| Gaybucks |
02-19-2008 05:54 AM |
Several have already said it, I'll say it a little more longwinded.
It's easy to say "Oh, I can get away without hiring an attorney."
What most new webmasters don't realize is that small, seemingly minor errors in 2257 recorkeeping can mean jail time (5 years/violation.) We've been in the industry for 6 years now, I read all of the new regs when they come out (the actual regs, not somebody's abbreviated version) and re-read them fairly frequently, we talk to our attorney on a regular basis about 2257, and I STILL have questions that come up for our attorney probably once a month.
Likewise, there are complex issues with the intersection of state privacy laws and federal 2257 regs, and if you just use a generic model release -- or even some of the boilerplate adult-specific releases I've seen floating around the web -- it probably won't address those issues, so you could run yourself into separate issues where complying with 2257 will require you to violate a model's privacy in some states... unless your release has the proper language to cover you.
Basically, if you can't afford a couple hour consultation with a competent adult industry attorney, you really can't afford to start in the biz. This is probably one of the most highly regulated industries out there, and you don't want to make a stupid mistake that will end up costing 5 years earnings to undo because you didn't invest in sound legal advice.
Not trying to be harsh, just trying to drive it home.
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