GoFuckYourself.com - Adult Webmaster Forum

As you can probably tell from the small number of posts I have made in here, I have only started reading and posting here recently. Beore that, the only adult webmaster board I read with any regularity was TNB. Before last week, I had heard about the Acacia thing but never thought it would ever mean anything to a small guy like myself. After reading the Acacia threads on this board, however, I started to change my opinion. Well, today I got the packet everyone else has been talking about. I seriously doubt they found me because I posted negative things about them in here, mainly because they had originally sent the packet to my old mailing address so I probably would have gotten it last week otherwise.

(BTW, anyone else notice that they start threatening right away in their letter - providing copies of the injunctions they've gotten against other adult webmasters and such -- aren't they suppose to start off being nice?). Like threats are really gonna make me any more likely to pay them.

The irony is that I use VERY few videos on my sites and that part of my business has cost me so much in BW (from password thieves and such) that it isn't really worth it. I'd say 10% of my income comes from video. Now they are asking for me to pay them a huge licensing fee every fucking year AND give them the right to aduit my books whenever they want? Shit! I wouldn't even give the Government the right to do that if I had a say in the matter.

Anyone know a good lawyer in the Houston, TX area who has some experience with the adult industry? I have to say it's one thing to say you're not gonna cave into them when you're not a target. The people closest to me know what I do on the net. But in addition to that I have a job which I love and do not want to have to give that up (which I would in all likelihood have to do if I decided to play 'Larry Flynt'). So what do I do?

(1) Quit the business altogether?
(2) Dump all my video content and just do pics?
(3) Retain a lawyer and fight the bastards?
(4) Pay them the extortion money?

Choice (4) is really not an option. I'd rather throw my last penny into the sea than give it to them. If I choose (2) there's no guarentee that they wouldn't come after me anyway. The same is true for (1). The irony is that they say in their letter that I have until December 2002 to reply so that I can avoid paying back licensing fees. How can I reply by Dec 2002 if I didn't get the fucking letter until July 2003? And how the FUCK can they prove I even used videos last year? HOW MUCH MONEY DO THEY WANNA STEAL FROM ME?

What is the point of taking the small guy to court anyway? For christ's sake, I don't own a home so there's nothing for them to put a lein on. How do they expect to collect? You can't get blood out of a stone?

When you throw this in with the Visa and MC shit that's been coming down lately, I'm frankly ready to give the whole thing up. I'm so fucking sick of all the goddam greed out there. I guess my biggest fear is that they would serve me in my place of work. I'm not so sure they wouldn't, in which case, what makes them any different than a group of street thugs who approach every store owner on the block and demand protection money? whether I decide to stay in this biz or not, you can sign me up right now for the class action suit down the road.

This is America. We're supopose to be free here.