your logic should we say it is thanks to Obama?

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Slappin Fish

Yep it isn't tubes, file lockers, much more savvy surfers who know where to get shit for free....noooo it's Obama.

And btw some porn programs have closed but many mainstream programs have opened and thrived, by your logic should we say it is thanks to Obama?

If you want to say thanks to Obama for your success and prosperity then by all means...say thanks,.

[Slappin Fish]

Originally Posted by Minte

If you want to say thanks to Obama for your success and prosperity then by all means...say thanks,.

Yes maybe I should thank Obama for my stock portfolio being worth 10x more than in 2008 but unlike you I don't see the world through left or right tinted glasses, I know there are more mechanism at play.

[ThunderBalls]

Republicans crack me up, on one hand govt doesn't create jobs, on the other Rmoney is going to create 15 million jobs. 15 million newly crumb catchers, nice.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by ThunderBalls

Republicans crack me up, on one hand govt doesn't create jobs, on the other Rmoney is going to create 15 million jobs. 15 million newly crumb catchers, nice.

Government creates a scenario where it's advantageous for businesses to grow. Obama created 15 million more food stamp recipients. What's better..more people on government assistance or more people paying their own way.

[Minte]

Originally Posted by Slappin Fish

Yes maybe I should thank Obama for my stock portfolio being worth 10x more than in 2008 but unlike you I don't see the world through left or right tinted glasses, I know there are more mechanism at play.

Thanks Captain Obvious.

And yes you probably should thank Obama for keeping the market from totally collapsing. After all, he did invest nearly a trillion dollars of taxpayer money into it.

[Slappin Fish]

Doesn't seem like it is obvious to you.

Why are porn sales down. Tubes, Torrents, Usenet, File lockers, Knowledge, then maybe then the economy, which itself is mainly the result of bankers that created financial instruments they couldn't control, average joe blog who took loans he didn't understand to buy things he didn't need, regulator who failed to regulate, etc.

That someone would try to blame Bush, Obama or whoever for poor porn sales like you're doing now is a perfect example of how dogmatic ideology has replaced common sense. And if anything that's what is hurting the country.

[DWB]

Originally Posted by Robbie

So basically all we really know is that some of the major studios in L.A. had their paperwork looked at?

And nobody was closed down or arrested?

They even found 2257 violations and were given a chance to correct them.

Like everything else, it's a bunch of fear mongering. Keep your records, if you get inspected, show them. I'd personally like to see inspections again and get rid of the secondary producers BS that tubes can hide behind. If you make a mistake, you get a chance to fix it. If you don't have records, you go to jail. That would be fair.

[Qbert]

Originally Posted by DWB

I'd personally like to see inspections again and get rid of the secondary producers BS that tubes can hide behind. If you make a mistake, you get a chance to fix it. If you don't have records, you go to jail. That would be fair.

Nice in theory, but in practice it wouldn't make any difference. Nearly all of the large traffic tubes sites are operated from outside of the US where the DOJ has no authority to do inspections.

[Redrob]

My business is pretty good. Preliminary figures show a 15% increase in net over last year. I can't say this is my best year ever; but, the figures are the first real improvement I've seen in a while.

[PornMD]

Yup, Obama started banging people's cards, then started all the torrents, forums and tube sites where everyone gets their free porn. Right.

This industry is worse than 4 years ago because of...*drumroll*...this industry! Oh wait, Obama was supposed to come in and save the day, clean up the tubes n shit and make sure no copyrighted material was ever being given away without permission! You know, cuz anyone in government cares about how well adult is doing.

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by PornMD

This industry is worse than 4 years ago because of...*drumroll*...this industry!

I agree 100%

The entertainment business is damn near recession proof. We should be doing really well through all of this.

But piracy and entire members areas given away for free added to the bad economy = a perfect storm of shit for our business.

[Black All Through]

There has never been a president "good" for porn. However Romney Ryan will be "bad" for porn, if they stick to what they've said.

[Robbie]

Originally Posted by Black All Through

if they stick to what they've said.

And there is the thing that politicians never seem to do.

[mce]

What do you guys think of this theory: Hurricane Sandy and fed response and leadership = locked in Obama reelection?