NOV 2013 - XBIZ Digital

WORLD THE INDUSTRY SOURCE FOR THE DIGITAL MEDIA MARKET NOVEMBER 2013 | WWW.XBIZ.COM

Executive Seat

Vivas’ Take on Porn

WIA Woman of Month

SHOWING A LOVE FOR THE BIZ: STAREDITION’S ALEX LECOMTE PAGE 40

ALLISON VIVAS’ NEW BOOK, “MAKING PEACE WITH PORN,” IS NOW ON SALE PAGE 45

CMPRODUCTIONS’ NEW HIRE, INDUSTRY VETERAN AMY SZABO PAGE 88

Manwin Rebrands as MindGeek

ALSO INSIDE

CEO Fabian Thylmann Sells Stake in Company

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The Condom Link u Piracy in porn, barrier protection and the bottom line. PAGE 12

PAGES 30-39

Oktoberfest 2013 u On the Scene goes to Munich. PAGE 92

Q&A PRESIDENTIAL SUITE

QUICK INDEX OPINION LEGAL REALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 PIRACY JOURNAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 DATING TRENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PAYSITE POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 TRANSACTION TRUTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ONLINE BILLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 RE: THINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

MARKET WATCH BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 TRAFFIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 MOBILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 LAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 STUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 GAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

OTHER DEPARTMENTS ON THE SCENE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 THE INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 SURFERS FEEDBACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

ONTREAL — Manwin has been renamed MindGeek, a move that was made just days after Fabian Thylmann, its founder and CEO, said he was going to take a step back from the world of adult entertainment and sell his shares in Manwin to the company’s “top management team” for an undisclosed amount. Manwin.com now Thylmann redirects to Mind Geek.com, a site that calls the company an international information Please see MANWIN, page 82

Has Bitcoin Fizzled Out With Adult?

NETbilling’s Mitch Farber:

Faithful to His Vision

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OS ANGELES — Of all the breakthrough technologies that one might have predicted to become a trend, the adoption of Bitcoin as a preferred payment platform for adult entertainment content, products and services, seems to be proceeding at a Please see BITCOIN, page 83

Through 15 years, the payment gateway has endured, grown and prospered. PAGE 28

Flirt4Europe

Top Retargeter

FLIRT4FREE HOSTS ANNUAL SUMMIT IN EUROPE PAGE 49

EXOCLICK IS NAMED A TOP RETARGETING COMPANY PAGE 54

Falcon Rising STUDIO CHIEF CHRIS WARD FINDS FALCON STRONGER THAN EVER PAGE 72

INSIDE XBIZ WORLD November 2013

CONTENTS Mr. Skin to Manage Naked News SK INTERTAINMENT — THE CELEBRITY NUDITY NETWORK BEHIND MR. SKIN AND MR. MAN — HAS INKED A DEAL TO MANAGE NAKED NEWS. PAGE 42

$600,000 .xxx Domain Name Sale REALLY USEFUL LTD. HAS ACQUIRED THE DOMAINS TEEN.XXX, MATURE.XXX, BDSM.XXX AND PUBLICSEX.XXX IN A DEAL WORTH $600,000. PAGE 44

CCBill: New Pricing Packages CCBILL HAS LAUNCHED A SERIES OF NEW PRICING PACKAGES NAMED CCBILL COMPLETE, CCBILL DATE, CCBILL DONATE AND CCBILL DIRECT. PAGE 45

Elevated X Adds New Support ELEVATED X HAS ADDED VIDEO STREAMING SUPPORT TO ITS ADULT SITE MANAGEMENT CMS SOFTWARE PRODUCT. PAGE 52

Epoch: New Mobile Forms EPOCH HAS RELEASED A NEW VERSION OF ITS PAYMENT FORM SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR USERS OF TABLETS AND SMARTPHONES. PAGE 56

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Porn Valley Divided Over Condoms THE ADULT INDUSTRY REMAINS DIVIDED OVER WHETHER CONDOMS SHOULD BE MANDATED IN PORN. PAGE 66

PrivateTV Launched in Europe PRIVATE MEDIA GROUP INC. LAUNCHES PRIVATETV IN EUROPE; A SEPARATE FRENCH CHANNEL WILL BE AVAILABLE. PAGE 70

Hardcore Gay From Cazzo HARDCORE GAY STUDIO CAZZO LAUNCHES CAZZOCLUB.COM AS PART OF GUNZBLAZING’S GLOBAL AFFILIATE NETWORK. PAGE 72

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WEB DEPOT reviews of useful web-based tools pages 90-91

} WWW.BERRIART.COM/SIDR } WWW.REQUIREJS.ORG } WWW.UNSLIDER.COM } WWW.GITHUB.COM/TWITTER/ TYPEAHEAD.JS

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56

THE OPENER

November 2013

Editor’s Note

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nline adult companies are always looking to find the right equations to squeeze more nickels and dimes out of their customers through alternate means. Successful billing solutions, as you know, are considered the lifeblood of the online adult business. Always has been. So many forward-thinking business owners are exploring new or revisiting old payment options to counter dropping revenue and conversion rations against prior performances. And times are changing as more companies offer more alternatives to customers, who are getting used to the idea of paying online without using the typical credit card. This issue of XBIZ World, starting on page 30, takes a special look at trends in the alternative billing space, whether it may involve prepaid cards, ACH, SEPA, direct carrier billing, SMS or micropayments. We hope you take a close read at the latest trends we've uncovered from some of the top experts in their fields and consider the top billing companies in both the alternative and traditional spaces in a roundup list we've compiled on pages 36-38. This issue also includes an expanded array of columnists featured to note, with three billing specialists, and a rundown of the ongoing saga in Porn Valley over the condom debate.

WORLD WORLD

THE INDUSTRY SOURCE FOR THE DIGITAL MEDIA NOVEMBER 2013 | WWW.XBIZ.C OM

MARKET

THE INDUSTRY SOURCE FOR THE DIGITAL MEDIA MARKET Executive Seat

SHOWING A LOVE FOR THE BIZ: STAREDITION’S ALEX LECOMTE PAGE 40

Vivas’ Take on Porn

ALLISON VIVAS’ NEW BOOK, “MAKING PEACE WITH PORN,” IS NOW ON SALE PAGE 45

ALSO INSIDE

WIA Woman of Month

CMPRODUCTIONS’ NEW HIRE, INDUSTRY VETERAN AMY SZABO PAGE 88

Manwin Rebrands as MindGeek

CEO Fabian Thylmann Sells Stake in Company

M

The Condom Link

 Piracy in porn, barrier protection and the bottom line.

PAGE 12

Oktoberfest 2013

PAGES 30-39

 On the Scene goes to Munich. PAGE 92

QUICK INDEX OPINION LEGAL REALITY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 PIRACY JOURNAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 DATING TRENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 PAYSITE POWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 TRANSACTION TRUTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 ONLINE BILLING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 RE: THINK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

MARKET WATCH BUSINESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 TRAFFIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 MOBILE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 LAW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 STUDIO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 GAY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

OTHER DEPARTMENTS ON THE SCENE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 THE INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 SURFERS FEEDBACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Q&A

PRESIDENTIAL SUITE

Has Bitcoin Fizzled Out With Adult?

NETbilling’s Mitch Farber:

Faithful to His Vision

L

OS ANGELES — Of all the breakthrough technologies that one might have predicted to become a trend, the adoption of Bitcoin as a preferred payment platform for adult entertainment content, products and services, seems to be proceeding at a Please see BITCOIN, page 83

Through 15 years, the payment gateway has endured, grown and prospered. PAGE 28

Flirt4Europe

FLIRT4FREE HOSTS ANNUAL SUMMIT IN EUROPE PAGE 49

ONTREAL — Manwin has been renamed MindGeek, a move that was made just days after Fabian Thylmann, its founder and CEO, said he was going to take a step back from the world of adult entertainment and sell his shares in Manwin to the company’s “top management team” for an undisclosed amount. Manwin.com now redirects to Mind Thylmann Geek.com, a site that calls the company an international information Please see MANWIN, page 82

Top Retargeter

EXOCLICK IS NAMED A TOP RETARGETING COMPANY PAGE 54

Falcon Rising

STUDIO CHIEF CHRIS WARD FINDS FALCON STRONGER THAN EVER PAGE 72

PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER ALEC HELMY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT KRISTEN KAYE EXECUTIVE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR DON PARRET EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR DAN MILLER ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR ARIANA RODRIGUEZ SENIOR TECHNOLOGY EDITOR STEPHEN YAGIELOWICZ FEATURES EDITOR BOB JOHNSON ASSOCIATE EDITOR LILA GRAY NEWS WRITER LYLA KATZ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER MIKE ABLE

In a special report on page 66, XBIZ found that while the adult industry remains in opposition with condoms regulation, the biggest debate is happening within its ranks. We hope you enjoy this issue and are always seeking your comments.

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR DANIEL CHAN GRAPHIC DESIGNER RICK BRENES ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, RETAIL SARA RAMIREZ EVENTS DIRECTOR MOE HELMY TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATOR DAVE SCHULTZ SENIOR WEB DEVELOPER NICK YU SENIOR WEB ADMINISTRATOR ALAN HAWKINS

DON PARRET [email protected]

ASSOCIATE WEB ADMINISTRATOR JOE FREDERICK MEDIA PRODUCER KRIS BERTRAND ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR LADY BEVEL

OPINIONS

CONTROLLER KRISTINE MARIE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS SARAH JAYNE ANDERSON Q BOYER AJ HALL ALEX HENDERSON MELODY L J.D. OBENBERGER GREGORY PICCIONELLI

XBIZ WORLD COLUMNISTS FEATURED THIS MONTH

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER F.U.B.A.R.

Crowdfunding may finally become a reality, Greg Piccionelli writes. Page 10

Peter Phinney discusses piracy in porn, barrier protection and the bottom line. Page 12

Ruth Blair writes on how global Internet growth impacts your billing strategy. Page 14

Wacek Warzsawa takes a look at content, dating and offering something quantifiable. Page 16

XBIZ WORLD (ISSN 1949-3347) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY ADNET MEDIA AT 5042 WILSHIRE BLVD., NO. 487, LOS ANGELES, CA 90036. TELEPHONE: (310) 820-0228. FAX: (310) 734-1577. THE ADVERTISER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ADVERTISING CONTENT, INCLUDING PHOTOS AND/OR ARTWORK, SUBMITTED FOR ADVERTISEMENT AND SHALL INDEMNIFY THE PUBLISHER FROM ANY LEGAL ACTIONS RESULTING FROM STATEMENTS, PHOTOS OR ARTWORK PRINTED IN THEIR AD DUE TO COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT, LACK OF PROPER RELEASES, AGE VERIFICATION, IDENTITY AND LIBEL.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: [email protected] NEWS TIPS, LETTERS: [email protected] ADVERTISING: [email protected] OR CALL (310) 820-0228, EXT. 702 CONNECT WITH US www.xbiz.net/editors www.facebook.com www.twitter.com/xbiz http://m.xbiz.com

AJ Hall offers five tips for designing a website that doesn’t break the piggybank. Page 18

Gray Jackson on leading companies through maturity, adaptation and opportunity. Page 20

ACH transactions can boost your company’s bottom line, Melody L says. Page 22

Q Boyer on envy, indignation and other things that won’t earn you a dime. Page 24

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womeninadult.com

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BY GREGORY A. PICCIONELLI

Legal Reality

Pooling for Porn £ Equity-based Crowdfunding May Finally Become a Reality

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n Sept. 23, new securities regulations went into effect allowing start-ups and small businesses to use Internet advertising and other mass marketing means raise investment capital for business. The new law lifts a longstanding ban on public advertisement of private stock sales that had been in place since the days of the Great Depression. Companies may now advertise stock sales widely, through means such as social networks and email. But, as was the case before the new regulations, the offer to sell stock and other securities will still be limited by law to qualifying high net worth individuals and companies defined as “accredited investors.” The new rules were promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission as a part of the implementation of Title II of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). And while most of the pre-existing legal limitations regarding the sale of securities (e.g., to accredited investors) are still in place, allowing businesses to broadly use the web, social media and email to market investments is widely expected to usher in a new era of capital formation. But as groundbreaking as the implementation of Title II of the JOBS Act may be, it is only a prelude to the true investment capital revolution that is expected to be unleashed when the investment crowdfunding provisions of Title III of the JOBS Act are finally implemented. For those unfamiliar with the term, “crowdfunding” is a method of raising capital for a project, venture, or enterprise through the pooling of numerous, and usually relatively small, financial contributions or investments from the public, usually via the Internet to accumulate large aggregated amounts of capital. Generally, there are two types of crowdfunding.The first is often referred to as “donation-based” or “gift-based” crowdfunding. This type of capital formation does not provide to the persons donating the money any stock or other ownership of the project, venture or enterprise for which the capital is being raised. The gift-based “investment” of capital, therefore, is not expected to provide, nor can it legally promise to provide, any financial-return to the gifting “investor.” This type of crowdfunding has been successfully used for a number of years through online platforms such as Indiegogo (Indiegogo.com) and Kickstarter (Kickstarter.com) where small amounts Gregory A. Piccionelli is an entertainment and Internet attorney and free speech advocate. He can be reached at (818) 201-3955 or [email protected].

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of capital from large numbers of individuals are aggregated into substantial amounts of capital.

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he success of donation-based crowdfunding is credited by many as the inspiration, if not the motivation, behind the crowdfunding provisions of Title III the JOBS Act. But unlike gift-based crowdfunding, Title III of the JOBS Act will allow companies for the first time to use online crowdfunding to raise capital by selling ownership interests, such as stock or secured debt, in companies, projects, ventures, and other enterprises, to persons who are not required to be accredited investors. This type of crowdfunding is often referred to as “equity-based crowdfunding”. Crowdfunding under Title III of the JOBS Act will, therefore, allow companies to both market and sell stock over the Internet to potentially hundreds of millions of ordinary people, around the world. By doing so, Title III might well revolutionize the process of procuring investment capital by enabling companies to tap into very large and heretofore untapped sources of capital. Title III of the JOBS Act contains a number of restrictions regarding how equity-based crowdfunding will be conducted. For example, companies will be limited to raising $1 million in debt or equity per year, and investors will

be able to cancel their investment within a certain time period. And while there is no limit on the number of investors that are allowed to invest in an equity-based crowdfunded venture, individuals will be limited in the amount of money they can invest in such ventures within a 12-month period. Specifically, if the investor’s annual income is less than $100,000, the investor’s maximum crowdfunding investment will be limited to the greater of $2,000 or 5 percent of the investor’s annual income or net worth. If the investor’s annual income or net worth is greater than $100,000, the limit increases to 10 percent of the investor’s annual income or net worth, with a maximum aggregate crowdfunding investment limit of $100,000. The JOBS Act also requires that crowdfunding transactions be conducted using a registered broker dealer or a “funding portal.” Such funding portals will likely be used to effectively preclude the stock issuers from directly selling their own securities. Additionally, the issuer must also provide investors with “certain disclosures” to ensure that investors understand the risks involved in the offering. They must also provide annual reports regarding the operation of the company to its investors, and file annual reports with the SEC, as prescribed by the SEC in yet to be published (and long overdue) regulations. Please see PICCIONELLI, page 78

BY PETER PHINNEY

Piracy Journal

The Condom Link £ Piracy in Porn, Barrier Protection and the Bottom Line

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include a detailed disclaimer in the initial credits that talks about the importance of safe sex and the fact that their performers have been tested and performer health is the studio’s primary concern.

ots of our clients produce gay content. For some it’s a small part of an otherwise straight enterprise, but for others, it’s their main focus and has been for years. Living and working in adult in Los Angeles, I’ve been following Measure B with particular interest because, as anyone who enjoys gay porn knows, condoms have been completely integrated into that content niche for quite a long time, with a few notable exceptions — outlier studios that have always produced exclusively bareback gay video. Condom use is almost never integrated into a storyline, whether the production is straight or gay — because let’s be honest — much of the content our industry puts out involves storylines having to do with

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No one should compromise their principals because they have to do so to survive.

casual sex, unplanned encounters with strangers, or falling victim to seduction or sudden animal urges. Think about it: hot housewife bangs the burley plumber, college athlete seduces the sexy cheerleader, or hunky biker receives special lubrication service from gas station attendant. The scene is never interrupted for a moment while the male (or one of them in the case of gay porn) puts on a condom. Condom use in the gay community at large has always been addressed differently than safe sex in the straight community, and for good reason. HIV/AIDS began in the gay community. Tens of thousands of men became infected and died before the broader community took much notice, and there was even initial public reaction suggesting that this plague was punishment for a lifestyle choice. Hard to believe looking back from 2013, but some folks thought the gay community actually deserved HIV/AIDS. So the community itself took up the cause alone, as a profound matter of life and death. “We need to protect ourselves, because no on else will,” some said. That was the reality until women became infected, and intra-

Peter Phinney runs Porn Guardian with business partner Dominic Ford. The company offers a full suite of anti-piracy services to the adult industry and currently represents more than 370 individual brands across all content niches.

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venous drug users, and transfusion patients fell victim. So what’s condom use got to do with piracy? Well, everyone’s revenues are down as a result of content theft across the industry. Some small studios have shut their doors entirely. Content producers have it hard right now — production costs are up, profits are down, and everyone is looking for ways to leverage new revenue streams. Much of this is due to the proliferation of free, stolen content that’s available online. What we’ve seen in the last five years are an increasing number of gay studios distributing bareback scenes — not because safe sex is less important than it was 10 years ago, but because bareback sells, and quite frankly, they need the money. Some gay studios have introduced bareback scenes as a kind of special segment of their overall release schedule. And they observe very quickly that bareback scenes attract a larger audience share. HIV and STD testing now has become accurate enough that transmission risks can be reduced to near zero, according to health care and testing authorities, provided the tests are properly administered and accomplished within 10 days or so prior to contact on set. In an environment where profits generally are slim and sometimes non-existent, it’s no wonder that some gay studios that always used condoms in the past have recently started to include some bareback scenes in their libraries, and they advertise them as such, hoping to turn their financials around. Can’t blame them. The best of these studios

ome of the really large gay studios still do not produce bareback content. Their brands remain strong, even with eroding profits due to rampant piracy, and these studios are able to hang on with barrier protection and traditional safe sex policies in place and visible in the content they produce. That’s not to say that condom use is celebrated in these productions — putting the thing on always happens between takes prior to penetration and removing it for the money shot sometimes involves a performer less than discretely yanking it and tossing it out of the frame. But continuing to show safe sex in gay porn even without celebrating the specific practice seems to me more in line with the community’s public stance — which has been that safe sex is a critical piece of maintaining one’s health, and it can be just as hot as bareback. This seems to me to be a particularly important message when the storyline is about a spontaneous encounter, a chance meeting, or a quickie between strangers who will put their underclothes back on and go their separate ways afterwards. But many of the less than large gay studios are struggling with this as a direct result of the damage piracy has done to their businesses. I’ve spoken to many of them in recent months that have begun to film some bareback scenes, and some who still refuse, but wonder if they can survive without taking that path. For some of these producers, it’s a matter of principal. They don’t want their audience to get the message that safe sex is no longer important. But will these smaller studios be able to survive if they stick to these principled stands? That’s yet to be determined. Measure B in Los Angeles is still a fight in front of us. Mandating barrier protection on set is going to be almost impossible to enforce, of course, and recent court decisions requiring warrants but still not allowing for permit fees further complicates how the County can move forward. But my issue here is not entirely the financial benefits that accrue to productions that decide to go raw. My issue is the one of messaging and principals and what individual producers and performers stand for. All of this should get the industry thinking about the financial impact of principals, and ethics and how piracy affects our ability to hold on to our integrity in the face of such devastation to our financial condition. No one should compromise their principals because they have to do so to survive. Intellectual property theft forces us to make a Sophie’s Choice in this instance. And that’s one more reason why we need to come together and say we’ve had enough, and we’re going to work together to stop piracy. a

BY RUTH BLAIR

Payment Symbols

Don’t Miss Out

£ How Global Internet Growth Impacts Your Billing Strategy

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ou may be shocked to discover that 34 percent of the entire global population is already connected to the Internet. In real numbers that’s a staggering 2.4 billion people! Perhaps the greater surprise comes from the distribution of those 2.4 billion connected individuals. According to data from comScore only 14 percent of Internet Users hail from North America; 27 percent are European; 41 percent come from Asia Pacific; 8 percent navigate from Middle East and Africa; and 10 percent visit from Latin America. In the online adult entertainment industry, credit card processing is the most commonly implemented payment method for membership site subscriptions. Combining the perfect mixture of instant confirmed purchases, immediate membership delivery, a high-volume user base, and the option to automatically rebill, credit card payments certainly have a positive impact on site conversion and sales retention. Although credit card processing is obviously fundamental, it is important to note that, in Europe and many other countries, alternative payment methods are much more popular than credit cards, and actively in use by the general population. If you don’t already offer these alternative options, you may be missing out on some easy sales.

n WORLDWIDE GROWTH ONLINE Brazil’s online population experienced an astonishingly rapid growth of 41 percent between March 2012 and March 2013. In Brazil most credit cards are only valid for national transactions and not for cross-border transactions. This can create a serious conflict for any Brazilian consumer who wants to purchase an online paysite membership if credit cards are the only available payment method. To effectively monetize Brazilian traffic it would help to be able to accept a preferred local Brazilian payment option such as Boleto Bancários.

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ore data from comScore indicates that Latin America showed the highest percentage of growth across the world between March 2012 and March 2013. Many countries developed a greater online presence during that time and this has created a larger number of people actively browsing sites online, hunting for a good deal. n FAMILIARITY BREEDS ... SALES? Europe is a continent that boasts 27 percent of the global online population. In Europe

Ruth Blair works for Paxum Inc. in a business development role. She has more than a decade of experience working in various aspects of the adult industry. If you’d like to connect with Blair directly, she can be reached via email at [email protected].

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you’ll find that DirectPay EU, Discover Cards, EuroDebit and several other individual country payment providers such as EPS, giropay, and iDEAL are used by hundreds of millions of European consumers on a daily basis. When your customer sees a recognizable payment symbol on your join form, that familiarity will help encourage a feeling of security and safety when considering an online purchase from your site. Think about your own online purchases and ask yourself this question: “Do I prefer to make an online purchase when I recognize the payment methods on the payment form?” If you answered yes, then you’re in good company. Most consumers would rather use their preferred payment method instead of being forced to use an alternative. To productively monetize your International traffic it is advantageous to provide familiar payment options to your customers. n AVOIDING A MESSY JOIN PAGE Some business owners may be concerned that the implementation of alternative payment options on the join form might compromise the overall conversion ratio of the site. One theory being that, just as familiar payment symbols on the join page can help invoke a sense of trust and increased security to seal the deal on the purchase; too many unfamiliar payment symbols on the page can spark feelings of uncertainty that may push the customer away.

Geo-targeting allows you to identify your traffic by location which enables you to direct that traffic to a specific country-oriented join page or tour. With geo-targeting activated on your site your German traffic could be directed to a join page that includes giropay and DirectPay EU; a Swiss consumer could be shown the PostFinance symbol; and a Dutch citizen would see the iDEAL payment system option on the join page. Offering these localized payment options along with traditional credit card processing, but without the confusion of other unrelated payment options on display, should improve your profit margin. n NORTH AMERICAN ALTERNATIVES Brazil, Europe, and other International destinations are not the only locations where implementing alternative payment methods can help capture new sales and boost your profits. As reported by the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances and the U.S. Census Bureau, in July 2012 there were 1.5 billion credit cards actively in use in the U.S. However 29 percent did not have any credit cards at all, and when you consider the size of the population of the U.S. (313.9 million in 2012), 29 percent is actually a pretty big number at over 91 million people. Alternative payment options are growing in popularity. There are numerous alternative payment options on the market today; however many will not tolerate adult membership Please see BLAIR, page 77

BY WACEK WARSZAWA

Dating Trends

Online Relationships £ Content, Dating and Offering Something Real, Quantifiable

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en years ago, content was the primary means of monetization for the majority of adult businesses. Today, paid content is still a money maker, but free content is well into the throws of its reign, leaving content owners searching for new methods of monetization. To effectively monetize those free channels, like tube sites, content owners are under pressure to offer consumers something different, with even more pressure to make them notice what that is. And so a growing number of online entertainment businesses look to dating and cams to give their users a fuller, more interactive experience. While the tube market is becoming an increasingly populated field, the number of casual dating sites available is even greater. The result is an ongoing battle to attract surfers to your content, to click your ad. As the digital industries gather speed, the skillset of the typical online marketer has inevitably broadened. Affiliate marketers are now the go-to source for quality advertising campaigns that have the ability to make consumers sit up and notice the additional services, like dating and cams, that content owners or their partners offer. Although dating is a good source of monetization for tubes, why should an individual dating brand choose tubes and affiliates as a traffic source over paid search campaigns? The relationship between tube sites and dating is strengthening by the day, but, like all good relationships, the partnership benefits both parties. In essence, comparing paid search to affiliate traffic is like comparing content and dating; they work well together, but they are by no means the same. Whilst each has its own benefit, the two work in entirely different ways. n IS THERE STILL A PLACE FOR PAID SEARCH? If you’re optimizing campaigns for search engine traffic, the search engine has already done half of the work for you. Anyone who lands on your site via search is already doing exactly that — they’re searching; although consumers looking for casual dating might not know exactly what it is they want (they may still be attracted to more niche ads), they’re searching for an end product. They have the motivation to register to a casual dating site

Wacek Warszawa heads up global acquisition across all brands at WhiteLabelDating.com. Managing multimillion-dollar budgets and relationships with key stakeholders in the industry, Wacek can be credited for the success of some of the company’s top brands in the casual market and is responsible for growth across multiple territories.

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already. Whilst the pressure is still on you to create a compelling ad, the demand for your product already exists.

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egardless of whether or not the search term is adult or non-adult, you’re still able to target (and in most cases, appeal to) a consumer who didn’t set out to look for what it is you have to offer. This is largely beneficial in allowing you to achieve the “not but” effect. If we use dating as an example, your ad tells a surfer searching for “online dating” that, actually, they are not looking for an online dating service but a quick hook-up instead; they are not looking for “sex dating” but “granny sex dating” instead. Even if a consumer clicks-through to a site that wasn’t exactly what they originally saw as their end goal, the original intention still plays a crucial role in generating consistently high conversions from search engine traffic. The benefit of paid search traffic doesn’t end at high conversion rates; conversion to upgrade rates are also typically much higher than traffic from other channels. Surprisingly, although propensity to pay is greater than can be expected from traffic sourced in other channels, engagement with the site after payment can be lower in some cases. Based on our findings from driving millions of members to register with the WhiteLabelDating.com platform, we’ve discovered that in some instances paying customers from paid

search traffic can be less likely to upload a photo or send a message within the site. In real terms, this means that you need to take extra care when drafting landing pages for paid search visitors. These acquisitions may be new to online dating or whatever the product you’re offering; naturally they had to search for it because they didn’t know what was on offer. Consider that to get a good lifetime revenue from these members, you need to adapt campaigns to provide them with guidance and ensure that you have a good CRM system in place. This is where paid search traffic can become a lot more expensive if you don’t manage it well. Costs accrue before the conversion happens because you’re paying per click (PPC) so it’s down to you to guide them when they’re on the site. Without the extra attention to detail, this could be costly to your business, with rates from two to three times as much as affiliate traffic for members who only register to your site, but don’t pay. Paid search is a time consuming acquisition method, but it’s rewarding when done well. n AFFILIATE MARKETING: LIKE MATCHMAKING BUT BETTER The affiliate is the middleman; the matchmaker, if you will. And quality matchmaking is an art. However, whilst a good affiliate marketer is worth their weight in gold, for those inexperienced in working with affiliate traffic, this can be a difficult market to navigate. Please see WARSZAWA, page 77

BY AJ HALL

Paysite Power

Looking Legit £ 5 Tips for Designing a Website That Doesn’t Break the Piggybank

site’s key selling points still get the job done. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it takes a dazzling rotating display to compete in today’s world. People pay far more attention to content and the site’s message than they do its design elements.

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ne of the statements I hear most often from site owners has to do with the cost of design and usually goes something like this: “I’m building (or rebuilding) a site but don’t have $__ to spend on a fancy design.” My response is always something like, “nor is that needed.” Long before the words exit my mouth I’m aware that 99.999 percent of the time anything I say falls on deaf ears and the person either cans their project or runs off to get quotes from designers. I still say it, nevertheless, because the tiny percentage of people left over might listen and they might save themselves months of development time spare themselves a big, unnecessary expense. Often too much emphasis is placed on the importance on design. Anyone who remembers the Coca-Cola failure known as “New Coke” has a solid real-world example of just how unimportant design can be. If you want to focus on packaging something, focus on packaging and presenting content, not packaging a web site. Aesthetic design is most important to site owners, webmasters and affiliates. The average customer couldn’t care less about the design of your site as long as it appears trustworthy and legitimate and it’s easy for them to use. Historically it’s been the most successful companies with the most in-house resources who make the least amount of customization. I believe this is something to take a cue from but we must also keep in mind that the bigger companies are often also the ones who stagnate the most and are most at risk for falling behind current trends. The goal is a happy medium between not doing enough and wasting time and money on things that don’t matter. From my own experience with hundreds of projects I’ve learned that more time spent on perfecting a site rarely, if ever, results in more sales. The exception would be a truly custom site or a novel service or idea that needs an equally original site to really convey its concept or provide a certain feel.

AJ Hall is a 12-year adult industry veteran and the co-founder and CEO of Elevated X Inc., a provider of popular adult CMS software for the online adult entertainment industry. Elevated X powers more than 2,000 leading adult sites, has been nominated for industry awards 11 times and won the 2012 XBIZ Award for Software Company of the Year.

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n KEEP THINGS FAMILIAR Resist the temptation to come up with a new and creative site design that jumps off the page by remembering that customers find comfort in what’s familiar. Make sure basic elements are in the locations people expect them and that navigation is clearly defined and easy to use. Site layout, presentation, useability and strategic placement of the right sales copy and call to action prompts are more important to the sales process than the design itself. Make small changes that can make a big impact. Rearrange things here and there and add a few strategic graphics, change thumbnail sizes or the layouts of your

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Many a site owner or manager will attest to the fact that improving the design of a site has boosted sales.

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on’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of room for customizations and many a site owner or manager will attest to the fact that improving the design of a site has boosted sales. Here are five tips for designing a site that sells without breaking your budget: n CHOOSE WISELY AND SPEND SPARINGLY ON GRAPHICS Often a nice header design and a few nice looking background elements and buttons are all that’s needed to theme a site and make it look good. Clean and inviting should always be the goal. This is the look you’re after. Creativity is not a bad thing but most of the time a web site is not the best medium for creative expression. Remember that despite the entertainment nature of the site, at the end of the day the purpose of the site is to conduct the business of content sales. n USE DESIGN ELEMENTS TO HELP CLOSE SALES, NOT IMPRESS CUSTOMERS VISUALLY For example, a header graphic with a few strategically chosen images and a few of the

update previews. Often subtle, easy to make changes go a long way to make a site look brand new and appear modern and fresh to visitors. n FOCUS ON CONVEYING TRUST Spend more time on presenting the message of your site and your company than on eye candy. Merge messages with design using graphical representations to help seal the deal. This might mean placing an approved or top rated emblem or badge in the site’s header or on a graphic in the middle of a page, a security icon or other visual elements that can accompany your content and make people feel confident that yours is a site they want to join. n DON’T REINVENT THE WHEEL Keep it simple. Fancy graphics and sliders and things that fade and rotate and look cool and make site owners and webmasters say “WOW!” This isn’t what customer’s care about. Just as we buy a can or bottle of Coke for the soda inside, an adult site subscriber is paying for your content, not the design of its packaging. Focus on your content and make it look good. Remove any dull, washed out images and don’t showcase old stale content on your tours. Keep things fresh and new and accompany content with enticing sales text to connect with visitors. a

BY GARY JACKSON

Transaction Truths

Steady Navigation £ Leading Companies Through Maturity, Censorship, Adaptation and Opportunity

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he online world has grown up. Gone are the days of consumers not trusting technology or being hesitant to buy products and services through the Internet. Indeed, Amazon, iTunes, smartphones and global shrinking have created an environment where online buyers are more than willing to virtually traverse to new places and make purchases. Most don’t even give it a second thought. With easy access to the usual payment types, in which the traditional world of credit cards has saturated even the newest of buyers, technology and alternate methods for making purchases has become embraced. However, today’s buyers also know what they like, know what they don’t and are savvy and opinionated enough to let the markets know. For some of the online adult industry, this has become a source of frustration and fear — and often over-reaction. For others, it is providing more opportunities to reach new consumers and grow their business. Of course, merchant (and even some governmental) reaction levels have varied greatly, from throwing every payment type and option at the buyer — hoping with all hope that they capture a couple of new sales from the process — to clinging to a narrow set of trusted options, essentially managing payments with a hatchet. Why such disparity in managing payments? One possibility is that with the advent of new debit methods, gift cards and prepaid cards, as well as erratic quality of transactions from certain countries and regions, the fast-paced change of the buyers’ needs can appear to be baffling. Truth is that it requires a balance of options, knowledge, and tools to cater to how people want to buy — and which method is the best for accepting the payment. This is where a good ecommerce partner can help.

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nd if that’s not enough to raise a whole series of questions, the world has also added a new level of complication. As we have seen in the U.K., the hatchet approach has received political support. Independent Gary Jackson, who heads up sales at CCBill and Cavecreek as managing vice president of sales and Internet markets, brings 16 years of experience in the online media and commerce markets to the adult industry, having built from scratch four successful sales organizations for a number of software and ISP start-ups. Since joining CCBill in 2006, he has been a champion for new market segments, notably the gay market, and has been passionate in finding new ways to drive revenue for commerce sites in the online adult industry for merchants and their affiliates alike.

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agencies have broadly blocked certain payment types for all buyers as a way to protect a small subset — and this narrow slashing approach to providing a safe and fair buying process throws other valid buyers to the wayside. Our industry is also faced with the threat of changing card association changes, as well as government initiatives to control content and users for short-term political gain. At times it can certainly seem like things are being stacked against conducting online sales for high-risk content, and yet the consumers are there and the market remains strong. Knowing this, navigating the changing environment can become the key to running a successful online business. And knowing which questions to ask your ecommerce provider goes right along with that. n THE FUTURE IS NOT BLEAK While it may be easy to become discouraged with some of these circumstances, the reality is there is opportunity. And that opportunity is global to be certain. As evidenced in some recent statistics we pulled regarding overall sales by country for Europe that you may have seen right here in XBIZ World, more than one-third (34 percent) of purchases were made in the U.K. However, the percentage share of credit card sales in the U.K. is just 35 percent, with other European countries having even lower credit card sale percentages. The consumers are there. It becomes a matter of offering them options for making purchases they are comfortable using. There are of course a number of debit options within the marketplace, and a good ecommerce provider can help you reach these consumers by offering different payment types. With the recent ATVOD actions in the U.K. and the SEPA changes scheduled to take effect in February 2014, what has sometimes been referred to as “alternate payment types” or “alternative billing” quickly takes on increased significance. Hundreds of millions consumers are buying from within the greater U.K. and E.U. regions, so it’s definitely worth asking your e-commerce provider about these “alternate” payment options. n REGULATORY UPDATES Let’s face it. There are a lot of changes to keep up with. Good e-commerce providers are engaged at every level with the changes to regulations and legal minefields. They follow

compliance or statuary changes and maintain the close relationships with card associations, banks, and industry watchdog groups so you don’t have to. However, it is worth asking now and again if there are upcoming changes that could impact your business. SEPA is a major banking initiative that you will want to be ready for, after all. n THE ROAD AHEAD In short, everything changes. We’ve all seen how consumer purchase behaviors have evolved. We’ve seen the rise of non-credit card payment types. We’ve seen the card association implement guidelines over the years. We’ve even seen some independent agencies create regulations with the support of political bodies. And the one thing we all can count on? Things will continue to change! In this continually evolving environment, it’s important to work with your e-commerce provider so you can stay ahead of things. Or, at the very least, to keep up-to-date with changes so your business can remain compliant and you can reach all of the consumers in all of the markets, offering the payment methods they want to use. a

BY MELODY L

Online Billing

The ACH Option

£ These Electronic Transactions Can Boost Your Bottom Line

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ave you ever stood at a checkout line, swiped your card of choice and then were told that it failed? When that happens, what is your next move? Many of us will swipe the card again thinking that the result was a fluke the first time but the next time it will be fine. Then when that attempt inevitably fails, we pull out our second favorite points program card and try it. If that fails, you can always try your bank card or a check or perhaps even cash. Rarely, do we just walk away without the item we wanted to purchase. In the online world, it is much easier to simply walk away. When the consumer’s preferred method of payment fails, the merchant has an opportunity to not lose that sale but instead present the natural flow of alternatives that they would like to give the consumer. This is where alternative payments, like direct debit, prudently increase the merchant’s bottom line. The merchant has the consumer at their site and the merchant wants them to pay. Often the consumer will enter in their credit card details but they have already given the merchant some of their relevant details like their name, and some address information such as their postal code or ZIP code. When their initial payment details fail, this is an opportunity to direct the consumer to try again with another payment instrument. How the merchant presents this next option is the difference between the consumer trying again at this site or at someone else’s website. When presenting the consumer with options and prepopulating data the merchant wants to be sure that they are adhering to any data storage rules, etc., that are in use by the various card associations and consumer protection agencies but of equal importance is the convenience for the actual consumer as they are the decision maker on trying again.

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reating a flow that encourages the consumer to try again will be a combination of appropriate messaging about the failure of their last attempt and the ease and confidence of their next attempt. Encouraging a consumer to correct information on their current entry is a great option if the failure is related to some bad information such as an AVS failure but is completely useless for a more permanent error such as a lost or stolen card. If the failure was of a more permanent nature, then a reasonable option is to ask for a new payment instrument. This is where an alternative payment instrument such as ACH can be leveraged. By offering ACH as an option

Melody L is chief operating officer at L3 Payments.

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5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ACH

n All ACH transactions are regula ted by a non-government entity and have to comply to the NACHA rules. n A check is only an ACH if it is con verted as such and there are strict rul es as to how and when you can do that. n When a consumer’s bank acc ount information is changed at a bank, the consumer’s bank will process the transa ction old data and then send throug with the h a notice of change record to the merch ant’s bank. n Banks can tattle on each other at the NACHA.ORG website by filin g a “possible rules violation in the nation al system of fines.” n NACHA doesn’t actually handle any of the transactions; they are simply the association that oversees the network.

the merchant can save the sale as well as get a long-standing customer. I would also encourage merchants to offer alternative payments, like ACH, as a payment method up front and allow the consumer to

choose between the various payment methods for their first choice and then provide them options when, and if, their first choice fails. After all, consumers like to feel that they have choices. a

BY Q BOYER

Re: Think

Look Into the Mirror £ Envy, Indignation and Other Things That Will Never Earn You One Thin Dime

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o rumor has it that Fabian Thylmann, the rotund and boyish face of the Corporate Porn Borg now known as Manwin for the last several years, is exiting stage left with a suitcase stuffed with nine-digits of cash. (Editor’s note: At press time, XBIZ learned that Manwin rebranded and changed its name to MindGeek — see story, page 1.) The core of this rumor appears to be true, at least (apparently Thylmann is getting bought out), but it’s far from the first rumor we’ve heard concerning Thylmann, and somehow I suspect it will be the last, even if he walks away from the adult industry entirely and immediately. First, I heard Thylmann was nothing but a glorified front-man, a smiling mask outwardly promising improved corporate citizenship on the part of his newly acquired Tube Empire, but the true purpose of which was to conceal continued tube-driven skullduggery behind the curtain up there at Montreal’s Porn-Theft Central. “The real money behind Manwin is Russian mob money,” one rumor-mongering trade show attendee told me several years ago, glancing around as though he’d just revealed the identity of a super spy who might be lurking nearby with a poison dart loaded into a cocktail stirrer, just waiting to eliminate all those who knew too much. “Actually, it’s a mix of Russian, Middle Eastern and Greek money,” a nearby bystander assured us, saying that he had this on good authority because a friend of his is a lawyer, who once had a conversation with another lawyer, who had sued somebody, who sued someone who was, in turn, just about to sue Manwin. That was a compelling chain of hearsay evidence, to be sure, but one that still left me a tad unconvinced. “Maybe Manwin is funded entirely by gold stolen from a unicorn-riding leprechaun?” I offered. I thought it was a fairly plausible notion in context; after all, there was just as much proof available for my theory as theirs, and it had the added benefit of explaining Manwin’s Ireland connection! When Thylmann offered a somewhat less exciting explanation (he borrowed the money to acquire the company? Bor-fucking-ing!), there was widespread disbelief. “Impossible!” many said of the notion that Thylmann borA 16-year veteran of the online adult entertainment industry and long time XBIZ contributor, Q Boyer provides public relations, publicity, consulting and copywriting services to clients that range from adult website operators to mainstream brick and mortar businesses.

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rowed the funding used to acquire the company — including some of the same people who later patted themselves on the back for digging up the name of the entity that funded the loan… you know, the same loan that couldn’t have happened in the first place? All I know is this: Speculating about the providence of other peoples’ money has never made me a penny of my own. Bellyaching about how, whether and how often those people might have broken the law to generate their bankroll hasn’t put any food on my table, either, regardless of how it might soothe one’s envious nerves to do it. I was never quite able to fathom the amount of time, energy and effort that has gone into hating Thylmann on the part of many within this industry. While I certainly understand resenting a business model that seems predicated on profiting from profligate piracy, benefitting from piracy is hardly new in this industry, and anyone who thinks their company’s downfall can be directly and solely traced to the content-pilfering-driven ascendance of Manwin is kidding himself.

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es of course, our industry has a piracy problem, and yes the tubes are part of that problem. Our far bigger problem as an industry is that an entire generation of consumers perceives the value of the product we make to be approximately zero dollars, and that also sees the companies that make those products to be something akin to a drug cartel: they enjoy what we make, sure, but they aren’t going to lose any sleep about hearing that we’ve been gunned down in the streets of Cartagena, should it come to that. Naturally, being able to find and watch fulllength porn movies for free has done a lot to foster the consumer perception that porn should be (and is) free, but as an industry we have not done much to help ourselves in the areas that have little to do with piracy, but that have contributed greatly to consumers not particularly giving a flying fuck about our collective bottom line. To wit, Thylmann didn’t make anybody get too aggressive with pre-checked cross sells, nor did he force anyone to target consumers with malware, gratuitous popup consoles or bogus penis pill offers. Hell, Manwin’s predecessor Mansef didn’t even exist back when companies first started doing things like advertising as “exclusive content” videos that had already been resold dozens of times before

ever being displayed on the pages that proclaimed it to be unique and unavailable elsewhere. Yes, as strange as it may seem, for some wacky reason, people don’t particularly enjoy being lied to, and they like it in the context of a transaction where you get their money even less. Fancy that! As an industry, we have spammed, scammed and credit card-slammed our customer base to an extent that it’s a wonder that anyone is willing to fill out a join form at this point. We are more than happy to send our customers off to dating or hookup sites that claim to have profiles from “thousands of girls” in their area, even if their area has a total population of around 16, then we cry foul when they prefer to get our products from the torrents and tubes. Not everyone is part of the problem, of course, and there are adult companies out there who run their businesses according to a high ethical standard — and my heart truly goes out to them, because their own image is often tarnished by proxy to the bad apples. I’m sure some people are reading this and thinking “yes, and that’s exactly why I hate Fabian!” Fair enough, but consider this: to the extent that they have any idea who he is (and I suspect very few would recognize the name) consumers don’t hate Thylmann, and they sure as fuck don’t hate PornHub.com. Please see BOYER, page 83

Q&A PRESIDENTIAL SUITE: MITCH FARBER

NETbilling’s CEO:

Faithful to His Vision

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n the ultra-competitive adult billing space, companies come and go. Many billing companies that were doing well — or at least appeared to be doing well — 10 or 15 years ago have since gone out of business. But NETbilling.com , which was founded in 1998, has endured, grown and prospered. And after 15 years, the California-based payment gateway remains a leader in the billing space. NETbilling, staying faithful to its longtime vision, has continued to provide merchant accounts and refrained from becoming a third-party processor. During an in-depth interview with XBIZ, NETbilling’s CEO and founder Mitch Farber discussed everything from the company’s longevity to its marketing goals to changes he has observed in the adult entertainment industry.

XBIZ:

What are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned about adult billing during your time in the billing space?

FARBER:

NETbilling not only bills for adult—we also do a lot of mainstream and a lot of other high-risk industries — and we’ve learned a lot over the last 15 years. One of the things I’ve always prided myself on is attending a lot of trade shows. Networking events are extremely important. We rely heavily on the XBIZ shows and AVN and the European shows too — not necessarily to attract new business, but to really solidify relationships with our current merchants. We don’t typically have an ROI from these shows because a lot of it is really solidifying relationships that we’ve already made — meeting with banks and things like that. The relationship part of this business is extremely important for us. I really try to teach my employees, especially the ones that attend shows, that this industry is all about relationships.

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It’s very important for an owner to continuously be involved, especially if you want your company to thrive and innovate.

XBIZ:

Does having a combination of mainstream and adult clients illustrate the differences between the two and serve as a reminder of the specific needs of adult companies?

That would explain why you XBIZ: typically put in a 15-hour day or more. I used to put in 15 to FARBER: 18 hours a day, but I don’t know if I do that so much anymore. I would say I still put in a good 12 hours a day between email, calls, office time and meetings, especially with new projects that we’re working on.

It’s a careful balance to deleXBIZ: gate and at the same time, maintain a hands-on approach. That’s right. I’m kind FARBER: of a control freak, so it’s hard for me to delegate things. But I have learned over the years that you just can’t do everything yourself, and having a great staff that you can rely on is extremely important.

Absolutely. I’m a very Maintaining a staff of 50 emFARBER: XBIZ: hands-on owner, ployees is certainly a positive which is important. I’ve seen a lot of compagiven all the financial upheaval of recent nies where the owners were present in the beginning when the company was getting started but kind of stepped out of the spotlight and moved on to other things. But I feel like it’s very important for an owner to continuously be involved, especially if you want your company to thrive and innovate.

As president and CEO of NETXBIZ: billing, what are some of the biggest challenges that you face in a typical week?

Balancing my exFARBER: tremely busy schedule while working hard to keep our 50

employees and thousands of merchants happy is really my primary focus throughout the week. I’m also involved in NETbilling’s marketing strategy; that’s a big part of what I do. And I also work with our merchant relationship specialists. So I have a pretty heavy workload both inside and outside the office.

years.

Yeah, we’ve been FARBER: solid since we started. It started with just two of us. Then it

expanded to three, and we just blew up from there. As a lot of our merchants started growing, we grew as well. We’ve been profitable since we started, which is great since we were part of the whole Internet boom and bust. And we’ve really stuck to our core. We’ve never deviated from merchant processing. We never became a third-party processor because we didn’t want to take that risk. We’ve seen so many third-party processors come and go over the years, and we decided that there was a big void to be filled as far as gateway processing with merchants.

So you’ve found that staying XBIZ: out of third-party processing altogether has been advantageous for NETbilling?

Please see FARBER, page 86

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ALTERNATIVE BILLING

Looking a Little Less ‘Alternative’ Every Day

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hile the estimated decline differs from one company to the next and across different industry sectors, there’s little question that for many online adult entertainment businesses, the last five or six years have been a rough ride. With both revenue and conversion ratios dropping substantially against prior performance, businesses are working harder than ever to squeeze every nickel from their billing solutions, including by diversifying their processing options and methods. As a result of this diversification effort, so-called “alternative billing” solutions (loosely defined here as any method of charging consumers that doesn’t include directly billing their credit card) have become increasingly important in recent years, leading a lot of online adult merchants who have long eschewed or ignored various alternative billing options to rethink their strategy. Clark Chambers, director of business development for 2000Charge.com, told XBIZ that when it comes to alternative billing deficiencies, “misuse is the most common issue.” “Alternatives are often left at the n “I would always recommend to bottom to be found by the end user,” have a phone payment solution, as Chambers noted. “This approach is it literally gives every single user very obviously not the smart way to who visits the site the option to monetize foreign traffic.” join,” says Daniela Ganick, senior Chambers added that the problem of sales manager for iTeleBill. alt-billing options lacking visibility to the user is easily remedied using existing technology, like the 2000Charge “smart button” product, which uses geo-ip detection to return local curPlease see BILLING, page 39

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Micropayments Future May Be With Tokens BY STEWART TONGUE In recent months the attention to mobile traffic and the focus on emerging markets among digital marketers in adult entertainment and many more mainstream industries has become palpable. While many have chased $20-30 per month recurring join fees since the web began, forward thinking business owners are offsetting revenue reductions caused by chargebacks or prepaid credit cards by exploring new payment options that turn seemingly small amounts per transaction into an even better ROI in the aggregate, making micropayments a very big deal. Payment processors who have been receiving numerous requests from clients for micropayment services are quickly answering the market shift by adapting to the complexity of handling higher transactional volume from far more varied sources than traditional payment methods. “Now, micropayments are important,” said Andy Khawaja, CEO of GTBill. “We are currently innovating towards a solution that offers a simpler, cost-effective way to support micropayments. We’re excited to offer the world a system for micropayment s that contributes to the growth and stability of e-commerce.” As with many aspects of the technology and entertainment business, micropayment adoption may have been primarily driven by Apple, and their wildly successful ecosystem allowing impulse purchases across many different device platforms with a single click.

“Micropayments have begun to be used very successfully for online purchases under certain models. iTunes is the largest example of this,” said Mitch Farber, president and CEO of NETbilling Inc. “However, because micropayments online are typically funded by credit or debit cards, the cost for smaller merchants may be too great considering the transaction fees and percentage that a merchant must pay for each micro-transaction.” That transactional cost is exacerbated if the merchant is considered to be operating in high-risk markets and at least for now, the solutions available are less than optimal. “The semi-solution for this is for merchants to sell larger blocks of tokens, where a transaction amount may be $20 for example, held for the customer to use later for micropayments,” Farber said. “This solution works well for customers who are loyal purchasers but does not work well for new customers or fly by customers as it makes them commit to a larger amount based on future purchases which they may not plan on making at the time. Until the card associations introduce a truly reduced micro-transaction discount rate for merchants, these issues will remain.” Another similar solution may be aggregation services like online stores that allow the sale of a single-video scene, full-length movie or trial membership at a micropayment purchase price in order to achieve the scale necessary to overcome the obstacle caused by the high transaction fees a merchant must pay as a percentage of the consumer sale price. In September of this year, the Pew Research

Center reported that the average price of a smartphone has fallen from $443 each just two years ago to $372 this year and that technology market-research firm International Data Corp. expects the average selling price of smartphones in India to fall below $200 by n “[B]ecause micropaythe end of this ments online are typically year. funded by credit or debit These numcards, the cost for smaller bers and the merchants may be too trends of the great considering the last few years transaction fees and persuggest that in a centage that a merchant very short pemust pay for each microriod of time from transaction,” says Mitch now, the largest Farber, president and CEO potential conof NETbilling Inc. sumer base for entertainment products online will be a massive influx of people with mobile devices, lower income thresholds and a far greater thirst for adult content than their stale counterparts in existing markets. a

Prepaid Cards Seeing Steady Growth BY ALEX HENDERSON Millions of adult-oriented online transactions are occurring all over the world with alternative billing methods, and one sector of alternative billing that continues to grow as 2013 winds down is prepaid or preloaded cards. Not all prepaid cards can be used for adult entertainment, and in many European countries, they still take a back seat to debiting. Nonetheless, prepaid cards are on the rise in many places — especially the U.S. “At the moment, the U.S. is the biggest consumer of prepaid cards,” explained Judy Shalom, managing director for Affil4You. “While not all prepaid cards allow billing for adult or gambling products, the popularity of the prepaid cards is steadily increasing— also outside of the U.S. in markets such as Europe, Latin America and Russia.” Shalom added: “The market for prepaid cards is, along with m- and e-payments, one of the fastest growing non-cash payment markets out there. Most of the growth for this market is coming from the U.S., and most of the growth will come from the U.S. — as the bulk of it is already concentrated there and the prepaid card form of payment has been more successful there than in any other major market. The popularity of prepaid cards among consumers without bank accounts, combined with the extra budgetary control that prepaid cards give over debit cards, will continue to grow the popularity of the prepaid card compared to that of the debit card. Since 2009, the transaction volume for prepaid cards have grown by more than 20 percent, and are expected to reach 17 billion in 2014.” When alternative billing experts are asked to discuss the advantages of prepaid

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cards, one word that still comes up a lot is “security.” Clark Chambers, a business development specialist at the alternative billing-oriented 2000Charge, noted: “Primarily, users of prepaid cards look to this payment method to preserve some anonymity. A distinct advantage for the user is that they provide a safety measure against unscrupulous billing and also, overspending. There has always been a strong utilization of such cards among travelers—especially in Europe, where crossing borders might mean exchange fees, credit card fees, etc. Prepaids allow one to mitigate some of the unpleasantries credit cards offer.” Chambers added: “Prior to the recession, I think most in the U.S. viewed prepaid cards as a tool for people with poor credit or less income. While that may be true to some extent, the current growth in this market shows that consumers are finding advantages in them as a financial management tool as well as security measure.” Shalom said that while the popularity of

prepaid cards will continue to increase, there is one disadvantage that users of prepaid cards still face: fees. “A common misconception among consumers is that prepaid cards are less expensive than debit cards,” said Shalom, who noted that prepaid cards can become expensive thanks to “all the basic fees for reloading, ATM withdrawals, monthly charges, opening or canceling an account. Combining all these costs, the average prepaid card can cost up to $300 per year in fees alone.” Chambers pointed out that in some countries, cards in general are lagging behind as a payment method. But such countries, he stressed, also have major growth potential for prepaid cards. “The LATAM and BRIC countries would be categorized as lagging in the uptake of any plastic-based payment methods,” Chambers observed. “For example, U.S. businesses are clamoring to get into Brazil, the world’s seventh largest economy with 191 million people. One dominant billing method is a boleto, which translates to ticket or voucher. We’ve had great success by introducing our Pagos Bancarios payment option, which is a boleto option. This method requires the consumer to visit a bank or some markets, pay in cash in return for a boleto — which they remit online to the merchant, who is paid by the banks. We also provide access to a popular payment method in Russia called Qiwi. This is an e-wallet, with access online and from a large network of kiosks.” Chambers continued: “The huge populations in these emerging markets is exactly why they are prime targets for alternative payments like prepaid cards. The market opportunity is enormous and is not being overlooked by the payments industry.” a

What’s the Future for Direct Carrier Billing? BY Q BOYER As hard as it is to fathom given the relatively short time the mobile phone market has existed, across the globe there are more people with mobile phone accounts than people with bank accounts and credit card accounts combined. The gulf in market penetration between mobile and bank/credit accounts is most pronounced in emerging economies and developing countries, where it’s not uncommon to see a market penetration of under 30 percent for what industry analysts call “banked adults” (bank and credit card account holders) compared to rates upward of 90 percent for mobile accounts. The potential implications of these numbers are staggering for the online adult industry, especially within the U.S. market, which has been decidedly credit card-focused throughout its history. Among other things, it’s yet more evidence that mobile is not “the future” of ecommerce, but very much the now of ecommerce. On the billing front, however, mobile remains a frustrating mistress for the American sector of the adult entertainment business, and for adult businesses anywhere that want to provide mobile-friendly billing options to their American customers.

34 XBIZ WORLD

Take direct carrier billing, for example, the method that allows mobile customers to charge the cost of digital goods they purchase to their mobile phone bill. Wildly popular in some sectors for its convenience-driven performance (according to Juniper Research, direct carrier billing produces conversion rates five times higher than credit cards in app stores and other markets that sell digital goods), direct carrier billing remains only selectively available to adult merchants internationally, and essentially entirely unavailable to American consumers as means to purchase online adult entertainment. “The biggest advantage of direct carrier billing is simplicity of the payment flow,” Yarka Svalekova, vice president of business development for First Mobile Cash told XBIZ. “It offers a frictionless payment experience — exceptionally important on a device with a short attention span such as mobile — thus naturally generating the highest conversion rates. Although this billing option is greatly successful in many geos, it is not adaptable globally due to stringent carrier

NOVEMBER 2013

regulations related to adult content.” With the limitations imposed by strict and varying regulations, the current bottom line on DCB for the adult industry is that it’s great when and where it is allowed to work, and basically a non-factor everywhere else. This is unfortunate and significant for

many reasons, not the least of which is that direct carrier billing is overtaking other mobile billing methods as the consumer option of choice in many markets. “Until recently, premium rate SMS had been the main way to pay for mobile content, but it is quickly losing market share to carrier billing due to a number of disadvantages related to ease of use and fluidity of the payment process,” Svalekova said. Daniela Ganick, senior sales manager for iTeleBill, noted that direct carrier billing transactions also are relatively anonymous in terms of identifying the user to the merchant, but that the central advantage to direct carrier billing comes back again to the market penetration. “The main advantage to mobile payments is that they are anonymous (which, especially in the adult space, is preferred by many users) and accessible to literally everyone with a cell phone,” Ganick said. “In countries where the credit card/debit card penetration is very low, it is necessary to have an alternative payment method, and phone payments immediately Please see CARRIER, page 38

Businesses Increasingly Using ACH Transactions BY STEWART TONGUE One of the most refreshing aspects of working in the adult online industry is the fact that people come to it from such a diverse set of backgrounds and evolve their skill sets to successfully navigate the challenges of selling entertainment online. Payment processing via credit cards, wires and traditional paper checks are routine practices most people are already familiar with, having an understanding of the many other forms digital payment can take is an easy way to add efficiency to your business. Automated clearing house (ACH) is an electronic network for financial transactions that batch processes large volumes of direct debit transactions. ACH transactions include direct deposits for payroll, vendor payments and consumer payments. Businesses are increasingly using ACH online as an alternative payment option for customers without credit cards, or as a way to pay affiliates and vendors who prefer not to receive wires or paper checks.

CONSUMER TRANSACTIONS:

“ACH/online check payments have been a useful payment platform for some time now,” said Mitch Farber, president and CEO of NETbilling Inc. “NETbilling has offered ACH/online check solutions to our merchants for many years and the clients that offer this payment method as a secondary method to credit card payments typically see great success. The one problem with ACH/online checks is that even though we are able to fraud-scrub the transactions, unlike credit card authorization, ACH is not able to be authorized in real time. This poses a problem with accounts that may have insufficient funds for example. However, bank responses, even though not yet in real time, are often fast enough for products being shipped, and it is easy for a merchant to wait for shipment until the funds clear.” Some paysite owners have tried to hold back access in ways that work for tangible product sellers. “I know some affiliate programs that accept ACH or checks but don’t allow access until the check clears, which is normally three business days, that alleviates some of the risk of taking checks, but because what this industry sells is a product that the consumer would prefer access to right away, it may not be the best solution for digital consumers,” said Mark Greenspan, president of WebmasterChecks.com. “Checks are around eight percent or so of many program’s volume, so right now, as far as best consumer payment option, ACH/online checks are not quite there yet.” While ACH may not be the best payment option all the time, it may be the only payment option a consumer can use sometimes. “In the instance where a customer does not have credit cards it would be a perfect fit for them,” said Karen Campbell, vice president of OrbitalPay.com. “It is also a good option to have in addition to traditional processing as an alternative payment type. Typically the monthly costs to have the ability to accept ACH are low, so why not? It does take a few days to clear

SMS Remains Popular in Some Regions an ACH transaction, so it is best suited for tangible product and the key is to not deliver a product until the ACH clears. That way the only thing you have lost if it doesn’t clear is some bandwidth.”

BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS:

As each new technological improvement reaches the marketplace, communication and the speed of business continues to become faster. Prior to the mid 1970s and widespread use of the fax machine, companies used to use envelopes via postal carrier to slowly send or receive documents and payments. In the small rear-view window of the last 40 years communication has accelerated to the point where text messages, emails, mobile phones and the always on mentality of most entrepreneurs have created an environment where communication is now immediate. However, until very recently, especially in high-risk industries where services like PayPal seem to frown on the idea of accepting fees from businesses, the speed of payments continued to lag behind the speed of communication for many. “Unlike the consumer side, where accepting ACH transactions from customers, typically has a high return rate due to not being able to get real-time confirmations from the consumer’s bank,” Greenspan said. “On the business side, with what we do, which is send ACH transactions to affiliates, models, etc., there is a much smaller return rate.” Other digital payment platforms that had been off limits in the past may soon also be useful tools for adult businesses as well. On the consumer side, EU-based adult businesses have reportedly made some inroads using PayPal for purchases through Epoch. Also, on the business side, the new Chase Bank Quickpay system requires either party of the transaction to have a Chase account and both parties to be U.S. based, but does not specifically prohibit B2B transactions by adult companies. It would appear, thanks in large part to ACH, that in 2013 the speed of payments is finally catching up to the speed of communication. a

BY ALEX HENDERSON The mobile/wireless sector continues to grow steadily in the adult entertainment industry, and many people who consume adult content on mobile devices are also paying for it using those devices. Most are choosing carrier/operator billing, although others are opting for billing via SMS (short message service). “Compared to other alternative billing methods, SMS billing offers the mobile customer quick, safe and secure payments,” explained Judy Shalom, managing director for Affil4you. “SMS billing also allows people without—or those unwilling to use—a credit, debit card or other electronic payment solution to instantly do online payments and access content that would otherwise be unavailable.” Some billing specialists allege that SMS billing is on its way out. Shalom disagrees, although she is quick to point out that in Europe, carrier billing (an area in which Affil4you is a leader) is much more prominent. “We have been hearing a lot lately that SMS billing is dying. This is, of course, untrue, but carrier billing is the key to content monetization on mobile devices. SMS billing is not as popular in Europe, since the dominant form of mobile billing is direct operator billing. Direct operator billing is the most powerful and most successful method of billing mobile digital content.” When companies that offer SMS billing are asked to cite some advantages of SMS payments, ease of use is frequently mentioned. Daniela Ganick, senior sales manager for the mobile payment specialist iTelebill, noted: “The biggest advantage of SMS billing is that literally everyone who has a cell phone can use it to pay for an online service. The second is that it’s anonymous and secure. No user needs to enter any debit or credit card details—we do not need their e-mail address, name or any other personal or payment details. All he needs to do is send in a text message to get started.” Asked to cite some of the world’s best markets for SMS billing, Ganick responded: “SMS billing, just like any other alternative billing method, will mainly be used in countries where credit cards are not very common. In fact, in most European countries, credit cards would be considered the alternative payment method, as the majority of users still does not have one. Bank payment and phone payments are most commonly used and should always be considered by a website owner when trying to convert their European traffic. The U.K., despite havPlease see SMS, page 39

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Billing Company Roundup Some of the Top Billing Solutions Serving Adult Merchants Today

2000CHARGE 2000CHARGE.COM Transaction management and alternative payments A one-stop-shop for online merchants that need to accept more than just credit cards on their websites, Pasadena, Calif.based 2000Charge offers a complete solution for billing, integration, end-user support, transaction management, geotargeting and fraud control. Using the latest available technologies, 2000Charge’s experienced in-house development team provides unique merchant solutions with PCI Level 1 certification. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 626.585.1814

makes it a reliable and trustworthy billing partner that continually meets and exceeds expectations by maximizing the profitability of every transaction, providing an important competitive advantage through its core competencies. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; +34.931.149.991

DIALXS DIALXS.COM Mobile billing and online micropayment solutions Netherlands-based DialXS offers a variety of tools for online merchants, including an affiliatemarketing program and a new iMonitor app that provides account information in real time to the client’s Android or iOS powered device. The company offers payment options via phone call, text message, or mouse click, to provide a direct billing solution. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; +31 20-321.9000

for processing in as little as 48 hours. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 888.833.2842

CCBILL.COM Online payment processing for credit and debit cards Founded in 1998, Tempe, Ariz.based CCBill is one of the largest and most trusted online payment processors, offering international billing solutions in multiple currencies and languages along with advanced fraud protection, member management, customer support and innovative marketing services. The company recently released several niche targeted processing solutions along with a major update to its affiliate and client admin areas. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 888.736.6474

SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 925.355.1102

SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; +43 1 33 66 888-0; 650.273.5200

EPOCH EPOCH.COM Regional billing using multiple currencies and local languages A worldwide leader in online billing since 1996, Epoch enables companies to accept global payments without the need to obtain and manage a merchant account. Epoch offers multiple currencies, state of the art merchant tools, billing for subscriptions and per-unit sales, plus world class customer service, proven to reduce cancellations and chargebacks. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 888.627.3888

COMMERCEGATE.COM Payment processing and fraud prevention technology Dublin, Ireland-based CommerceGate brings vast industry experience to its merchants, delivering powerful fraud protection, technological expertise and a “client-centric” focus that

EMERCHANTPAY.COM Merchant solutions for global transaction processing Founded in 2002, with offices in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Bulgaria, eMerchantPay offers processing solutions for credit, debit, pre-paid cards or bank accounts in more than 150 currencies without any upfront costs. Flexible options allow merchants to outsource security through hosted payment pages, while a single interface incorporates a wide array of local payment methods, with easy integration

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GLOBAL ACCESS GLOBAL-ACCESS.COM Solid solutions for non credit card transactions Based in the Principality of Andorra, Global Accéss S.L. has been in business since 2004, specializing in monetizing non U.S./Canadian traffic via solid SMS, phone billing and EU Debit solutions that cover more than 200 countries through phone billing, 26 for SMS billing and Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and the U.K. for EU Debit

high quality ecommerce solutions supporting all major credit cards in multiple currencies, plus ACH, European debit and mobile phone billing. iProcessing also offers advanced fraud prevention that results in lower chargeback ratios while simultaneously increasing revenues. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 888.400.4776

GTBILL GTBILL.COM Payment processing, affiliate payouts and more Based in London, GTBill offers the diversity and experience needed to be a competitive global payment service provider, processing credit cards, electronic checks, telephone orders, and more. GTBill supports 196 countries and 164 currencies, with advanced stats reporting, membership management and fraud scrubbing services, plus 24/7 support for merchants and their customers, at flat rates starting at 3.95 percent. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; +44 20 3318 8325; 888.889.0788

EMERCHANTPAY

COMMERCEGATE

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DIMOCO.AT European direct-carrier billing for subscription services Austrian-based DIMOCO is a leading mobile payment and messaging provider, enabling companies to bill their digital content sales via the consumers’ mobile phone bill. With its local offices in Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Serbia, Slovenia, Switzerland and the U.S., DIMOCO continuously perfects its mobile payment products, including subscription services, with a vision of “Building Mobile Payment Worldwide.”

SALES CONTACT INFO: CLIENTSUPPORT@ GLOBAL-ACCES.COM; + 376 811 910; 813.333.6822

EPAYSERVICE EPAYSERVICES.COM Facilitating offline and online financial transactions With offices in Belize City, Belize; Bellevue, Wash.; Kyiv, Ukraine; Saint Petersburg, Russia; and San Ramon, Calif., ePayService offers online and offline payment services for affiliates and vendors. The company processes electronic payments such as wires, direct deposits and checks, enabling financial transactions such as third-party transfers, electronic exchanges to and from WebMoney and ePayService cards, and more.

DIMOCO CCBILL

transactions.

ITELEBILL ITELEBILL.COM Micropayment and mobile direct-carrier billing With offices in Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Tanzania and the U.S., London-based iTelebill specializes in mobile and phone payment solutions tailored to the online micro billing requirements of the dating, social networking, web streaming and publishing industries. From Australia to Zimbabwe, iTelebill increases merchant’s revenue by adding choice, flexibility and anonymity to their billing options. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; +44 (0) 1253 881409

HUMBOLDT MERCHANT SERVICES HBMS.COM Customized processing for U.S.based merchants For two decades, Eureka, Calif.based Humboldt Merchant Services has been a premier provider of customized credit card processing solutions backed by first class service and a corporate goal of making the most from every transaction. Humboldt offers competitive rates, rapid merchant services setup and compatibility with multiple gateways, currencies, and third-party chargeback and fraud reduction tools. SALES CONTACT INFO: CUSTOMERSERVICE@HBMS. COM; 877.387.564

IPROCESSING IPROCESSING.COM Merchant account acquisition and payment processing Eureka, Calif.-based iProcessing is uniquely qualified to push your online business to the next level of success by providing

L3 PAYMENTS L3 PAYMENTS.COM Customizable high-risk merchant account-based billing Westlake Village, Calif.-based L3 Payments LLC provides merchant processing solutions and payment services meeting the unique demands of ecommerce businesses worldwide. L3’s merchant account processing allows users to set up new pricing structures, sites and join forms, easily and with more flexibility and fewer limitations than encountered when using third party processing services. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 800.277.7785

MOBIUS PAYMENTS MOBIUSPAYMENTS.COM Strategic billing and custom PCI

compliance services Headquartered in Marina del Rey, Calif., with an office in Maryland, Mobius Payments tailors its payment solutions to its clients’ unique needs, giving effective strategic advice to merchants in every transaction-processing segment. Services include affiliate payouts, PCI compliance and electronic check payment processing solutions, including recurring billing with direct debits, realtime updates, and detailed information on transactions. SALES CONTACT INFO: WWW.MOBIUSPAYMENTS.COM /CONTACT/; 877.244.0583

ternative payment platform Established in 1998 in response to the growing need for secure online payments, Netpay International has been improved over the years to better satisfy and understand the needs of the ecommerce and payment industries. With offices in Chicago, Cyprus and Israel, Netpay International offers businesses a complete turnkey solution at competitive rates.

SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; +34 937 426 915

NETBILLING NETBILLING.COM Hi-risk merchant account acquisition, billing and support Assisting merchants at every step from merchant account acquisition to implementation, training, and deployment, Valencia, Calif.-based NETbilling provides flexible solutions for processing credit cards, electronic checks (ACH) and telephone orders; with advanced reporting, membership site management, fraud scrubbing, a free shopping cart, and 24/7 live service for merchants and their customers alike. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 888.357.8166

NETPAY NETPAY-INTL.COM Credit cards, debit cards and al-

SALES CONTACT INFO: 888.887.3070

SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 855.203.0328

PAY4

MOBILLWAY MOBILLWAY.COM Innovative payment solutions via mobile phone billing Based in Barcelona, mobillway is a mobile billing gateway that has developed a complete range of payment methods for the monetization of content and services using land lines and mobile VAS. Its premium rate services allow clients to bill customers via fixed-line or mobile telephony, guaranteeing secure, instantaneous telecommunications for both advanced voice and mobile services.

cepted way to transfer funds using a prepaid MasterCard debit card to users in more than 150 countries, while Payoneer’s Global Bank Transfers allow users to receive local and wire transfers in more than 200 countries and 40 currencies.

ORBITALPAY ORBITALPAY.COM Online transaction processing and call center services Torrance, Calif.-based OrbitalPay offers its clients with merchant accounts a premier gateway billing solution; with competitive rates for businesses including product sales, membership, VOD and live cam sites. OrbitalPay also specializes in high-risk products, providing a superior billing gateway and relationships with multiple banks, along with the expertise to help clients develop a profitable banking strategy.

PAY4.EU Direct-transfer, European bank card and mobile billing Frankfurt, Germany-based Pay4.eu is a service of PAY4 GmbH, specializing in online and telephone payment transactions for adult consumers in Austria, Belgium, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland. PAY4 offers PCIcompliant European payment methods for merchants to process National and SEPA Direct Debit, Visa and MasterCard, eWallet cards such as PayPal and Skrill, as well as online transfers. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; + 49 1803 669 663 892

SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 888.776.8801

SIGNATURE CARD SERVICES REDPASS REDPASS.COM Payment solutions for affiliates, contractors and models Headquartered in Belize City, Belize, RedPass offers a simple and secure solution for the inexpensive transfer of global payments to affiliates, contractors and models by using a prepaid MasterCard. RedPass instant transfers can be triggered manually via the RedPass web admin or by uploading a CSV file using API integration, MPA3, NATS and more. SALES CONTACT INFO: 650.963.5556 (option 4)

SAFECHARGE SAFECHARGE.COM Gateway, risk platform and hosted payment pages Backed by more than 12 years of experience, SafeCharge is a Level 1 PCI-DSS certified payment gateway combining financial expertise and technological know-how to deliver a complete set of global payment methods that utilize a powerful fraud prevention system for maximum sales conversion with fully-integrated risk management to increase profits. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]

SALES CONTACT INFO: 866.347.4781

PAYONEER PAYONEER.COM Peer-to-peer e-wallet and prepaid MasterCard transfers Headquartered in New York with a development center in Israel, Payoneer provides a globally ac-

SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 888.334.2284

SOFORT SOFORT.COM Chargeback reduction and online bank transfer tools SOFORT Banking, the direct payment method of SOFORT AG, allows users to trigger credit transfers using their bank information and is available to more than 40 million bank account holders in Germany alone, where it is certified by the largest quality and security institute, the TÜV. SOFORT also offers low transaction fees and 160 cart gateways. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; +49 89 2020889 - 0

VEROTEL

PAXUM PAXUM.COM Peer-to-peer affiliate, payroll and vendor payments Hailing from Quebec, Canada, Paxum provides peer-to-peer financial services to a global audience; such as an instant payroll solution with competitive pricing and 24/7 support. Allowing clients to send and receive money via an e-wallet, Paxum users can add funds by wire, check or credit card and transfer funds to a prepaid MasterCard and more.

SIGNATURECARD.COM Regional billing options for America, Asia and Europe Signature Card Services works with multiple banks to deliver top-quality payment processing solutions and customer care to businesses worldwide, allowing merchants to accept more than 15 alternative payment solutions, including China Debit, DirectPay EU, EuroDebit, iDEAL, Korean Debit, PagosBancarios and more, by adding only one button to the billing page that increases sales by 30 percent or more.

QOOQO

SEGPAY

QOOQO.COM QR codes provide one-click mobile billing Offering merchants a simple payment platform at a fraction of the cost of carrier billing, Riga, Latvia-based qooqo allows consumers to buy online content faster, easier and more securely than before, all with one click. Easy setup and activation for merchants and their customers, privacy, PCI-certification, flexible integration and either one-time or recurring charges boosts the app’s appeal.

SEGPAY.COM European Direct Debit, credit card and online checks Based in Coral Springs, Fla., SegPay is a PCI compliant payment platform with options including Visa, MasterCard, JCB, Discover, ACH, and European Direct Debit. SegPay offers recurring as well as single sign-up billing, one-click check out and up-sells, fraud scrubbing tools and fast-loading, multi-currency and multilingual payment pages, custom descriptors, an XML interface and more.

SALES CONTACT INFO: WWW.QOOQO.COM/INDEX.PHP /CONTACT.HTML

SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; 800.996.0398

VEROTEL.COM An easy entry point to comprehensive online billing Since 1998, Verotel has been a leading Internet Payment Service Provider specializing in online credit card payment processing for high risk businesses and is the first high risk payment processor awarded official Payment Institute status. Processing all major credit cards using a fully PCI compliant solution, Verotel offers solutions tailored to webcam operators, affiliate programs and merchants of all sizes. SALES CONTACT INFO: +00 800 44229999; 877.872.9246

WEBBILLING WEBBILLING.COM Payment solutions and consulting services for Europe Grubbenvorst, Netherlandsbased Webbilling allows users to provide their European customers with local European pay-

t

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Billing Company Roundup Some of the Top Billing Solutions Serving Adult Merchants Today

t ment options, including Direct Debit and Advanced Direct Pay, which utilize the customer’s existing bank account and are compatible with other debit products. Webbilling also provides merchants offering goods and services via the Internet with experienced consulting and technical services. SALES CONTACT INFO: [email protected]; [email protected]

WIRECARD WIRECARD.COM Innovative end-to-end services for online merchants With more than 13 years of experience, Munich-based Wirecard AG offers state-of-the-art technology, transparent real time reporting services and client support in developing offline, online or mobile enabled international payment strategies, coupled with robust fraud prevention solutions. Wirecard supports more than 100 transaction currencies with 85 payment and risk management solutions

SALES CONTACT INFO: WWW.WIRECARD.COM/ CONTACT/SALES/

WTS ACHBILL.COM ACH, fraud prevention and loyalty programs Based in Austin, Texas, with offices in Phoenix, Ariz. and Panama City, Panama, WTS offers merchants transaction processing, real-time reporting, customer authentication and fraud prevention, along with affiliate and reseller management,

plus revenue and loyalty programs; with payment gateway services including ACH, Check 21, credit and debit cards, as well as mobile billing solutions. SALES CONTACT INFO: WWW.ACHDEBIT.COM/ CONTACT_US.PHP

ZOMBAIO ZOMBAIO.COM Online credit and debit card and

affiliate services With offices in the U.S., U.K., Sweden and Cyprus, Zombaio offers inexpensive, tech-forward transaction processing tailored to the needs of adult website operators; such as billing for subscription websites coupled with affiliate tracking, advanced stats reporting, certified site seals, fraud management and eticket services, cross sales and other features, such as direct merchant account integration for larger clients. SALES CONTACT INFO: 650.963.5055 (option 3)

Carrier

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give 100 percent of visitors to the site a way to sign up and pay for a premium service.” Svalekova noted that despite its many advantages and popularity among mobile consumers, direct carrier billing has its downsides, too. “From a merchant standpoint, what makes it weak are multiple transaction fees, lack of flexibility with price points, and a high revenue share cut by mobile operators,” Svalekova said. “Additionally, it is not ideal yet for converting Wi-Fi traffic. But as consumers and merchants start to further recognize the convenience, safety and efficiency of carrier billing, we will see a significant increase in its global adoption.” As for whether direct carrier billing will ever be permitted as a billing option for adult merchants in the U.S., Svalekova said that while the current facts on the ground don’t provide much reason for optimism, if the carriers were to decide there was sufficient money to be made, their policies could change. “It all depends on factors such as government and FTC regulations and applicable consumer protection requirements, as well as long-term strategies of mobile carriers,” Svalekova said. “As carrier billing will eventually become an unavoidable source of revenue for mobile carriers, there might be some considerations or actions to allow monetization of higher risk verticals such as adult entertainment via carrier billing.” a

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Billing

Continued from page 31

rency pricing and geographically-optimized billing options to customers automatically. Technology like the smart button “should be on every join page to address your surfers at the point of sale,” Chambers said. Daniela Ganick, senior sales manager for iTeleBill, concurred with Chambers, adding that the most important billing options to include are any that number among “the best converting solutions locally” for any given user that lands on your sites. “I would always recommend to have a phone payment solution, as it literally gives every single user who visits the site the option to join,” Ganick added. “All the user’s phone has to be able to do is send a text message or make a call, so it doesn’t even have to be a smartphone.” Asked which alternative billing methods would be most advantageous to adopt, Chambers cited establishing a EuroDebit solution as priority number one for any company in the adult web space that hasn’t already done so. “EuroDebit is without a doubt the payment method with the largest market reach,” Chambers said. “525 million European residents will have automatic access to EuroDebit as of February 2014, when Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) migration goes into effect.” Chambers advised that merchants be “certain to offer local preferred billing method,” an aspect that varies by country, and observed that when you look at the numbers involved, a billing solution like SEPA seems less “alternative” than it does primary. “89 percent of the population of the Netherlands has used iDeal to make a purchase,” Chambers noted. “Giropay in Germany is automatically available to 64 percent of online shoppers. These are striking examples of how our idea of what is ‘alternative’ can actually be the

SMS

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ing standard Visa debit cards, is still one of the best converting countries when it comes to SMS payments, but also, any European country as well as Australia are doing really well.” And when Ganick was asked to cite an example of a major country that lagged behind in the area of SMS billing, she replied: “That would be the USA, in my opinion. SMS and direct operator billing are still very limited and highly regulated by the local network, making it very difficult to find a workable solution.” Paul Groenendaal, a senior account manager for DialXS, asserted that it is a myth that SMS billing is dying and that it is “hardly used anymore” or “cannot be used in combination with adult services.” None of that is true, Groenendaal said — and he cited the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the U.K., Spain and France as examples of major developed countries in which there continues to be a demand for SMS billing. SMS, according to Groenendaal, is popular in those countries because it is “fast, easy to use” and affordable. Groenendaal observed: “SMS is highly used for adult dating sites, single movie views or other services which involve small amounts such as app payments.” The mobile sector is showing no signs of slowing down, and Ganick asserted that the adult webmasters of the future

local preference.” Yarka Svalekova, the vice president of business development for First Mobile Cash, agreed with Chambers and emphasized the importance of testing different methods to determine which are most effective in any given region. “Site operators should test options that provide a smooth payment experience and are mobile user-friendly without lengthy registration process, and methods that are commonly used to pay for digital content,” Svalekova said. “I believe in testing different options and sticking to the ones that prove to be the most efficient, based on the geographical and demographic factors, as there are many cultural and behavioral differences in usage.” Ultimately, from an American adult entertainment entrepreneur’s perspective, making effective use of alternative billing methods involves thinking a bit less like an American entrepreneur in the first place, and acknowledging that some of the best opportunities for growth in the current market lay outside the shores of the U.S. “Europe overtook the U.S. in 2010 to become the biggest market in the world,” Chambers remarked. “The EU28 account for 88.7 percent of European e-commerce. A single broad reach product like EuroDebit, which covers the entire E.U., is a necessity.” It’s also important to be aware of usage trends on the consumer side, of course, and to understand that as more surfers switch to mobile devices as their primary browsing machines of choice, it becomes all the more important to offer mobile-friendly billing methods, even if the site being joined is not mobile-optimized, itself. Once a merchant has their billing solutions in place, the final piece of the puzzle is tweaking and refining those methods based on the traffic to, and performance of, each site. “After a base is established I would suggest the answer can be found in the in the site’s traffic stats,” Chambers said. “Review the top five referring countries, then be smart enough to offer the preferred local payment methods.” a will need to be as mobilefriendly as possible. “Even trial subscriptions can be done by SMS,” Ganick observed. “Apart from SMS billing, there is, of course, also direct operator billing n “SMS is highly used for and preadult dating sites, single mium-rate movie views or other servphone numices which involve small bers, which amounts such as app pay- can also be ments,” says Paul Groegreat for nendaal, a senior account converting manager for DialXS. users. Premium-rate phone numbers are especially great for credit top-ups and pay-per-minute payments like live streaming services: VOD, cams, etc. Merchants interested in increasing their conversions in any country with a low credit card penetration should always consider available phone payment options to ensure best possible conversions.” a

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Q&A

EXECUTIVE SEAT: ALEX LECOMPTE

StarEdition Exec Shows

A Love for the Biz

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lex Lecompte is proud working in the adult space. In fact, the threeyear adult biz veteran says he can’t even imagine working in mainstream anymore. mStarEdition’s marketing manager says that the industry has allowed him to be himself and be direct. And he loves it. But, in particular, Lecompte has an affinity for StarEdition, a growing mobile adult company that has an increasing global presence. XBIZ World recently sat down with Lecompte for this one-on-one Q&A to learn more about StarEdition’s Star-Advertising and mobidea and his feelings on working in the biz. did you get involved in the industry? XBIZ: How After a double LECOMPTE: master’s degree (foreign languages for busi-

ness and advertising), I’ve been multiplying work experiences to figure what I wanted and what I didn’t want to start a long-term career. I’ve been a journalist for two years (radio and newspaper), joined the French Airforce in their public relations department, and I’ve worked in an online advertising agency and a gambling company. I didn’t plan on getting in the industry, but three years ago an adult ad network offered me a job to take care of its best advertisers. I was a bit skeptical about dealing with porn, but finally I jumped in. Since then, I’m pretty happy with the move. I can’t imagine myself getting back into mainstream. Maybe it is because of the content itself, or because it’s a small friendly group of people, or maybe both. But I think that, thanks to several factors, we can mix efficient business with great fun. I have never been so direct in my negotiations with clients and partners, and that’s one of the points I love most about working in adult: You can be yourself and be direct. I really appreciate that, in my opinion it helps build a strong and lasting relationship. Tell me about StarEdition. How many work for the company, XBIZ: and where are you located?

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StarEdition is our parLECOMPTE: ent company based in Luxembourg. It was

founded in 2007 by Antoine Moreau, who built the company to focus on mobile advertising and monetization technologies. The main activity back at that time was media buys for video-on-demand and dating. Thanks to his smart vision, Antoine decided to focus on the technology needed to provide a better media buy experience to marketers; this is how StarEdition launched Mobidea and Star-Advertising. I joined StarEdition about a year and a half ago and was excited about the potential of the projects and the corporate ethics of the CEO. As a direct result of intense teamwork over the past year, we have been growing a lot, improving and developing new projects, hiring great new people. The company now counts 30 dedicated members working over the world in four different offices : Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania and Cyprus, as well as three delegated representations in Italy, Ecuador and Brazil. Two of my favorite projects at StarEdition

are Star-Advertising and Mobidea, I take a deep pleasure seeing how our companies are evolving and how our partners are satisfied with our services and tools. I think that our vision of business and work philosophy is a strong asset. In a nutshell, we want to make clean, efficient and long-term business deals aiming for respect and quality. What exactly does Star-Advertising do with mobile traffic to XBIZ: make clients money? Star-Advertising is an LECOMPTE: adult mobile advertising network.

We buy mobile banners, popunders, interstitials and redirects from selected publishers, and we sell it to key advertisers who want to push their offers online. Our added-value to this service is the adserving technology itself. The platform is completely self-service and transparent, and advertisers can select which spot on which site at what time of the week Please see LECOMPTE, page 89

Market Watch FetishHits Debuts 7 New Sites

Mr. Skin Makes Moves

Mr. Man Makes Debut

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OS ANGELES — FetishHits.com has announced the launch of seven new websites, expanding its web folio to 126 sites. “RevengeExGilfriend.com is our take on revenge porn,” said Tony of FetishHits. “BigTitsExGF.com, BlondeEXGFs.com and SexyBBWEXGF.com feature busty, blondes and Sexy BBW girlfriends,

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HICAGO — Mr. Skin is expanding his skin-pire to a whole new genre — and gender — with the launch last month of MrMan.com.

Parent Firm in Deal to Manage Naked News respectively; and like their names suggests, MatureExGF.com, MILFExGF.com and SexyTeenGF.com offer hot matures, MILFs and 18plus teens.” The sites are “girlfriend porncentric websites” featuring HDquality videos — downloadable or streamable. “The company is proud to announce seven new high-quality websites, in addition to our huge and still-growing number of websites,” Tony said. “You can expect regular updates and the same high-quality content we’ve been offering our fans.” The sites have also been simulataneously launched as mobile versions and are compatible with Android and iOS devices. a

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HICAGO — SK Intertainment — the celebrity nudity network behind Mr. Skin and Mr. Man — has announced that it has finalized an agreement to manage the online business operations and marketing of pioneering online multimedia outlet Naked News. Upon its debut in 1999, Naked News went from Internet novelty to pop culture phenomenon — much like Mr. Skin itself. SK Intertainment’s immediate plans for Naked News include a complete updating and redevelopment of the site’s design, interface and technical aspects,

resulting in a relaunch in late November that will result in Naked News being delivered in high-definition for the very first time. In addition, SK Intertainment is processing new marketing tools for Naked News, and the site will come under the umbrella of Mr. Skin’s affiliate program, MrSkinCash. “At Mr. Skin, we’ve been fans of Naked News since Day One,” SK Intertainment COO Sam Rakowski said, “so we’re especially excited to leverage our resources and experiences to revitalize a legendary brand that’s an organic fit with our existing businesses. a

FSC Now Taking Board Nominations

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ANOGA PARK, Calif. — The Free Speech Coalition is calling for nominations for its 2014 board of directors. There are five board positions up for election, out of 13 board seats. Only FSC members can make a nomination. Active FSC members will receive an email form that allows them to nominate candidates for election (sent through survey firm Vertical Response). Any

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member making a nomination must supply contact information for each candidate. Candidates must also be active FSC members. The FSC 2014 board elections schedule is as follows: Nov. 1 — Call for nominations. Nov. 4 — Record date (individuals must be members by this date in order to be eligible to nominate, run or vote in the election).

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Nov. 22 — Nominations close. Nov. 25 — Slate of nominees announced. Dec. 2 — Ballots sent. Dec. 19 — Elections close. Dec. 20 — Results announced. “This is a great opportu-

nity for FSC members to take ownership in their trade association by nominating and voting for board members,” CEO Diane Duke said. “It is the board of directors that sets the policy, direction and tone for the organization and member participation in the election is not only welcome, but also greatly appreciated.” For more information about the election process or to join FSC, call (818) 348-9373. a

Mr. Man is the male version of Mr. Skin: a massive, “allskinclusive,” high-def database of nude scenes from mainstream movies and TV, exclusively focused on male nudity and guy-oriented sexuality. “Mr. Man is a natural erection — I mean, extension — of what we do best,” Mr. Skin officials said. “Mr. Skin is all about celebrity boobs and pubes, and now Mr. Man is all about famous nude dudes.” a

On the Move SZABO JOINS BADOINK.COM BARCELONA, Spain — CM Productions, owner of BaDoink.com, and affiliate arm BaDoinkCash, has announced the addition of Amy Szabo as its new media manager. Szabo joins the company with more than seven years experience in the online adult industry including stints at LiveJasmin.com, where Szabo she handled media buys for five years, and working with advertisers at ExoClick. In her new role, Szabo will be charged with new products and a focus on the mobile segment. Amy Szabo is named WIA Woman of the Month. See page 86 “I’ve always seen CM Productions as a stable, innovative company with a smart and energetic team. I kept running into their CEO Todd Glider at the trade shows over the past years, and I also had the chance to work a bit with Terron Schoonerman, their CMO. I was impressed by their professionalism and amiability, so when the opportunity came, it felt absolutely right and I just seized it,” Szabo said. Szabo will also play an integral role in traffic acquisition and overall marketing of the new products. The company said that its recent success with the BaDoinkCash affiliate program (BaDoink.com), its new Channel Store, Google Play, and iTunes App Store apps, its team is set to broaden its scope with new partnerships, and launching several new products in the near future.

GAMELINK PICKS PONANTE SAN FRANCISCO — GameLink.com has chosen veteran industry blogger Gram Ponante as editor of its blog, The NakedTruth. In his role, Ponante will be responsible for day-to-day editorial content and editing of NakedTruth, as well as content development for the site. He will report to GameLink.com’s Ponante Jeff Dillon, who is also a contributor to NakedTruth. Ponante has worked as an editor at AVN, XBIZ and Fleshbot, in addition to writing for magazines such as Hustler and Genesis.

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The NakedTruth is updated daily and features Ponante’s “Fresh Ass” profiles, expert guides, staff picks, reader tips and adult-themed puzzle games.

XXXJAY NOW A FREE AGENT LOS ANGELES — Jason Quinlan, the veteran web executive better known as “XXXJay,” announced he has parted ways with his longtime partners and is now a free agent. Quinlan helped to create and build Pornstar Platinum, OCCash, OC Modeling, Lords Of Porn and FreshChecks. He reached an Quinlan agreement with his partners to be bought out of his share of the businesses. “The partners had different visions for the future of the companies, and decided to go in a different direction,” Quinlan said. “I wish them the best in new ventures and current business.” He continued, “Do I wish theme continued success? Yes. As an integral part of building these programs and brands, I truly do. They are my legacy. Would one want to leave behind a legacy of failure or success? The latter, I hope.” Quinlan said he is eager to move on to the next phase in his career, noting he is accomplished in areas of traffic, SEO, affiliates, social media, business development, public relations and marketing.

FIRST MOBILE TAPS SALES VP BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Mobile affiliate program First Mobile Cash has appointed Nicholas Horger as vice president of sales. Horger will lead a team charged with capitalizing on the company’s strength in mobile traffic monetization in the E.U. markets, and oversee new Horger business development and affiliate relationships. Horger brings sales and management experience to First Mobile Cash in the online industry, most notably at Manwin where he managed a wide range of projects. “First Mobile Cash is a very exciting place to be; it’s growing fast, has solid foundations in place and is run by smart people with abundance of energy”, Horger said.

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YANKSCASH PICKS POTEC SEATTLE — Kurtis Potec has been named affiliate program YanksCash’s new sales and marketing director. “We have several upcoming launches and I am really excited to have Kurtis on board to build the necessary partnerships to make those launches successful,” YanksCash CEO Todd Spaits said. “His recent experience of helping XTube evolve, from a first generation tube into one of the highest valued sites in the adult industry, will be a great weapon in continuing our growth as a brand into 2014 and beyond.” Established in 2002, YanksCashs run amateur adult brands Yanks.com and ClubStroke.net.

JIZ LEE JOINS PINK & WHITE SAN FRANCISCO — Pink & White Productions, the lesbian and queer porn company, has hired one of its star performers, Jiz Lee, as online marketing director. Lee first appeared in porn via the company’s 2005 dyke porn cult classic, “The Crash Pad.” In the years that followed, Lee continued to perLee form in its feature films and joined the production team to launch its major membership sites. Now she will oversee the company’s social media, affiliate program, advertising, email campaigns, SEO efforts, and as one of the company’s most recognized faces, will serve as a representative at events from film festivals to college campuses. Calling the new post “the best job on the planet,” Lee said she was thrilled to be working with director Shine Louise Houston “and helping to further her company’s mission to reflect today’s blurred gender lines and fluid sexualities is exactly where I want to be. It’s the hotbed of queer sex.” Lee told XBIZ, “Only a few weeks into the job and I’ve already received overwhelming support and a warm welcome from people the adult industry. I’m excited to be building new relationships within companies large and small. It’s also phenomenal to be included in leading publications like XBIZ, proving increased acceptance of smaller companies dealing with topics of queer/LGBT sexuality.” The hire comes at a pivotal time for the company, whose popular membership site CrashPadSeries.com nears it’s 200th episode (a livestreamed orgy is in the works) and the recent launch of PinkLabel.tv, a curated VOD site for independent porn directors.

Really Useful Buys .xxx Sites in $600K Deal

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ALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Really Useful Ltd. has acquired the domains Teen.xxx, Mature.xxx, BDSM.xxx and PublicSex.xxx in a deal with ICM Registry worth $600,000. JT, one of the original founding members of YouPorn, already operates a number of other .xxx domains through Really Useful including Orgasms.xxx, Casting.xxx, Czech.xxx, Mom.xxx, Massage.xxx and StrapOn.xxx. So far, Really Useful has invested more than $800,000 in .xxx properties, with the Teen.xxx priced the highest at $400,000. JT, who recently won Adult Industry Chief Executive of the Year at the XBIZ Executive Awards in London, said the decision to purchase more .xxx premium domains was an easy one because Really Useful’s existing .xxx sites have been performing much than his .com sites. The company’s first two .xxx websites, Casting.xxx and Orgasms.xxx, launched in September 2011. “Google ranks them higher because they clearly identify the content as adult,” said JT, Really Useful’s chairman. “This means that traffic to my .xxx sites has been pre-qualified by search engines and conversions Please see .XXX page 88

“Google ranks [.xxx sites] higher because they clearly identify the content as adult,” said JT, Really Useful’s chairman.

CCBill Releases New Pricing Packages

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EMPE, Ariz. — CCBill has launched a series of new pricing packages. The packages, named CCBill Complete, CCBill Date, CCBill Donate and CCBill Direct, will complement high-risk processing options the company has been offering for the past 15 years. The new pricing packages are centered on specific market segments. CCBill Donate focuses on the cost and automation needs of nonprofit organizations for driving

and accepting donations; CCBill Date empowers the exploding online dating market; and CCBill Direct addresses the global need for non-credit card payment options that includes 38 country European debit and U.S. ACH payments. Additionally, CCBill Com-

plete is suited to businesses that require a robust, yet simple, all-in-one payment processing service with aggressive rates. Online buyers have evolved and the need for new offerings and markets continues to expand at the same pace, said Gary Jackson, managing vice president of sales and Internet markets for CCBill. “As both continue to adapt, one of the main constants is the need for a trusted and secure method for merchants to take payments, regard-

less of the product or service presented. Consumers simply demand the safety and security of a well-known and recognized transaction processor,” he said. “Taking what we have learned and honed over the years as the leading processor for high-risk transactions, we are applying our logic and expertise to support subscriptions, micropayments, even the expanding non-credit card payments, with the goal of helping more online merchants succeed.” The new pricing op-

tions can open up additional sales opportunities when paired with CCBill’s established OneClick cross-sell network, micropayment support, automated subscriptions, and international payment footprint. CCBill also continues to provide its high-risk transaction processing services, categorized under CCBill Blue services. “Each of our new pricing packages is designed with the goal of helping merchants be more successful,” said Jason Kirk, vice president of product development for CCBill. a

Vivas’ New Book Now on Sale

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AN NUYS, Calif. — Billed as a couple’s guide, Allison Vivas told XBIZ that her new book, “Making Peace With Porn: Adult Entertainment and Your Guy,” was born from personal experience — and personal anxiVivas eties. “The fact that I wasn’t always ‘cool’ with porn myself was my main inspiration,” said Vivas, a wife and mother, who as her book’s intro states, “happens to be” the CEO of porn production company Pink Visual. “I initially had a lot of misconceptions about the adult industry, porn actresses, producers and why men watch porn in general. I really felt like the idea of my guy looking at porn meant that he didn’t want to be with me.” “Making Peace with Porn” is composed of 19 chapters and culminates in five lessons Vivas learned from her career in porn, number three being that “porn stars aren’t really hotter than the rest of us.” The book is now available on Kindle or as a paperback through Amazon. a

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IN BRIEF hair down” and mingle in a less formal environment.

GROOBY ANNOUNCES 6TH TRANNY AWARDS

PAXUM ADDED FOR EPOCH CLIENTS DOLLARD-DES-ORMEAUX, Quebec — Paxum announced today the integration of the Paxum ewallet as a new payout option for Epoch merchants and their affiliates. As part of the Paxum integration, Epoch is offering the Paxum card free for the first year to all Epoch merchants that elect to be paid to a Paxum account (the bonus offer can be activated by contacting an Epoch account manager prior to Paxum account signup). Paxum business clients interested in adding Epoch to their processing options in order to activate Paxum account funding can contact their Paxum account rep to be referred to an Epoch account manager.

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BURBANK, Calif. — Grooby Productions has announced that the 6th Annual Tranny Awards will be held on Feb. 16 at the Beyond the Stars Palace in Glendale, Calif. Now in its sixth year, the Tranny Awards organizers say it is the only event of its kind and that this year’s edition will be the largest to date. The show will feature special guests, entertainment and surprises. Grooby reps said that, like last year’s show, it will be covered by adult and mainstream news outlets, live-streamed online, and featured across its network of sites. The festivities will continue the following night with the Tranny Awards Celebration Party in Hollywood, giving nominees, guests and fans the chance to “let their

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MANICAMONEY POWERS PINK’O SITES LOS ANGELES — ManicaMoney.com is now making a move into the Italian adult market by powering the online presence of Pink’O, an adult studio in Italy, with two sites for affiliates to promote. The sites are PinkoHD.com and PinkoShemales.com. The Pink’O brand was founded in 1995 by Rudy Franca and has gone on to establish a unique place in the adult film market by capturing the distinct flavor of Italy for porn fans. “Dominating the Italian market for years is an impressive accomplishment,” said Erwin de Boer, vice president of online media at Manica Media. Also, ManicaMoney.com said it is powering the new HerzogVideos.com site.

Herzog Video was founded in 1979 and has been distributing erotic feature films ever since. Herzog Video lines including “Josefine Mutzenbacher” (titled “Sensational Janine” in the U.S.), “Heidi 1 to 6,” “Casimir the Kuckucksleber” and the “Golden Century of Porn.” “Herzog Video is a classic porn brand built on decades of quality film production with strong name recognition,” de Boer said.

“If you know exactly what you’re looking for, just search,” PornHub Vice President Corey Price said, “But if you don’t know exactly what you want, this is a great way to deliver a different kind of experience.” PornHub’s new service employs a highly visual, aesthetically simple platform. The homepage asks users, “What do you desire?” and provides popular niches as choices (All Chicks No Dicks, MILF Knows Best, Oriental Beauties, Drawn for Your Pleasure, etc.) accompanied by pictures of said category.

PORNHUB ROLLS OUT PORN IQ

KENNY’S PENNIES ADDS GOLDEN PASSIONS

MONTREAL — PornHub has launched PornIQ, an experimental service that uses an algorithm to create personalized XXX video playlists for the viewer based on his or her preferences and other data points — like where they live and how much time they want to spend watching clips.

MONTREAL — KB Productions, owners of the KennysPennies.com, Radical Cash and Bittie Bucks affiliate programs, has announced the addition of Golden Passions into the Kenny’s Pennies affiliate programs and the VIP member’s network. GoldenPassions.com opened its doors in 2005.

FLIRT4FREE IN EUROPE

Palila, left, Sheryl, Video Secrets’ Eddie Bastian, and Cassandrra at the Flirt Summit.

Flirting Around at the Summit

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ALABASAS, Calif. — Flirt4Free recently hosted its annual Flirt Summit in Europe. Every year Flirt4Free takes the time to reward and meet models and studios from around the world — including Jamaica, Las Vegas and Los Angeles — by holding the Flirt Summit. The Flirt4Free staff traveled to the summit by rail, stopping to meet male and female models and studios in person in six different countries. This year’s Summit was held in Budva, Montenegro, and served as an opportunity for overseas models and studio heads to meet face-to-face with one another and staff. a

“Focusing mainly on girls pissing, Golden Passions mixes in a variety of other urination content as well. We are confident our site will finally get the attention it deserves within the new network,” KB Productions’ owner Kenny B said. Golden Passions adds to the existing water sport fetish sites within the network, including Piss Whore Training and Diaper Sluts, Kenny B said.

Flirt4Free models Hadess, left, and Jason Stark.

sales to qualify for increased payouts. In order to qualify, participating affiliates will need to have a minimum of five sales more than they did in October. The length of the increased payout periods vary based on the targets reached by each affiliate. During the increased payout period in December affiliates will earn $45 PPS or 60 percent rev share.

TOPBUCKS MEDIA MAKES CHANGES FAMEDOLLARS HAS HOLIDAY PROMO MONTREAL — FameDollars has announced its “Pay Pig” promo contest that gives affiliates a chance to earn increased payouts through the month of December. The company said that from Nov. 1-30, affiliates will have the chance to collect

VAN NUYS, Calif. — TopBucks Media Services, formerly known as TopBucks Mobile Services, has revamped its site and is offering a wide range of services to current and prospective clients. TopBucks Media Services now includes full-site management, device responsive websites, mobile-only websites and media and publicity

opportunities, along with content licensing opportunities.

FREEONES BETS ON MODEL STORES THE NETHERLANDS — FreeOnes.com has opened registration to its model stores. The platform was launched earlier this year as a new revenue stream for models and their representatives where store owners can upload their photo sets and videos to earn revenue from FreeOnes’s traffic. Participants can sign up for a store even if there is no current “babe” section under the model’s name. As long as the model has a first and last stage name and some quality links, they are eligible to be include in the “babe” section.

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Elevated X Digital Asset Management CMS Adds Data Protection, Storage Streaming I Video Support

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OS ANGELES — Elevated X has added video streaming support to its adult site management CMS software product. mThe company has added HLS (HTTP Live Streaming). The HLS allows adaptive MP4 video file streaming and seeking ahead, while watching a video on a Flash-enabled PC or an IOS device. It does not require the use of any server mod-

ules installed. Elevated X CMS-powered websites will now be able to offer streaming videos to iPhone and iPad users. “Many of our customers are paying monthly fees for Elevated X’s icon-based admin panel streamis accessible anywhere, including the ing iPad, iPhone or web-capable smartservers phone. or services like Wowza to stream videos,” said Elevated X CEO AJ Hall. “Now rather than pay for a streaming service, Elevated X CMS users can stream videos on their own server and this is included with the CMS for free.” For devices that don’t support HLS, the system will still serve a standard MP4 file, allowing the user experience to remain the same as it is now for CMS users with or without Wowza. In addition to cost savings for Elevated X customers, the company stated that there are some major benefits to website viewers. Most importantly is the ability to adaptively stream to Apple devices, which represent an increasingly important target segment to streaming publishers. CMS customers without the optional video encoding add-on can manually create and upload their own HLS files. For CMS customers using optional automatic video encoding features, source video files are automatically cut into multiple files at different data rates and divided into short chunks for streaming delivery. “What this means in layman’s terms is that if you use Elevated X to run your websites, your site will automatically deliver the correct size file to a viewer based on their connection speed,” Hall said. “The video playback experience will be optimized for each viewer. The video bandwidth/quality adjustment also applies to iPad and iPhone users.” a

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t is a nightmare that will eventually come to pass: your most valuable information, strategic business and financial documents, photo and video content and “master” files, and other data essential to operations is compromised; causing panic for the unprepared. While software solutions are available for recovering corrupted data and lost files, this after the fact disaster recovery is far less preferable to proactively employing proper tools and workflows for safely preserving digital content and other media assets. One company that can help content owners is Drobo.com, which offers redundant physical storage systems to serve as part of a reliable digital asset management strategy. These easy-touse, expandable, flexible, and protected hardware solutions allow users to safely store and edit photos and videos, as well as store and back up their personal data. Among the solutions it provides is the Drobo 5D, which its maker claims redefines professional storage, again. According to the company, the device was redesigned from the ground up to meet the data storage needs of today’s media creators and demanding professionals. Building on the functionality of previous Drobos by raising performance and leveraging cutting-edge Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 connectivity along with the use of solid state drives (SSDs), the Drobo 5D is among the best-performing personal storage arrays available, allowing users at

any level to help keep their data safe. Data backups to external drives are only one part of the equation, however. “There are additional risk factors beyond a single drive failure that all customers should be aware of,” a Drobo spokesperson explains. “Additional risk factors include but are not limited to accidental file deletion, multiple simultaneous drive failures, file system corruption, viruses, theft, power surges, fire, floods, software and hardware malfunction, earthquakes and of course curious toddlers.” The company recommends that computer users follow best practices and carefully analyze their digital asset management strategy for risk to help Please see DATA, page 88

Huccio Rolling Out 4K Ultra HD Porn

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OLLYWOOD, Calif. — Porn shot and displayed in ultrahigh definition is on

its way. Huccio.com launched last week, touting that it will be the first adult studio and distributor company to master and release 4K Ultra HD porn downloads, which will allow porn fans to see every minute detail of specific anatomical parts and bodily fluids that turn them on. 4K Ultra HD offers four times the resolution of 1080p HDTV — twice as many pixels in each direction, horizontally and vertically. The company, led by founder Tony Tsai, is planning a formal 4K Ultra HD launch on Dec. 1, offering $24.99 monthly subscriptions and pay-per-view options.

Scene from Huccio.com’s website.

Huccio plans to roll out new titles each week. Until the launch, however, curious surfers can gain free membership on Huccio.com that provide access to stills and four-minute teasers released in H264, or Blu-ray,

format. Tsai spoke with XBIZ briefly this month to answer a few questions about Huccio, the technology and anticipated consumer reaction for 4K porn content. Please see HUCCIO, page 84

IN BRIEF RED APPLE MEDIA IN HOSTING CAMPAIGN SAN DIEGO — Red Apple Media is giving away three months of free hosting as part of its “We Do It Better” campaign in celebration of the year’s end. Red Apple Media says its data centers were “built for speed” with 24/7 U.S.-based customer support and tickets answered within 10 minutes. “To celebrate the end of another successful year, we’re offering new clients free service for three months with literally no downtime, to give them something extra special to celebrate,” said Michelle Lockhart, Red Apple Media’s vice president of sales. “We handle every detail for a quick and painless switch-over — coding, programming, everything — and the only difference clients will see is a faster site and happier customers.” Lockhart added that Red Apple Media’s state-of-theart data centers feature “top providers, triple redundancy, 100 percent uptime, competitive pricing and no overcrowding.” New clients who sign up with a contract for six months or longer will receive three months of free hosting. Only sign-ups completed before midnight on Dec. 31 will be eligible for the We Do It Better promotion, the Red Apple Media sales team said.

bonded CMS. All Standard Wordpress features work with AdultsiteCMS PRO, including other Wordpress widgets, plugins and themes. This version was hatched after working closely with a select group of customers, the company said. AdultsiteCMS PRO version 1.0 comes with all the features of the regular AdultsiteCMS, but with significant add-ons. Some of those features include an all-new membership management using magic members, an allnew storefront allowing users to purchase goods like DVDs or other products as well as digital downloads using WooCommerce, all-new blogging and RSS feeds com-

patibility, all-new message board section and more. The software operates using CCBill. Prices start at $199.95 for single domain and $395 for unlimited license.

AKAMAI: INTERNET SPEEDS GO UP CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Akamai Technologies Inc. recently released its “State of the Internet” report for the second quarter of 2013, highlighting the change in worldwide connection speeds and the huge increase of “attack traffic” originating in Indonesia. Akamai, a content delivery network, said that the quarter saw global average con-

nection speed increasing 5.2 percent to 3.3 Mbps, with the global average peak connection speed rising 0.1 percent to 18.9 Mbps. The fastest Internet speed was found in Hong Kong, where the average peak connection speed reaches 65.1 Mbps, while South Korea placed second with 53.3 Mbps. The average connection speed in the U.S. clocked at 8.7 Mbps, and the average peak connection speed was 36.3 Mbps. “Year-over-year, average connection speeds were up 9.2 percent, with nine of the top 10 countries/regions demonstrating positive growth of more than 10 percent,” Akamai said. “Worldwide, 127 qualifying

countries/regions saw a yearover-year increase in average connection speeds, ranging from 0.6 percent in Argentina (to 2 Mbps) to 262 percent in Côte d’Ivoire (to 1.6 Mbps).” Akamai’s report also looked into malicious Internet traffic, finding that 38 percent of such traffic comes from Indonesia. China was in second place with 33 percent, followed by the U.S. with 6.9 percent. Akamai notes, however, that the country from which the attack traffic originates doesn’t necessarily need to be the place where the attacker resides — the perpetrator could be anywhere in the world, launching attacks from compromised systems elsewhere.

ADULTSITECMS PRO VER. 1.0 DEBUTS LOS ANGELES — After years of development, Adult Digital Solutions has unveiled AdultSiteCMS PRO version 1.0 to the industry via soft launch last month. The company said this new version of AdultSiteCMS is poised to compete with the crop of professional-grade adult content management software in the current market. While its sister software was created for beginners and intermediate adult webmasters, AdultSiteCMS Pro version 1.0 is developed for the more sophisticated and advanced webmasters but still possesses the ease and convenience of using Wordpress. The company said that AdultsiteCMS PRO version 1.0 is a new version of AdultsiteCMS. It has a complete set of new features that the base software doesn’t possess. But it is still a Wordpress

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ExoClick Named as Top 10 Retargeting Company

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ARCELONA — ExoClick last month was named as one of the top 10 best retargeting companies by Topppcs.com, an independent authority on paid search marketing vendors. Each month, Toppcs performs an analysis and reporting on the best retargeting companies around the world, aiming to uncover the most efficient organizations that deliver the top solutions and best experience for customers in paid search.

Retargeting means targeting specific users who have already shown some interest in a certain product or brand. While about 2 percent of possible buyers will actually complete their purchase on the first visit; retargeting brings back the other 98 percent. With Toppcs, companies are chosen based on merit and performance results, which are analyzed in the evaluation process. Thousands of paid search marketing firms are put to the test and only the best ones are highlighted in the ranking. “It is another great result and much appreciated recognition for our teams’ hard work and the passion in which we operate so to provide the best service and solutions for our clients, who we would like to thank once again our for their trust in us,” said Benjamin Fonzé, CEO and founder of ExoClick. ExoClick recently broke a record of 3 billion ad impressions per day, re-confirming its position as one of the leading and fastest growing ad network in the world, Fonzé said. ExoClick, founded in 2006, provides online advertising services to both advertisers and publishers worldwide, for both web and mobile channels. a

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Google Web Designer allows interactive HTML5-based designs and motion graphics that can run on any device.

Google Brings Ads Up-to-Date Google Web Designer Goes Beyond Easing HTML5 Ad Creation

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alling itself the way to bring ideas to life across screens, Google Web Designer (www.google .com/ webdesigner/) seeks to create engaging, interactive HTML5-based designs and motion graphics that can run on any device — and while better advertising was an initial goal, this new development tool goes beyond easing HTML5 ad creation. Google Web Designer enables users to focus on design, without worrying about (or even understanding) the underlying

code, so artists and others can do what they do best — express themselves. “Let us handle the HTML5 and CSS3 so you’re free to focus on what you love to do: creating gorgeous visual experiences,” the rep added. “A full design suite lets you easily bring any vision to life.” While some developers will worry that this much “help” from a development tool will somehow constrain them, preventing the addition of custom coding and other perks, but Google Web Designer was built with easy customization in mind. “If you’re feeling more handson, all the code behind your designs is hand-editable, so you’re never locked out of your own work,” the rep explains. “Your ideas are now amplified by code — not restricted by it.” If this level of capability and control, backed by a technology giant, appeals to you, then read on for a look under the hood of Google Web Designer. First up, there are two time-

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line animation modes, a Quick mode and Advanced mode, helping designers easily create eye catching pages and advertisements. “In Quick mode, build your animations scene by scene and we’ll take care of the frames in between,” the rep advises. “In Advanced mode, animate individual elements using layers, easily changing the location of elements within the stack.” According to Google, both the Quick and Advanced modes allow users to add a new view of the page, changing the elements they want to animate and optionally modifying transition times and easings. More complex animations are possible in Advanced mode, however, which lets you individually animate each of the elements, while showing layers; enabling users to change where each element is within the stack of elements. Animations aren’t enough for you? Google Web Designer offers a full 3D authoring environment that allows users to create and manipulate 3D content utilizing an array of tools and the power of CSS3, so that you can rotate objects and even 2D designs, along any axis — visualizing the 3D transformations and translations as you author the design. Of course, there’s more to Google Web Designer than the ability to create eye candy, with both a design view and code view working together to help enable your creativity. “While a visual tool is helpful, it can never represent your creativity, imagination and vision in full,” the rep explains. “That’s why you can flip back and forth between Design View and Code View as you work; immediately seeing changes made to code reflected back in your designs.”

This feature is extremely handy when creating ads and HTML files, as it allows users to immediately test how changes in their code will affect the design. The built-in code editing tool lets users create CSS, JavaScript and XML files with an auto-completion function that Google says makes code easier to write with fewer errors; while a selection tool enables designers to select objects and then change the CSS styling through the CSS panel.

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lthough Google Web Designer includes numerous tools that make it a true one-stop solution for website creation, developers are not limited to using these tools only; with an ability to import files a welcome addition. “Import assets from any other creative suite or use the built-in illustration tools to create vector-style artwork — keeping your designs light,” the rep offers. “To create new HTML tags in your designs, just draw them in with the Tag tool.” Need more? How about an easy ad workflow, with built-in support for creating animated banner, expandable and interstitial ads — along with the tools to publish and profit from them. “Google Web Designer makes it simple to publish ads through any platform,” the rep concludes. “Choose from DoubleClick Studio or AdMob, or go for the Generic option to push content through any other ad network. No coding required.” Think about that: This free tool not only builds responsive websites, it also provides traffic and revenue options in one package — and you can bet the pages it generates are search engine friendly, for even more traffic potential. a

Automating Traffic

Chameleon Conquers Tube Site Submissions

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nless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere, you know that tube sites account for the lion’s share of adult website traffic today, and regardless of where they might stand on the subject of tubes, a growing number of content producers and paysite owners are choosing to grab a share of this traffic. While participating in one or two tube site’s content partnership programs may not be too difficult to keep up with, when dealing with hundreds of sites and perhaps thousands of submissions, doing it by hand gets to be a chore. Fortunately, veteran adult software company Chameleon has upped the ante with the latest release of its tool for automating traffic generation by using tube site submissions. According to Chameleon, its Tube Sites Submitter (www.tubesitessubmitter.com) is a fast and efficient tool for uploading videos quickly, easily and automatically, to hundreds of tube sites in a matter of minutes. Tube Sites Submitter quickly creates user profiles for you on the sites included in its regularly updated database, which also includes the rules for each site, so that submissions follow each site’s unique guidelines; bettering chances that your clip will be well listed. Chameleon claims that its Tube Sites Submitter will make sure that your video is seen by tens of thousands of users, increasing traffic to your sites while boosting your earnings — saving you a lot of time and making your work flow more efficient. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for today’s traffic starved and down staffed sites, where automation can leverage a smaller workforce to produce bigger results — the type of help that programs bringing their traffic generation in-house need in order to replace a lot of the work previously done by affiliates — as well as being a solution for affiliates who need a competitive advantage. All of these factors work together to make Tube Sites Submitter worth a closer look: One of the first things that a user needs to do when undertaking a tube campaign is to register an account and create a profile at the site being submitted to. Here, Chameleon’s Tube Sites Submitter allows you to create an unlimited number of profiles and use proxy settings for individual profiles if desired, with flexible login and password settings. An easy to use login and password manager will help you keep track of your account information, so you’ll never be “locked out.” The system allows users to register for hundreds of tube sites in a couple of minutes (depending upon your connection speed), with automatic and manual registration modes, according to tube site rules, along with automatic form completion to speed the process. Auto registration to tube sites is possible for up to 10 sites at the

same time, while those sites requiring a manual registration process can be catered to using up to 10 registration windows at the same time. Tube site information can be edited during the registration step, and after registration to a tube site, users will receive a status report. Once registered, the optional Chameleon Confirmer automated confirmation tool can speed up the process of account completion. Chameleon Confirmer allows users to confirm dozens of registration emails in a mere matter of seconds. After this process, which will take around 12 minutes with Confirmer, you can begin to use the tube site account and start uploading videos. Getting back to Tube Sites Submitter, niche marketers will be pleased to note that there are more than 200 submission categories, and that each video can be uploaded to as many as six niche categories per submission. A variety of different length descriptions can be added to each video, as can 2257 information in order to comply with federal recordkeeping requirements. Full video data including the video duration, file size and format, along with content-type information and an array of tags are also added.

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he most common video types can be uploaded, including AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, MPG and WMV, depending upon the specific requirements of the individual tube sites. Uploads can be set to occur automatically, with a scheduler allowing for submissions at your own pace. Automatic video uploads are possible at up to 10 tubes simultaneously, with manual uploads able to use up to 10 windows at the same time. Automatic form completion during manual submissions, along with the recognition of CAPTCHA codes, plus the ability to upload videos via a proxy server, delivers speed and flexibility. Of course, videos are only uploaded to those tube sites meeting the submission parameters, preventing declines due to rule breaking. Another handy feature is the ability to create, edit and delete groups of tube sites, which allows better targeting and a more efficient work flow. As with most processes, submissions are covered by Chameleon’s video tutorials, dramatically lowering the learning curve. Tube Sites Submitter includes all software upgrades and regular database updates for free, with each fully automatic upgrade adding new tube sites, repairing invalid site data and removing dead tube sites from the database. Tube Sites Submitter is available with three purchase options: $299 for one full year; or a $29.95 recurring monthly subscription; or a three month recurring subscription for $88.95, providing financing flexibility. a

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Epoch Debuts V3 Payment Form for Mobile Users

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ANTA MONICA, Calif. — Epoch has released a new version of its payment form specifically designed for users of tablets and smartphones. mThe beta for the Version 3 payment form was released a month ago and is available to all Epoch clients who use standard payment forms. It does not automatically replace payment forms currently being used; it merely is an option available to Epoch clients. V3, with its updated look and clean interface that is ideally suited for smaller screens, employs bootstrap technology, allowing it to scale into tablet and smartphone browsers as well as desktop browsers (including Internet Explorer 7) via responsive CSS. V3 adapts to portrait or landscape orientation automatically and includes automated features such as language detection, currency conversion and geo-targeted payment options. Epoch clients who are not using a custom template can add the parameter name “version” with a value of “3” (&version=3) to switch payment pages to V3. Alternatively, Epoch staff can help make V3 the default form. a

Affil4You Offers New Traffic Filters for Affiliates

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ARIS — Affil4You.com is releasing a new suite of affiliate tools that give webmasters better access to data for fine-tuning marketing campaigns and improving revenue from existing traffic.

Opening New Doors Direct-Carrier Billing Comes to the U.S.

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arrier fragmentation plus technical and regulatory friction in the payment systems for mobile users has hampered the U.S. mobile market since its inception. This has led many marketers to think of “mobile” as “a European thing” — but all that is changing. According to txtNation, it is offering a direct phone billing solution for the U.S. that is compatible with AT&T, Sprint, TMobile and Verizon Wireless, and which opens new doors for content publishers and marketers — although hardcore pornographers will still find themselves shut out of the equation for now. Direct carrier billing allows txtNation customers to accept mobile payments without facing the bureaucratic problems caused by differences between mobile operators, providing a seamless purchase process and a better experience for endusers that leads to improved conversion rates. This solution opens the market to those who were previously put off by the difficulties of launching premium services in the U.S. while its ease of use will also attract U.S. businesses that have no experience in mobile payments. “We are proud to announce the addition of U.S. direct carrier billing to our global billing coverage platform to guarantee a fast, seamless and secure payment process for consumers; and new revenue channels for online merchants,” txtNation’s Chief Business Development Officer Danny Marino stated. “We are pleased to be able to offer realizable billing solutions to customers wishing to sell product and services in the U.S., gaining access to a huge and affluent mobile market.” Portrayed as a simple “plug-and-pay” option for clients wishing to target consumers in the U.S., txtNation says its so-

lution provides customers with a simple, easy-to-use and clean interface with a consistent and friendly payment flow that lets end users pay with a consistency and friendliness that reduces user confusion, Please see TXTNATION, page 77

MiKandi Debuts Chrome App Store Mint List

To be on a black (or dark) background

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EATTLE — MiKandi has debuted first thirdparty Chrome app store. The Mint List Chrome app store, while still in beta, was developed to deliver the best of the adult web, curating HTML5 apps, themes and extensions from premier adult brands around the world. “MiKandi’s mission is to aggregate and deliver the best adult experiences on mobile,” MiKandi CEO Jesse Adams said. “While we’re fully committed to Android

List, the world’s To be on a whiteMint (or light) background “Many of our affiliates are sending traffic from a variety of sources, testing to see what works best and focusing in on the revenue streams that show the most potential,” said Joey Gabra of Affil4You.com. “These new tools allow you to segment the statistical results by each marketing method and filter the data so that you can drill down to see exactly what is working well, and exactly how well it is working.” a

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and the power of native apps, Mint List is our push into HTML5. “The majority of our visitors, including many non-Android users, discover MiKandi from the Chrome browser. Unfortunately, the difficulties we had developing an alternative Chrome App store raise concerns about the openness of the HTML5 app ecosystem on Chrome.” Please see MIKANDI, page 84

Google Glass Porn to Be Demo’d at XBIZ 360

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OS ANGELES — XBIZ is pleased to announce that MiKandi will showcase the fascinating possibilities of Google Glass and pornography at the adult industry’s events series of the year, XBIZ 360, slated for Jan. 22-25 at the W Hollywood Hotel. MiKandi’s Jesse Adams and Jen McEwen will demonstrate the device and discuss its potential impact on the future of adult entertainment. “We’re thrilled to share our experience and behind the scenes details of our Google Glass porn project,” Adams told XBIZ. “First, we’ll be going over the general process of building the Tits & Glass app for Google Glass, which will give attendees a good sense of the limitations and possibilities. “Then we’ll talk in detail about the first porn we shot with Glass, how it came together and the challenges we had. We’ll also share some of the overwhelming customer feedback we received from the video that will be super insightful for anyone looking to explore these high-tech devices. Lastly, we’ll touch upon

‘Who Can Turn Down a Threesome’

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James Deen wearing Google Glass.

where we see this heading in the future and what to expect next.” a

OUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google has announced that current Google Glass users will be able to extend invitations to three friends to purchase the $1,500 device. Google hasn’t released Google Glass to the general public, but earlier this year thousands of individuals and companies were able to buy the wearable computer that includes an optical head-mounted display. MiKandi was one of them. The Seattle-based company, which operates mobile adult app stores for Android and Chrome, built the Tits & Glass app and

later set the Internet ablaze after it debuted the first-ever, two-way POV Google Glass porn video starring James Deen and Andy San Dimas, which was produced in collaboration with XBIZ and posted on YouTube. Now, Mikandi officials are welcoming another wave of the Google Glass soft rollout. “We received the email, and we’re excited to share three Google Glass invites to our industry friends and help spread the excitement over these innovative devices,” MiKandi’s Jesse Adams told XBIZ. “Besides, who can turn down a threesome?” a

Study: 250M to Access Mobile Porn by 2017

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AMPSHIRE, England — A quarter of a billion people will use their mobile or tablet devices to access porn by 2017, a new report from Juniper Research reveals. The study says the boom will be fueled by video, images and live cam viewing that will tick up by more than 30 percent thanks to HD, niche and free content. According to the report, “Mobile Adult Content: Monetisation, Technologies & Legislation 2013 – 2018,” smartphones and tablets have become key distribution channels for adult service providers, noting that the most successful create content tailored to the increasingly mobile audience. Juniper also said that personal tablets will be on the rise as opposed to shared household devices, further allowing anonymous porn viewing. a

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IN BRIEF CHERRY MEDIA TAKES A FESTIVE APPROACH BARCELONA, Spain — Cherry Media has announced its 2013 Christmas-themed vertical packs of marketing tools and artwork. The company said the new offerings are aimed at decreasing its partners’ publication costs, while increasing

profit margins. Three content grading levels are available including: Glamour, Topless and Hardcore to comply with the various local grading regulations around the world. Cherry is also providing its festive content with new technical and publishing services including Christmasthemed mobile video feeds and VOD sites; design services for mobile and web seasonal promotions with m-sites, landing pages, etc.; and licensed Android apps filled

with the Christmas content. “Thanks to Cherry’s new in-house app building technology, we can now offer all our collections in Android device format for partners to distribute via Google Play or their own B2C channels,” CEO Julia Dimambro, said. “Cherry’s Christmas collections have a major footprint in substantially increasing our partners’ festive, seasonal revenues. We have launched Cherry’s 2013 Christmas Collection to be available specifically as from today, so that

partners can benefit from maximum selling time with some of the best performing content and services.”

PUFFYCASH.COM LAUNCHES MOBILE SITE LOS ANGELES — PuffyCash.com has expanded with the launch of its mobile opti-

mized Puffy Network site, m.PuffyNetwork.com. “Site owners have been talking about a mobile internet revolution for years — and a lot of that talk was premature — but now the numbers are beyond debate, and our internal statistics are proving just how important it is to provide content in a format optimized for phones, tablets and mobile screens,” said Wayne of PuffyCash. The Puffy Network mobile site is designed to display on any device traffic users prefer. PuffyCash.com offers affiliates pay-per-signup or revshare payout options, stock promotional tools and custom marketing campaign options to help webmasters drive traffic, Wayne added. “Our program, and particularly our flagship site, WetAndPuffy.com, are 1080p HD collections so we wanted to make sure the full flavor of our content could be captured by a new mobile tour before releasing it for fans and affiliates,” Wayne said. "Now we are thrilled with the live version which lets mobile visitors do everything they could have done on a desktop, and the direct user feedback has been really impressive.”

WISPAY: NEW ALL-IN-1 PAYMENT SOLUTION PARIS — Wister has announced a comprehensive payment solution named WisPay that is agnostic about which device, software platform, carrier or point of origin a sale comes from. "WisPay is our all-in-one payment solution for Carrier Invoice and ISP Invoice processing, utilizing a decision tree that always chooses the best way to process each incoming transaction in real time," said Joey G. of Wister.com. "Unlike other billing solutions, WisPay combines the best aspects of each payment solution type dynamically so that you don't have to do anything more than watch your revenue grow." “WisPay has the flexibility to do it all with a level of efficiency never seen before by merchants or consumers. That means the best conversion rate and lowest transaction fees possible every time. “The days of mobile or traditional billing are finally over as WisPay allows your digital business to do it all at the same time on a single platform with ease.”

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Factory Video Fined $60,000 by Cal/OSHA

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AN FRANCISCO — Factory Video, a San Francisco-based studio that primarily produces gay bareback films, has been fined nearly $60,000 for occupational safety and health complaints filed by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation over the past two years. Five of the citations Factory Video recently received were classified “serious” by Cal/OSHA, while others were classified as “general” or “regulatory” and also resulted in fines. Of the “serious” citations, three resulted in $9,000 in fines a piece, including one for failure to maintain an “exposure control plan; a second, for failure to observe and practice “universal precautions” for possible contact

Vivid: AHF Should Be Blocked in Appeal

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OS ANGELES — Vivid Entertainment attorneys filed court papers with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asking the court to dismiss the AIDS Healthcare Foundation as intervenors in the studio’s appeal to effectively stop enforcement of Measure B. Vivid, along with coplaintiffs Kayden Kross and Logan Pierce, filed an appeal with the 9th Circuit last month after they were denied a preliminary injunction over Measure B by U.S. District Court Judge Dean Pregerson. The voterapproved measure requires the use of condoms in the production of adult movies Vivid owner in Los Angeles County. Steve Hirsch Last month, Los Angeles County’s appointed counsel told the clerk for the 9th Circuit that the county has chosen not to file an answering brief in the appeal over the preliminary injunction. AHF President Michael Weinstein blasted the county for its stance over the lawsuit. AHF’s Michael “Despite Judge Weinstein Pregerson’s ruling that the condom requirement is, in fact, constitutional, county officials are now cherry picking which laws to enforce,” Weinstein said. “This should be a huge embarrassment to Please see MEASURE B, page 88

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with or exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials; and a third for failing to use engineering and work practice controls to eliminate or minimize employee exposure to “ … minimize splashing, spraying, spattering, and generation of droplets of … blood or other potentially infectious materials.” In a release, Michael Weinstein, AHF’s president, said that he advises those porn industry producers “who continue to ignore and break the law that we intend to continue to file similar workplace safety complaints.” “I am very pleased to see that Cal/OSHA is

really starting to step up its enforcement of existing California health and safety statutes that have long required the use of condoms in adult films produced anywhere in California,” Weinstein said . “All workers deserve a safe workplace, including those primarily young, often powerless people working as performers in the adult film industry.” In a statement from Factory Video’s Marc Sterling, he said that, “Weinstein and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is once again using misinformation, intimidation and fear mongering about HIV to push a political agenda.” Please see FACTORY, page 80

ATVOD Begins Talks With U.K. Processors Over Foreign Sites

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ONDON — The top U.K. processors said that last month’s summit hosted by U.K. video-on-demand regulator ATVOD provided a “starting point” discussion on a plan that could effectively block revenue generated by foreign hardcore porn sites. ATVOD in its latest initiative is seeking a voluntary deal with banks and credit card firms to tackle hardcore sites that don’t employ age verification. But the group of processors at the meeting — the British Bankers’ Association, MasterCard, Payments Council, PayPal, The UK Cards Association and Visa Europe — summed up that they don’t want to be “the regulator of the open Internet.” Nevertheless, the processors said that that they have agreed to work with ATVOD to consider how any proposal to limit the exposure to explicit porn images might work in practice should new laws become enacted. “The view of the meeting was that the current legal framework provides inadequate provision for this to happen and any emerging initiatives will need a firmer statutory underpinning,” the processors group said. Noting that they already work with law enforcement agencies, the processors said there is “no single soluPlease see ATVOD, page 85

LONDON CONFERENCE

Diane Duke, left, and Vince Charlton are among speakers scheduled to attend an ATVOD-hosted conference.

ATVOD Slates ‘For Adults Only?’

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ONDON — The Free Speech Coalition’s Diane Duke and ASACP’s Vince Charlton are among speakers scheduled to attend an ATVODhosted conference on online child protection in December. The London conference, titled “For Adults Only? — Protecting Children From Online Porn,” is organized by U.K. on-demand regulator ATVOD, as well as the Centre for Centre for Commercial Law Studies at Queen Mary, University of London. Other speakers include Sue Berelowitz, deputy children’s commissioner for England; Alexandra Birtles, head of external communications at TalkTalk; John Carr of the Children’s Charities’ Coalition on Internet Safety; Reg Bailey, CEO of The Mothers’ Union; Vicki Shotbolt, CEO of The Parent Zone; and Julia Long, author of “Anti-Porn: The Resurgence of Anti-Pornography Feminism.” Please see CONFERENCE, page 85

Miami New Times Questions BangBros Legality of Fla. Porn Shoots Subpoenas Over Online Ad M

IAMI — The question of whether shooting porn in South Florida — a recent haven for mandatory condom law-weary Porn Valley producers and online companies — is legal, is being questioned by the local media and lawyers. Challenging AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein’s stance that shooting porn in Florida is tantamount to prostitution and thus illegal, a Miami New Times article pointed out that some recent reports, including an editorial in the SunSentinel has erroneously quoted Weinstein’s assertions as fact, when “the truth about the legality of porn in Florida is much murkier.” The Times reached out to Free Speech Coalition CEO Diane Duke for comment on the controversial Franks Florida situation. “Weinstein has been running around screaming that it’s not legal, but that’s ridiculous. While New Hampshire and California have been proactive in [protecting porn production], it doesn’t mean it’s illegal in the rest of the states,” Duke said. One local legal scholar, Mary Anne Franks, a professor at the University of Miami agreed with Duke, but admitted

that the laws are sketchy at best. “By holding that at least some pornography is protected by the First Amendment, the Supreme Court has implicitly declared that the performance of sex for money that occurs in pornography is different from the performance of sex for money in prostitution,” Franks told the Times. She added, “It hasn’t addressed this distinction explicitly, however, and the few lower courts that have done so resort to some fairly convoluted reasoning to reach their conclusions. The distinction seemingly turns on the fact that prostitution is a bilateral exchange of sex for money, making the physical act of sex the ‘product,’ while in the production of pornography, the ‘product’ is the recorded act of sex.” Questioning the distinction between simply paying a hooker and filming the act as being legal, as opposed to a set porn production, the lawyer said the acts are for the most part subjective, depending on who’s interpreting them. “Basically, the distinction is arbitrary and doesn’t hold up to legal analysis,” Please see FLORIDA, page 82

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AS VEGAS — While the lion’s share of copyright infringement cases involving adult content might originate from films accessed on the vast number of tube sites or file-locker sites, studios also are going after the bottom feeders, including companies that rip off content to be used in banner advertising. Take for example the case of BangBros.com, which recently found an animated GIF featuring adult stars Chastity Lynn and John E. Depth linking to a site that sells a sexual enhancement formula for men. BangBros recently asked the Randazza Randazza Legal Group to probe the ad in question that allegedly showed up on XVideos.com. The studio complained to the firm that the images of an animated GIF featuring Lynn and Depth had been poached to serve as a banner ad saying, “1 Secret for a BIG DICK” and “Watch the shocking video.” The ad, according to a subpoena filed by the Randazza firm, connects through a series of links from XVideos to TrafficFactory.biz, and finally ending up at MyWeirdSexTrick.com. Now, BangBros’ counsel is ordering TrafficFactory for contact numbers and billing information to Please see BANGBROS, page 84

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Google Takes Down Record Number of ‘Pirate’ Links

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UNNYVALE, Calif. — Google took down a record-breaking 5.3 million allegedly infringing links from its search engine in the last week of September. The entire month of September broke records too, with 21.5 million URL takedown requests.

Two adult entertainment companies both operated by Manwin (now MindGeek) — RK NetMedia Inc. and Froytal Services Ltd. — were among the top five copyright owners in the past month that requested takedowns over pirated material Froytal made about 2.2 million requests while RK NetMedia, the company’s Reality Kings division, requested 860,000 takedowns. Top specified domains involved in the takedown requests in the past month included ZippyShare.com, Dilandau.eu, BeEmp3.com, FilesTube.com and RapidGator.com. Released as part of Google’s transparency Please see GOOGLE, page 77

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London Targets Torrent Sites

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ONDON — A number of major torrent sites have found their domain names suspended by their registrars following formal requests from City of London Police. Without citing a court order or a specific legal mandate, London Police this week have sent letters to registrars of dozens of domain names in efforts to help stomp out piracy through peer-to-peer networks. Some of the domains that so far have been suspended include SumoTorrent.com, MisterTorrent.me, ExtraTorrent.com, Emp3World.com, Full-Albums.net and MaxAlbums.com. London Police warn in the letters that the sites in question are allegedly infringing on copyrights. “The owners of the aforementioned domains are suspected to be involved in the criminal distribution of copyrighted material either directly or indirectly and are liable to prosecution under U.K. law for the following offences: Conspiracy to Defraud, Offences under the Fraud Act 2006, Copyright, Design & Patents Act 1988,” the letter said. “Should a conviction be brought for the above offenses, U.K. courts may impose sentences of imprisonment and/or fines. [The London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit] has criminal and civil powers in U.K. law to seize money, belongings and any

property in connection with these offenses.” Earlier this year, London Police started began working with copyright holders on a campaign to shut down the peer-to-peer network sites. But warnings mostly went unheeded. Now, instead of targeting files-sharing site owners, London Police are contacting their domain registrars. Some of the affected sites that have been suspended have moved on to other top-level domain extensions. For instance, MisterTorrent.me is now MisterTorrent.cc and SumoTorrent.com is now SumoTorrent.sx. London Police’s letter recommends that registrars act expeditiously. It also asks registrars to send traffic of the torrent sites to a landing page with the City of London Police logo, as well as the logos of anti-piracy partners. “Suspension of the domain(s) is intended to prevent further crime,” the letter said. “Where possible we request that domain suspension(s) are made within 48 hours of receipt of this alert.” a

Playboy Scuffles With Escort Service Over Disputed Domains

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ENEVA — The operator of several Calgary escort service websites, CallPlaymates.com and HushPlaymates.com, recently was ordered by a WIPO arbitrator to hand over the domain names to Playboy Enterprises International Inc. The arbitrator, however, disallowed Playboy’s contention that it also be awarded PleasurePlaymates.com from the same escort service operator, which uses that name also as its corporate name. Pleasure Playmates.com, CallPlaymates.com and HushPlaymates.com are all operated by Calgary-based Pleasure Playmates Inc., an agency that uses the mirrored sites to lure customers to its stable of local escorts. In the disputed-domain name case, Playboy contended that the adult entertainment brand licensor and magazine publisher has U.S. and Canadian trademarks for “Playboy” and “Playmate” and that it has a U.S. appellate case to stand behind the case over domains that are likely to confuse (Playboy Enterprises Inc. vs. Netscape Communications Corp.). In that case argued at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Playboy relied upon an expert study showing that a statistically significant number of Internet users searching for terms “playboy” and “playmate” (51 percent and 31 percent, respectively) would think that Playboy itself sponsored banner advertisements. Playboy also said it relied upon another previous decision: A UDRP case that involved the registration of more than 70 domain names that incorporated the term “Playboy” and one domain name that incorporated the term “Playmate.” But the arbitrator weighing the current case in hand said that Playboy failed to

make out its case over one of the three sites in the complaint, PleasurePlaymates.com, given that the company has rights and legitimate interests in it. “So far as the term ‘Playmate’ is concerned, [Pleasure Playmates] points out that there are other companies that have Canadian trademarks for that term in relation to portable containers for ice, food and beverages and toys, and asserts that the complainant’s ‘Playmate’ mark does not extend to companionship services,” the arbitrator said. “Further, the [Pleasure Playmates] maintains that the terms ‘play,’ ‘mate,’ ‘playmates’ and ‘playmates’ are all ordinary English words and provides Internet dictionary definitions of these terms. One of the definitions of playmate is ‘a social companion or lover, girlfriend or boyfriend.’ and it is in this sense that the [Pleasure Playmates] claims it is using this term. It claims that it has being making legitimate fair use of that term since 2009.” The arbitrator, however, said that Playboy could succeed on its arguments over CallPlaymates.com and HushPlaymates.com because neither of the terms — “call” or “hush” — have been used as a name for the business and that Pleasure Playmates never addressed the question of its motivations for registering and using the two domain names. “It might be said that these two domain names use the term ‘Playmates’ in a descriptive sense in the same way as it is used in PleasurePlaymates.com,” the arbitrator wrote. Please see PLAYBOY, page 82

9th Circuit Hears GoDaddy Cybersquatting Case

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AN FRANCISCO — An appeals court panel last month heard the novel claim of “contributory cybersquatting” brought against GoDaddy.com by a Malaysian national oil company after traffic to domain names that included the company’s trademark was redirected to a porn site. Petronas, formally known as Petroliam Nasional Berhad, appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after a lower court granted summary judgment to the domain registrar, which was sued for monetary damages and attorney fees for cybersquatting, or at least a claim of contributory cybersquatting. In its suit, Petronas said it complained to GoDaddy over two websites, PetronasTower.net and PetronasTowers.net, that were alleged to have cybersquatted on its name. But it was not until Petronas obtained

two separate court orders that GoDaddy stopped forwarding traffic for those domains to CamFunChat.com. The appeals court previously ruled in a 1999 case, Lockheed vs. Network Solutions, which decided that domain name registrars are immune from liability for cybersquatting. But Petronas’ counsel argued to the appellate panel that the case covers only domain name registration — not the forwarding service at issue where multiple domains are redirected to a single website. Registration is different from domain name forwarding, Petronas counsel Perry Clark told the panel. Please see GODADDY, page 84

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IN BRIEF PA. ‘REVENGE PORN’ BILL ON ITS WAY HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania state senator is proposing “revenge porn” legislation in her state. State Sen. Judy Schwank said she’d like to follow in the footsteps of California and New Jersey by strengthening online sexual harassment laws to include posting Schwank sexually explicit photos and videos shot to humiliate or exploit others Schwank hinted that prosecutions would target individuals, rather than commercial revenge porn sites. California’s just-signedinto-law revenge porn bill amends a section of the Penal Code and makes it a crime to “cause serious emotional distress” to others by distributing over the Internet

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nude or semi-nude images of them. Images in violation, as defined by California’s law, include portions of genitals and, in the case of a female, portions of breasts below the top of the areola, that is either “uncovered or visible through less than fully opaque clothing.” It prohibits only images taken by the person posting them, meaning that self-photos aren’t protected. California’s revenge porn law punishes convicted operators with six-month jail sentences and imposing fines of $1,000 — even if the pictures were originally taken with consent. New York legislators — Assemblyman Edward C. Braunstein and Sen. Joseph A. Griffo — also are planning some type of revenge porn legislation, as well, in their state.

SWEDISH COURT CUTS SEX VIDEO PENALTY STOCKHOLM — A Swedish appeals court last month has

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cut the penalty imposed on a young man who posted a sex tape of his ex-girlfriend online. Dagens Juridik, a Swedish legal publication, reported that the man told a lower court that he didn’t expect the video to reach a wide audience after he taped the couple’s sexual encounters. After they broke up, the woman in the case discovered he had posted the video on user-generated porn sites. The man, who was 17 when he dated the woman, appealed the initial fine, arguing it was too high and an appeals court agreed, saying that times have changed and that sexual openness is now accepted. “One cannot ignore the circumstances that in not all too small circles of the population, it has with time become increasingly socially acceptable to be very open and outgoing in regard to one’s sexual habits,” the appeals court said. The appeals court cut the man’s penalty from $20,300 to $4,900. Both amounts included $950 for pain and suffering. He also was ordered

to perform community service.

WH SMITH TAKES ENTIRE SITE OFFLINE LONDON — WH Smith, calling some of its e-book titles it sells “unacceptable,” took its entire U.K. site offline last month. The move by the brickand-mortar and online retailer, comes after revelation by technology news site The Kernel that Amazon, WH Smith, Barnes & Noble and other retailers were selling “porn e-books” featuring incest, rape and bestiality on their sites. WH Smith takes e-book content — about 1 million titles — from Kobo.com, which said in a statement that it was “working quickly to review its catalog and remove the content, authors and publishers in question.” E-books have grown in popularity along with e-readers and tablet computers, but retailers have been struggling

to filter explicit adult content that breaches their website guidelines.

VISA IMPROVES CARD FRAUD DETECTION SAN FRANCISCO — Visa has unveiled a series of improvements to its payment detection system that significantly enhance the ability of its global processing network to detect potential electronic payments fraud. The enhancements to Visa’s Advanced Authorization give financial institutions reliable information on which transactions to decline in real time. Visa claims this potentially reduces fraud by billions of dollars per year, while more confidently confirming legitimate transactions to remove friction from payments for both merchants and consumers. and merchants want.” Visa says it’s expanded each account profile in its VAA model by adding more

transactional history data, as well as with additional neural networks to analyze that data. The profile is a major part of the risk score assigned to a given transaction and provided to the issuer for them to make an authorization decision.

PLAYBOY BUSTED IN THE PHILIPPINES MANILA, Philippines — A host of men’s magazines including Playboy have been busted for obscenity in the Philippines. Editors for Playboy, Maxim, FHM, and others were dragged into the Manila Regional Trial Court for printing allegedly lewd photos of nude bodies. The action stemmed from joint complaints filed by pastors and preachers of Bible Baptist Churches in Metro Manila, led by Manila District 6 Rep. Bienvenido Abante, and a senior pastor of the Metropolitan Bible Baptist Church of Sta. Ana. According to the complaint, the publications contained pornographic, erotic or indecent pictures that exhibited nude or semi-nude bodies, sexual acts and private parts of male and female bodies with no educational, artistic, cultural or scientific value from Sept., 2007 to July, 2008. The complainants reportedly said that the magazines’ photos were “clearly and purely intended or calculated to draw lust, stimulate sexual drive, excite impure imagination or arouse prurient interest” in violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code (obscene publication), Article 200 (grave scandal) and City Ordinance No. 7780 which prohibits the publication and sale of porn. Among those charged were Playboy Philippines editor-in-chief Ramon Faustino, former managing editor Vince Sales, and circulation manager Clarissa Palomo. Playhouse said it had never published nudity, private parts of men and women, and cannot be considered obscene. Although the prosecutors dismissed the case of grave scandal and violation of the city ordinance, they held up the obscenity charges.

volves placing a pressure sensitive device around a man’s penis, presenting him with an array of sexually stimulating images and determining his level of sexual attraction by measuring minute changes in his erectile responses.” In the case at hand, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal ruled for David McLaurin, an Alabama resident who was convicted in 2001 for taking topless photos of his 13-year-old daughter for what McLaurin insisted was a photo shoot to help her modeling career. But by pleading guilty to child pornography, McLaurin became subject to the rules and regulations of the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, known as SORNA. SORNA requires offenders to “register, and keep the registration current, in each

jurisdiction” in which they live. McLaurin moved from Alabama to Vermont in 2011 after serving a few months in prison, and failed to properly fill out paperwork for the Vermont sex offender registry. McLaurin was arrested for violating SORNA and sentenced to 15 months in prison and five years supervised release — one condition of release being that McLaurin may be subjected to “plethysmograph examinations, as directed by the probation officer.” The appeals court had to determine whether or not the requested penile plethysmography, a condition of release, which is a “sufficiently serious invasion of liberty,” served any compelling government interest such as deterrence

and protection of the public. Here, the invasion of McLaurin’s privacy satisfied neither of those government interests. The government argued that penile plethysmography is a useful form of correctional treatment for sex offenders who have an unusually high recidivism rate. But that argument didn’t hold with the appeals court as the sentencing court in Vermont had previously ruled that McLaurin was “unlikely to reoffend again.” The appeals court also found that to “consider the purported correlation between increasing penis size and recidivism to be strong, the correlation would be irrelevant.” “In some cases, the subject apparently may be re-

quired, prior to the start of the test, to masturbate so that the machine can be properly calibrated,” the appeals court noted in its ruling. “The subject is then required to view pornographic images or videos while the device measures blood flow to the penis and measures the extent of any erection that the subject has.” The appeals court acknowledged a governmental interest in protecting the public but found a “clear distinction between penis measurement and other conditions of supervised release which are reasonably calculated [to accomplish that goal].” “[T]here is a line at which the government must stop. Penile plethysmography testing crosses it,” the appeals court wrote.

COURT: MONITORING DEVICE IS INVASIVE NEW YORK — A federal appeals court ruled last month that a convicted sex offender does not have to submit to a penile plethysmograph as a condition of his supervised release from jail. Penile plethysmography is a two-hour test that “in-

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Homegrown Sharpens Its Focus Josh Marcum Joins as COO; Changes Are in Store

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OS ANGELES — Homegrown Video has announced that Josh Marcum will take over as the head of operations and chief operating officer. Homegrown officials say the company is refocusing its efforts to return to its original branding as the “birthplace of amateur adult entertainment and the quintessential brand for those looking to share their sex lives on camera.” “Every Homegrown Video employee learns the company history and mission before they even start Day One,” Marcum said. Marcum “Over the past few years, we have focused on maintaining our mission statement and directed our efforts to stay true to amateur as it should be. We have moved away from our pro-am releases to come back to center, authentic amateur content, in order to reestablish and elevate our core values.” Under the revised management, a large portion of Homegrown’s setup will remain the same. Updates launched under Marcum include the adoption of new media methodology. a

New Sensations’ Taylor to Keynote XBIZ 360 for Film

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OS ANGELES — XBIZ is pleased to announce New Sensations founder Scott Taylor as its 2014 Visionary Keynote for its upcoming adult film conference. Scheduled Taylor for Jan. 22-25, XBIZ has taken over the entire property of W Hollywood Hotel. The conferences will culminate with the industry’s awards event of the year, the 2014 XBIZ Awards, presented by Fleshlight, with Jenna Jameson as its master of ceremonies. a

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“I do not believe that mandatory condoms is the right choice,” porn performer Alana Evans says. “Not all performers can work with condoms, so I believe it should be performer choice.”

Porn & Condoms

Adult Film Community Finds Itself Divided

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ANOGA PARK, Calif. — The adult industry remains in opposition with Los Angeles County and the state of California over whether condoms should be mandated in porn, but the biggest debate is happening within its ranks. In an industry that profits from creating sexual fantasies, the most polarizing question facing it today is whether the use of condoms is enough to destroy them. Many believe the combination of mandatory condoms and STI testing every 14 days provides porn performers with the safest possible environment in which to work. However others say that condoms do not necessarily reduce the risk of contagion and shooting porn with them results in a critical disadvantage in the marketplace. “We don’t have our actors use condoms but we adhere to strict testing for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases,” said Larry Flynt, founder of LFP/Hustler Video. “The reason why we don’t demand they use condoms is because there’s no market for videos with condoms. For some reason they do not sell when condoms are Please see CONDOMS, page 79

Larry Flynt, founder of LFP/Hustler Video, says there is a “psychological barrier that the people who are viewing the films have trouble getting over” when it comes to condoms.

Axel Braun Leaving Vivid Entertainment

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ANOGA PARK, Calif. — Director Axel Braun last month said he is parting ways with Vivid Entertainment, effective Nov. 1. Braun, the reigning XBIZ Best Director-Parody winner, has been working with Vivid for the past four years, producing several parody movies that have received industry accolades. “It’s an absolutely amicable split,” Braun

said. “Vivid is a terrific company, and everybody there has alBraun ways been great to me. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Steven Hirsch, but I simply felt it was time to hit the reset button and chal-

lenge myself with different endeavors.” A 23-year adult industry veteran, Braun first started collaborating with Vivid in late 2009, when he signed a distribution deal for his namesake company Axel Braun Productions. His first ABP title, “Batman XXX,” helped to jumpstart a superhero parody trend that is still going strong today. From Superman to Spider-Man, from Wolverine to Iron Man, there aren’t many cos-

tumed crimefighters left that Braun hasn’t parodied. “I’m first and foremost a comic book fan,” Braun said. “I notoriously obsess over the tiniest details to make sure that the characters I spoof are portrayed as accurately as possible, and I guess that resonates strongly with other fans. “It’s easier to give an audience what they want when you’re part of the same demographic.” a

FameDollars Revamps Devil’s Site

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ONTREAL — FameDollars, the well-known affiliate program and subsidiary of Gamma Entertainment, has announced the relaunch of a revamped version of

DevilsFilm.com, the multi-award-winning gonzo, parody and tranny studio. Nick Orlandino, who recently purchased Devil’s Film through his Giant Media Group, advanced Eric Gutterman to vice president of operations, and Gutterman then helped orchestrate a renewal of the longstanding relationship between FameDollars and Devil’s Film. “FameDollars has done an excellent job of representing the Devil’s Film brand online and it’s suite of very successful niche sites for quite sometime now,” Orlandino said. “As they say, ‘If it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it,’ which is exactly why I decided to continue partnering with the FameDollars team as we start the next chapter in the saga that is Devil’s Film.” a

DevilsFilm.com, the gonzo, parody and tranny site, has a fresh, new look.

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NightMoves Awards Handed Out

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AMPA, Fla. — The 21st Annual NightMoves 2013 Awards winners have been announced. The fan-voted show was hosted by Ron Jeremy, emcee Tony Batman and Misty Stone at the Tampa Gold Club. Between award presentations, the operators said the audience was treated to erotic performances by 2012 Miss Pole Champ USA winner Katie Sutra, burlesque performer Gia Nova, Girlfriends Films contract star Prinzzess Felicity Jade, female impersonator Kamden T Class, male exotic dancer troupe East Coast Hard Bodies, and Southeast Showclubs Dancers. a

Best ProduCtIoN ComPaNy Fan ChoiCe — WiCked PiCtures editor’s ChoiCe — naughty ameriCa Best Feature ProduCtIoN Fan ChoiCe — Code oF honor, digital Playground editor’s ChoiCe — Wasteland, elegant angel Best Parody — drama Fan ChoiCe — “this ain’t avatar 2 xxx: esCaPe From PandWhora,” hustler video editor’s ChoiCe — “Breaking Bad xxx: a sWeet mess Films Parody,” exquisite Films Best Parody — Comedy Fan ChoiCe — “the karate kid xxx,” dreamZone entertainment

editor’s ChoiCe — “not animal house xxx,” adam & eve Best Parody — suPerhero Fan ChoiCe — “the dark knight xxx,” vivid entertainment editor’s ChoiCe — “suPerman vs sPiderman xxx,” vivid ent. Best all sex release Fan ChoiCe — “d3vianCe,” adam & eve editor’s ChoiCe — “meet Bonnie,” digital sin Best Cougar / mIlF release Fan ChoiCe — “Pure milFs 3,” ogee studios editor’s ChoiCe — “Cougars vs kittens,” WiCked PiCtures Best all-gIrl release Fan ChoiCe — “mother suPe-

rior,” girl Candy Films editor’s ChoiCe — “slumBer Party CuPCake sluts,” reign ProduCtions Best oNgoINg serIes Fan ChoiCe — “raW,” evil angel editor’s ChoiCe — “Women seeking Women,” girlFriends Films Best BBw release Fan ChoiCe — “kelly shiBari is overloaded,” kelly shiBari ent. editor’s ChoiCe — “Big girls are sexy 3,” neW sensations Best traNsexual release Fan ChoiCe — “ForBidden lovers,” trans-romantiC Films editor’s ChoiCe — “ameriCan she-male 2,” evil angel

Chanel Preston was the fan’s choice for Best Female Performer at NightMoves.

Award winners in most categories are as follows: Best Female PerFormer Fan ChoiCe — Chanel Preston editor’s ChoiCe — Britney amBer Best male PerFormer Fan ChoiCe — manuel Ferrara editor’s ChoiCe — erik everhard Best New starlet Fan ChoiCe — anikka alBright editor’s ChoiCe — rikki six Best Cougar / mIlF PerFormer Fan ChoiCe — Julia ann editor’s ChoiCe — Brandi love Best ethNIC PerFormer Fan ChoiCe — asa akira editor’s ChoiCe — misty stone Best traNsexual PerFormer Fan ChoiCe — sarina valentina editor’s ChoiCe — amy daly Best BBw PerFormer Fan ChoiCe — kelly shiBari editor’s ChoiCe — Julie Cash soCIal medIa star Fan ChoiCe — Bonnie rotten editor’s ChoiCe — lisa ann Best BooBs Fan ChoiCe — kelly madison editor’s ChoiCe — soPhie dee Best ass Fan ChoiCe — Jessie rodgers editor’s ChoiCe — nikki delano Best INk Fan ChoiCe — Bonnie rotten editor’s ChoiCe — Joanna angel Best overall Body Fan ChoiCe — riley steele editor’s ChoiCe — lexi Belle Best dIreCtor — NoN-Parody Fan ChoiCe — Brad armstrong editor’s ChoiCe — dana vesPoli Best dIreCtor — Parody Fan ChoiCe — axel Braun editor’s ChoiCe — Will ryder

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PrivateTV Launches in Europe

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ARCELONA — Private Media Group Inc. has launched Pri-

vateTV. According to Private, the international version of the channel will be available on Eutelsat

Asa Akira is now a Wicked Pictures contract star.

Hot Bird 13B while a French language version, PrivateTV France, with substantial original short form French language programming, will be available separately. “PrivateTV and PrivateTV France are exclusive, original and addictive,” Private’s CEO Charles Prast said. “With a refreshing scene-driven format, thematic scheduling and the iconic Private brand we deliver the promise of

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The Barcelona-based studio plans on broadcasting scenedriven format on PrivateTV.

the online experience to the TV, the only platform which can adequately convey the quality of our content. “Private has been in the European broadcast market for over a dozen years and is already a library and branding partner with Playboy Plus

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that operates and distributes Private Spice. In addition to exclusive scenes from Private and its content partners, the channels will see the launch of exciting new shows like Private Investigations, Private Stars, Private VIP Pass and Private Hotline. a

Akira Signs Exclusive Deal With Wicked

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OS ANGELES —Adult megastar Asa Akira will be joining Wicked Pictures as a contract girl. mAkira’s first picture with Wicked is already in the works, but she could not release further details. She is currently working on a book — something “memoirish” — that will release in the spring. A New York native, Akira is widely considered one of the industry’s top performers, racking up more than 300 movie credits since beginning a full-time porn career in 2008. a

IN BRIEF GIRLFRIENDS, HOTMOVIES IN DEAL VALENCIA, Calif. — A new deal between Girlfriends Films and HotMovies.com will result in the VOD premiere of all B. Skow for Girlfriends Films movies on the popular video-on-demand website. The boy/girl features from award-winning director Skow will debut at the beginning of each month and remain exclusive to HotMovies.com for the duration of the month.

Vivid would like to make you a substantial offer to acquire it,” Hirsch wrote in the letter. Based on "Teen Mom” Farrah Abraham’s reported six figure Vivid celebrity sex tape deal, and considering her Hollywood pedigree, speculation is that Spelling could earn substantially more. There was no word on whether Spelling will entertain Vivid's offer.

IMMORAL RELEASES ‘UNPLANNED ORGIES 17’ VAN NUYS, Calif. — Immoral Productions has streeted the 17th volume of its series “Unplanned Orgies & Spontaneous Gangbangs,” starring several girls who broke their “groupsex cherry” on camera.

VIVID IS HOT FOR SPELLING SEX TAPE LOS ANGELES — Vivid Entertainment is hot for Tori Spelling — at least as far as her sex tape is concerned. Vivid Chairman Steven Hirsch recently sent Spelling a letter asking if she was interested in selling the tape to his studio. Hirsch got wind of the tape's existence from Spelling’s new book where she revealed that she recorded a sex tape with her husband Dean McDermott on Valentine's Day 2009. And according to TMZ, one of Dean's "friends" also has a copy. “If the tape is genuine,

between three and four new movies each month. “”Chatsworth Girls,” which ships Nov. 20, stars Andy San Dimas, Ashlynn Leigh, Casey Cumz, Jaslin Diaz, Haley Sweet and Sasha Rose. Another Porn Valley Pictures title, “Deep In The Valley,” is scheduled for a Nov. 27 release date.

PORN VALLEY PICTURES INKS DEAL WITH EXILE LOS ANGELES — New production studio Porn Valley Pictures has announced it has inked an exclusive distribution deal with Exile Distribution. The deal comes after Porn Valley Pictures wrapped its first title, “Chatsworth Girls.” The studio plans on releasing

DREAMZONE DEBUTS ‘ET XXX’ VAN NUYS, Calif. — DreamZone Entertainment has released its feature-length pornified parody, “ET XXX: A DreamZone Parody” based on the 1982 classic. Steven Spielberg’s original film remains one of the bestselling and beloved movies of all time. In DreamZone’s reworked version, Capri Anderson, who gained notoriety after her involvement with

Team Wicked raised more than $20,000 for the 29th Annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles.

actor Charlie Sheen, plays Elle, the female counterpart of Elliott. Elle befriends a lonely and very horny alien when he becomes stranded on Earth after separating himself from his ship just long enough to beat off in the bushes.

TEAM WICKED RAISES $20K FOR AIDS WALK LA WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Team Wicked raised more than $20,000 for the 29th Annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles last month. Led by Wicked Pictures performer and director, Jes-

sica Drake, and consisting of adult stars, industry members, and fans, Team Wicked completed the 10-kilometer fundraising walk through West Hollywood, Calif., in support of L.A. County AIDS organizations. Wicked Pictures contract performers Asa Akira, Samantha Saint, and Kaylani Lei all participated in the fundraising efforts and the walk, as did Wicked Pictures director Brad Armstrong. Additional adult industry personalities included Dana DeArmond, David Lord, Alison Tyler, Kylie Ireland, Steviee Hughes, and more.

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Cybersocket Web Awards Slated Jan. 22

Company Profile

Falcon Rising 3 Years After AEBN Acquired Legendary Studio, Falcon Finds Itself Stronger Than Ever

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AN FRANCISCO — They heard the rumblings from some Falcon diehards in late 2010, when AEBN acquired the legendary studio and merged it with Raging Stallion to form a super duo. The two properties had loyal fan bases — many of them overlapping — but decidedly different aesthetics, the merge causing panic in some that Falcon’s identity might get lost in the shuffle. But nearly three years since the move, both brands are still flying high — side by side, but in different shades of the same sexy sky. “Things have been going pretty smoothly since the merge,” says director Tony Dimarco, who has helmed projects for both studios. “It was a bit daunting in the beginning; we were concerned that the merger would be perceived as a merge in style, and that’s something we didn’t want to happen. We were very careful and made a concerted effort in keeping the brands different, and inherently they are very different. The goal has always been to work with top-caliber models and to film the best sex possible, and I think we’re succeeding in doing that.” Director and editor Bruno Bond was also concerned with keeping the tradition thriving: “We knew that it was very important to acknowledge the history of the iconic Falcon brand. We also wanted to gently nurture new ideas that represent our current time in history. Technology is changing, content delivery is changing and the customer base is evolving. It is important that this genre of porn evolve with the times and current tastes.” And with the recent release of the two-part “Bucks County” (with “Into the Wild” and “Road to Temptation”), Falcon’s tradition of big multi-part features has continued — keeping things comfortably familiar while also evolving. “It’s been an exciting three years, and I think we have successfully restored the luster of the Falcon brand,” says company President Chris Ward. “Today, Falcon is a very profitable company with

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It’s been an exciting three years, and I think we have successfully restored the luster of the Falcon brand.

OS ANGELES — The 14th annual Cybersocket Web Awards honoring the best in GLBT online adult entertainment will be held on Jan. 22 at Eleven Nightclub in West Hollywood, Calif. Each year the Cybersocket Web Awards recognize outstanding achievements in the world of gay online adult entertainment in both “Surfer Choice” categories and “Industry Choice” categories.

— CHRIS WARD

Falcon’s “Bucks County” series.

one of the world’s top membership sites. And taking Falcon and Raging Stallion together, we produce just over 50 percent of all high-quality porn being shot in the U.S. today.” Ward notes that although the production team is the same for both studios, the big difference between the brands comes with casting. “We rigorously enforce our casting rules and make only very rare exceptions to have actors in both brands — Landon Conrad being one of those exceptions. Falcon guys are mainly smooth, younger men — the boy-next-door type — whereas Raging Stallion guys are muscular, hairy and often sport amazing tattoos. The energy in the RSS features is a bit rougher than in Falcon, but both brands are well known for having very high-quality fucking. My motto for both studios is: ‘It’s all about the penetration!’” Please see FALCON, page 80

Cybersocket President Morgan Sommer says that this year’s Cybersocket Web Awards show has more nominees than ever before in 32 categories. “We decided to include a wide variety of worthy adult content producers, performers, personalities and genres that exist in the gay adult entertainment industry,” Sommer told XBIZ. “So far over 7,700 unique fan votes have been cast.” The long-running awards show will once again be held in conjunction with the trade events series XBIZ 360 which is set to completely take over the W Hollywood Hotel. Sommer says he’s looking forward to this coming year’s Cybersocket Web Awards, which will be open to the public and free to attend. a

CazzoClub Joins GunzBlazing Network of Sites

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Cazzo stars Mark Metzger, left, and Tyson Tyler.

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AN FRANCISCO — Hardcore gay studio Cazzo and gay affiliate program GunzBlazing have launched CazzoClub.com as part of GunzBlazing’s global affiliate network. The two companies previously agreed to develop five new sites together, with German-based Cazzo and its affiliated independent production company, Wurstfilm, producing content, while GunzBlazing manages marketing and technology. CazzoClub.com includes a catalog of more than 375 scenes and features a responsive design, making it compatible with any device, including desktop, tablet or smartphone. “CazzoClub.com represents a great new addition to our affiliate network and of-

fers two of our favorite things: European men and a great spanking of hardcore content,” said Robyn Way, president of GunzBlazing. An upcoming launch of two new sites, WurstFilmClub.com and Gay-FetishPorn.xxx, is on the horizon, Way added. GunzBlazing houses more than 20 sites offering up to 60 percent revenue share and $40 per-sign-up, including StagHomme.com, IronLockUp.com, HotBarebacking.com, BangBangBoys.com, TylersRoom.net, ThugOrgy.com, DarkThunder.com, JasonSparksLive.com, DadsFuckLads.com, TeensandTwinks.com, FreshSX.com, BarebackSheBang.com and GayDVD.com. a

Trouble on Set for Gallo

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EW YORK — Gay porn star Vito Gallo refused to cop a plea in Manhattan Criminal Court over his alleged attack on Lucas Entertainment studios in September. Cops arrested Gallo, who has a three-year exclusive deal with Lucas, after he reportedly pushed his way into the studio’s Hell’s Kitchen headquarters, claiming he wasn’t getting enough work. He then struck Michael Lucas in the neck Please see GALLO, page 81

Eurocreme.com Gets a Fresh Look

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Vito Gallo

ONTREAL — Mania Media announces the relaunch of Eurocreme.com with a fresh and modern responsive design. Roger McMan, president of Mania Media said, “The new responsive design looks incredible and ensures maximum compatibility across all devices whether a home computer,

a tablet or even a Smart TV. Traditionally after we change a site to be a responsive design we see an uptake in mobile traffic and conversions, and this is proving true already.” The site joins other Eurocreme Group sites AlphaMales.com and WorldofMen.com in having this new responsive design with the final site in the group’s network, BulldogPit.com due for completion later this year. “Mania Media is one of the most forward thinking companies,” said Steven Chinnery, Eurocreme Group’s managing director. “And as part of our 10th year celebrations, they have designed a very sexy, very contemporary new design which I am sure will be received very well by our fans, and by our models.” a

KJCash to Manage TwinkPay

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OS ANGELES — KJCash.com CEO Craig “CJ” Jackson has announced that his company has signed a deal to take over the TwinkPay.com gay affiliate program effective Dec. 1.

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“I am very excited to welcome the TwinkPay program and group of sites into our successful network and look forward to the expansion possibilities they open up for us,” CJ said. The TwinkPay.com program converted to NATS in February 2010 and has since expanded to eight sites including AsiaBoy.net, AsiaBoyVideo.com, DoctorTwink.com, GayAsianPiss.com, GayAsianUniforms.com, ThaiGayBoys.com, TwinkBoysParty.com and 80Gays.com. a

IN BRIEF BOYS TOWN CHANGES NAME TO MANHOLE SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. — Boys Town Studios has been renamed Manhole Productions. Citing pressure from a 96year-old nonprofit organization for at-risk children called Boys Town Charities, Monarchy Distribution owner Mike Kulich decided to change the name of what is the first nonprofit porn studio. “We received correspondence from Boys Town Charities saying they did not want us using the Boys Town Studios name for this company,” Kulich told XBIZ. “As a charitable organization alike, we admire the fine work that Boys Town does so we have respectfully decided to choose another name for our start up nonprofit studio. “Our goals and aspirations remain the same in helping the LGBT community worldwide, but we will be flying a new banner. Prepare yourself for Manhole Productions.” Monarchy announced the launch of Boys Town Studios in early August. The launch was prompted by the extremist homophobic treatment and lawmaking taking place in Russia, said Kulich, who noted that the proceeds from the first film would go to gay Russian refugees seeking asylum in other countries. The first title from newly branded Manhole will be “Deep in the Dark,” followed by a mid-November release date for its second film, “Put It in Putin.” Said Kulich: “This one is going to be a love story for the ages. It’s like ‘Brokeback Mountain’ meets communism.”

DICK BANK LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE SAN FRANCISCO — Allmale affiliate program Dick Bank has launched a new website, Desperate StraightGuys.com. Scenes for DesperateStraightGuys were shot exclusively by Dick Bank’s parent company, Factory Video and feature gay-for-pay performances — the niche that the entire site is dedicated to. Dick Bank is a gay affiliate program for Factory Video and home to websites such as DudesRaw.com and DamonDoggxxx.com. It recently relaunched on the NATS platform and now features alternative tube tours, new site designs, programs and marketing tools, like galleries, embedded and hosted videos, banners, headers, downloadable photos and screenshot zips.

tured select fashion pieces for men. In 2012, Timoteo launched a second label, CellBlock 13, which caters to a cross section of the gay and fetish communities. For a look at the Colt Collection, visit COLTStudio Store.com.

“‘Big Dick Construction Company’ is a hot fuck fest of hung, horny construction workers who love sucking big dicks and fucking hot asses,” Steele said about his movie, which he says features 13 cumloads over five scenes. “Big Dick Construction Company” is now available from JetSetMen.com, where scenes can also be downloaded for smartphones and other mobile devices.

‘BIG DICK CONSTRUCTION T.I. MEDIA RELEASES COMPANY’ DEBUTS ‘LATIN LOADS 2’ NORTH HOLLYWOOD,

Calif. — Jet Set Men has announced the release of its latest all-male, original XXX flick, “Big Dick Construction Company.” The latest directorial endeavor from Chris Steele, the film stars Jet Set exclusives Kris Jamieson and Zachary Perry, with Tom Wolfe, Lance Luciano, Connor Kline, Josh Long, Duncan Black and Jay Cloud.

SAN FRANCISCO — Treasure Island Media has released “Latin Loads 2.” Directed by Max Sohl, the title is now available at the studio’s website for download-to-own formats. The release features a diverse collection of men from all over the globe representing the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Uruguay and Puerto Rico.

EUROCREME ROLLS OUT ‘DADDY’S BOY’ LONDON — The Eurocreme Group has announced its latest download, “Daddy’s Boy.” The title stars muscled and hairy men including Dolan Wolf, Lyle Boyce, Christopher Daniels, Luke Desmond, Dirk Caber, Billy Rubens, Antonio Garcia and Darius Ferdynand. The release is available on download-to-own from EurocremeStore.com.

BULLDOGXXX RELEASES ‘BERLIN FUCKERS’ LONDON — BulldogXXX has released “BerlinFuckers.” The title was shot on location in Berlin and stars Pierre Mucker, MachoBull, Pier Latte, Joachim Muller, Pete Coast, Ivan Rueda, Garcia Perez and Lucky Joe. The performers engage in various sexual scenarios as they explore the sleaziest parts of the city. The release is available from EuroCremeStore.com.

STEEL SIGNS EXCLUSIVE WITH FETISH FORCE SAN FRANCISCO — Fetish Force, a line produced by Raging Stallion Studios, announced that it has signed an exclusive long-term contract with Preston Steel. Buff, Fetish Force’s director of production, cast Steel in ‘Institutional Encounters’ over two years ago and said he discovered a seasoned player who wanted to immerse himself in the world of fetish erotica. Since that release, Steel has appeared in six additional Fetish Force films.

COLT PARTNERS WITH RAGING STALLION DEBUTS ‘STAG PERVERTS’ FASHION COMPANY SAN FRANCISCO — Raging Stallion Releasing has released Stag Homme’s “Stag Perverts.” Stag Homme, the Madridbased studio founded by Damien Crosse and Francesco D’Macho, describes “Stag Perverts” as a movie for “no-nonsense sex served up with Spanish gusto and a spooge chaser.” Raging Stallion said “Crosse is a consummate professional behind the camera and a filthy sex pig with no limits in front of it.” He codirects “Stag Perverts” with D’Macho. The movie can be purchased directly on the Raging Stallion site, as well as on Falcon and GayDVD online stores.

SONOMA, Calif. — Allmale Colt Studio Group has tapped the L.A.-based fashion company Timoteo to design and relaunch the Colt Basics apparel line as the rebranded Colt Collection. Helming the creation of the Colt Collection line will be Timoteo Ocampo, chief creative director and coowner of Timoteo, in partnership with John Rutherford, president and creative director of Colt. The Colt Collection will feature underwear and Tshirts with the Colt logo and classic artwork by the studio’s founder, Jim French. The Timoteo brand launched in 2001 as a small storefront in West Hollywood, Calif., that manufac-

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BULLETIN

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IS KEY TO CHILD PROTECTION

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BY TIM HENNING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

he Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is calling for more thoughtful solutions to the problem of preventing minors from accessing legal adult entertainment websites, following recent actions taken by the U.K. that will require registration at the ISP level to view porn online — actions being eyed across the EU and elsewhere. As many already know, following a period of widespread anticipation, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, delivered a speech outlining his plans to crack down on online pornography, to “make the Internet safer for children.” Cameron said that there are two very distinct and very different challenges to dealing with the issue of children and their access to (or involvement in) unsuitable online content. “The first challenge is criminal: and that is the proliferation and accessibility of child abuse images on the Internet,” Cameron explained. “The second challenge is cultural: the fact that many children are viewing online pornography and other damaging material at a very young age and that the nature of that pornography is so extreme, it is distorting their view of sex and relationships.” ASACP has addressed both of these valid concerns since the earliest days of adult oriented websites being available on the Internet and has developed solutions — including the ASACP suspected child pornography reporting hotline and the award winning RTA (Restricted To Adults) website metadata label — that are far less intrusive into the private lives of average consumers, while being more respectful of their rights, than is the means by which Cameron hopes to achieve his goals; including a rigid opt-in program that will force families to accept or reject adult services at the carrier level — with a default “no.” It is the Cameron government’s contention that only a small percentage of UK parents enable parental filters and monitor what their children are doing online and an even smaller percentage are having conversations with their adolescent children regarding their online activities. Rather than step up efforts designed to educate parents on the many filtering and monitoring options available to them and the realities of allowing children unfettered access to the internet — they have decided to take matters into their own hands. These measures will not only hurt legitimate Internet content providers, but place added strains on marriages and other relationships, when the safe outlet of online sex is removed — or is maintained at the cost of damaged emotions when the “yes” box is clicked.

What is even more troubling is the fact that this could very well harm a crucial aspect of protecting children online — parental involvement. When a government steps in and effectively assumes the role of the parent by filtering the internet for them there is a great danger it will promote a false sense of security for those parents and close lines of communication between the parent and the child even more. If the parent believes that the child is safe because of ISP level filtering they will be even less likely to pay attention to what that child is doing online. There are many dangers that exist for children and adolescents online that filtering will not address — online bullying, cyber—stalking, sexting, social networks — just to name a few. It also must be considered that filtering technology alone is not perfect, nor is it broad enough to adequately protect children online. Further, the reality is that tech savvy adolescents will still find ways to access age-inappropriate content. There is a great deal of age-inappropriate content that exists online outside of the traditional website space that current filtering technology will not be able to address including file lockers, Usenet, peer to peer networks — and more. The bottom line is that those tech savvy adolescent children that want to access age-inappropriate content will still be able to do so. A better set of solutions includes educating parents on the dangers that exist to young children and adolescents online as well as the tools at their disposal, including parental filtering and monitoring technologies that will assist the parent in protecting their children. Parents must also maintain an open line of communication with their children regarding their online activities. Hand in hand, providers of legitimate adult entertainment content must also do their part by using the ASACP developed Restricted To Adults (RTA) website metadata label, which works with current website filtering tools to prevent legitimate adult entertainment content from finding its way into households where it is not welcome.

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SACP’s Director of European Outreach, Vince Charlton, has been closely monitoring this scene as well as taking part in high level meetings with other stakeholders in order to voice both the concerns of the industry and ASACP. “Whilst I can understand the reasoning behind wanting a clamp down on the ease in which minors can access free hardcore pornography on the web, the way this mandatory filtering has been structured is fraught with problems,” Charlton stated. “Any family who wants to watch 18+ material will still opt-in to do so which will leave them in the same position as they are in now where they will have the op-

tion to install parental controls which have been on the market since the Internet began.” “All the U.K. government seems to be achieving is shifting the responsibility away from parents,” Charlton added. “So in future when the issue of minors accessing porn still exists, they can hold their heads up high and say that it was the parent’s active choice and that the government of the day had fulfilled its responsibilities.” ASACP hopes that as other stakeholders explore ways in which minors can be prevented from accessing age-inappropriate materials, that existing solutions such as RTA will be considered, rather than mandating protocols that could very well have a negative impact on online child protection as well as harming rights and relationships without addressing the key role of parents and technology in the process. For more information on how you can help, please visit the ASACP website (www.asacp.org) or email [email protected] or [email protected] — and thank you for your support!

ABOUT ASACP

Founded in 1996, ASACP is a non-profit organization dedicated to online child protection. ASACP is comprised of two separate corporate entities, the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection and the ASACP Foundation. The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. ASACP manages a membership program that provides resources to companies in order to help them protect children online. The ASACP Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The ASACP Foundation battles child pornography through its CP Reporting Hotline and helps parents prevent children from viewing age-restricted material online with its Restricted To Adults (RTA) website label (www.rtalabel.org). ASACP has invested nearly 17 years in developing progressive programs to protect children, and its relationship in assisting the adult industry’s child protection efforts is unparalleled. For more information, visit www.asacp.org

ASSOCIATION OF SITES ADVOCATING CHILD PROTECTION | ASACP.ORG

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Warszawa

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Being an attention-seeking advertiser is crucial; where affiliate traffic differs from that of a search engine is that inevitably the tube site surfer is not actively looking for any service other than content at the moment they land on the site. For that reason, tube sites are where affiliate marketers really come into their own. The tube market is becoming increasingly populated, and thus increasingly monetized through advertising; every page is a hub of activity, filled with multiple banner ads laden with images, videos and gifs. Before you can even think about vying for a click, you need to grab the surfer’s attention. A typical tube site visitor already knows he or she can get adult content for free; they’re already doing it. What’s more, if they’re a frequent user, they may quickly become banner blind so that media buys or banners have little to no effect on them. This is where knowing your traffic sources can make all the difference; the higher the percentage of search traffic a tube receives, the less banner blind the traffic is — they don’t know what else is out there. To turn traffic into customers, your service needs to promise something unique. As an example, imagine the user is looking at ‘housewives’ content; they see a banner that promises “horny housewives available at short notice.” Who knew? Adult entertainment is about fun; it’s about voyeurism. You have an opportunity to give them something real and quantifiable in a dating or cams offering. They could turn that movie into a real life experience; it’s accountable; it’s relatable. Interstitial pages are

Blair

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transactions due to the high risk nature of the transactions. Internet payment service providers like Epoch and CCBill automatically provide a variety of international adultfriendly payment options in their packages. You will also find alternative billing companies like Paxum and 2000Charge and mobile billing companies like Global Acces and DialXS can offer some interesting choices to add to your already existing selection. Alternative payment

where those promises are made. They lay the foundation for the transaction; “if you want to have sex tonight, you need to upload a photo, be respectful and don’t be surprised if you find someone local.” In these circumstances, detail equates to motivation which equates to conversions. You’re using a pre-sale to fill in the gaps and provide the motivation that search engine users typically have already, except you’re reinforcing it with greater strength. When the surfer eventually hits the homepage, they’re educated about the product. The preparation from what’s required of them to make their dream become a reality actually means that this user is more likely to upload a photo and engage with the site than a surfer from any other channel. Not only does this mean conversions, but it also enriches the site experience for other users. Paying per engagement from affiliate traffic is exceptionally valuable; you agree the terms, meaning that you don’t have to pay per click for traffic that won’t convert. It’s important to note that although affiliate traffic users are more likely to engage with the site, they’re less likely to upgrade or convert than paid search surfers. However, there is a good consistent ROI; despite typically low conversion ratios, acquisitions also come at a fraction of paid search costs. The added user engagement element also provides better opportunities for data enrichment and thus, eventual monetization through customer retention.

FINDING A SOLUTION

Search engine traffic provides a comparatively high conversion rate and it’s far easier to gain traction, but companies like Paxum can provide purchase anonymity and security to the consumer; chargeback protection to the merchant; and instant delivery of payment and membership to both parties. Creative paysite affiliate programs can take full advantage of such a system by enabling same-day instant payouts to affiliates for those types of sign-ups since there is no concern for chargebacks with Paxum.

ADAPT OR DIE

A phrase regularly heard in the adult industry over the last few years has been; “Adapt or Die.” One effective and surprisingly easy

that comes at a cost. There are also smaller volumes available. Comparatively, the quantity of tube sites is huge, meaning that so are available volumes. There are new adult sites launching every day; it’s simply not possible to acquire the majority of the market, whatever your niche, through paid search alone. Similarly, there isn’t enough high-quality traffic available through affiliate or tube channels. If you want to see real success, the best way to ensure a consistent ROI and an enriching user experience is to use both methods of acquisition.

FUTURE OF OUR RELATIONSHIPS

The online entertainment industry is going nowhere, there’s no question about that. As new sites continue to flood the market every day, we can expect it to become increasingly more difficult to acquire traffic with marketers needing to adopt varying and more sophisticated methods. Relationships between tube sites and casual dating will grow stronger and more efficient for both parties, as dating and cams become the monetization method of choice for casual dating sites due to their inherent nature of offering something real and quantifiable. Likewise, as the online marketplace and adult digital spaces grow increasingly crowded, dating brand managers will become more dependent on affiliate marketers and tubes to drive traffic to their growing niche portfolio of sites. Paid search is here to stay. Sex and desire are human nature; they’re things people won’t stop searching for. Will new methods of traffic acquisition be made available? Undoubtedly — I don’t think I’m alone in saying they’ll be welcome. a way to adapt your business strategy and improve your returns is to implement some alternative billing options to capture new sales and increase exposure of your brand. Talk to your current billing provider about your options. Perhaps some of the alternative payment methods mentioned in this article are already available within your account. If not, the adult billing industry is a close-knit community full of competitive yet co-operative businesses who will generally be able to help you connect to the right person at the right company for your billing needs. a

txtNation

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and promises to increase sales conversions and overall consumer trust. “This has amazing potential to open the market to those who were previously put off by the difficulties of launching premium services in the U.S,,” txtNation COO Ashley Cross stated. “We can’t wait to put this product into the hands of our clients and to support them to monetize their services.” “Our worldwide platform is about to bring a whole new level of service to those doing business in the states, and we’re excited to see this handed to our clients, many of whom have been calling for such an answer to the fragmentation of approach in that market,” Cross added. “This will truly help provide a consistent, frictionless payment system for mobile user in the U.S.” According to the company, its new billing option will better unify premium services crossnetwork, cutting costs and lead times, and giving a timely boost to client campaigns under challenging economic conditions; while eliminating differences among the mobile operators that had previously caused problems for clients — significantly harmonizing services into one distinct platform.

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ffering a high level of expertise in direct operator billing technology, txtNation has been instrumental in bringing the U.K.’s Payforit plan to fruition, and is the first British company to integrate and support WyWallet in Sweden; with ongoing efforts to kick start similar payment mechanisms in Ireland, Finland and elsewhere.

Google

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report, the data show a dramatic rise in the number of takedown notices filed by copyright holders to Google over the past year. Between July and October 2012 copyright holders sent Google about 1.8 million link takedown notices a week, increasing to 2.8 million a week in Novem-

As for playing by the rules, txtNation says its expert compliance team offers support and guidance on the often complex regulatory side of the U.S. market and will be on hand to help businesses better leverage Direct Operator Billing. It is an opportunity well worth considering, given the numbers. The company’s statistics reveal that conversion rates rise to 85 percent when direct operator billing is available, compared to credit card payments, which can be as low as seven percent, largely due to the improved user experience when purchasing, especially when using a mobile site. The move is also timely, as mobile Internet use in the U.S. has doubled since 2009, according to a recent study; indicating the need for businesses to adapt their marketing and commerce to cater to today’s increasingly mobile-savvy customer. The study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project revealed that in 2009, less than a third of American mobile users surfed the web and checked emails via handsets. This year, that percentage has grown to more than 63 percent — a growth rate pointing to the possibility of near universal access within the next three to four years. These findings illustrate the importance of being prepared to communicate with your customers via their mobile phone, with multiple options for mobile payments, as well as an SMS marketing strategy to drive new customers to your website. For online marketing mavens that have struggled with reaching the domestic mobile audience, this service from txtNation may make the difference between profit and loss. a

ber 2012 and 4.5 million in March. Google says it regularly receives requests from copyright owners and reporting organizations that represent them to remove search results that link to material that allegedly infringes copyrights. Each request names specific URLs to be removed, and Google list the domain portions of URLs requested to be removed under specified domains. a

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Piccionelli

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Also, to further protect investors, the JOBS Act, also provides investors with the right to bring lawsuits against crowdfunding companies for material misstatements and omissions during fundraising or regarding subsequent operation of the crowdfunded company. Given the statutory crowdfunding regulations in place, and the additional regulations that are yet to be generated by the SEC, persons and companies that use equity-based crowdfunding under the JOBS Act to should be mindful that directors, principal officers, and other individuals operating a company funded through

crowdfunding authorized by Title III will be taking on a significant amount of responsibility, and be exposed to a significant amount of liability. Nevertheless, while substantial, the restrictions, obligations and responsibilities imposed on equity-based crowdfunding companies by the JOBS Act are not expected to deter large numbers of start-up companies and other enterprises from seeking capital via equity-crowdfunding means.

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nfortunately, for those anxiously awaiting the commencement of lawful equity crowdfunding, there has been great disappointment over the SEC’s failure to generate and publish rules pertaining to Title III

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With a little luck, perhaps true equity-based crowdfunding will become a legal reality in 2014.

crowdfunding. Nearly a year after the passing of the statutory deadline for the SEC to do so, such rules are yet to be published by the SEC for commentary. And unfortunately, once the SEC publishes the proposed regulations there will be yet another delay of some months until the final rules are implemented.

The good news is that a number of financial news sources have recently reported that the SEC is quite close to publishing the proposed regulations for commentary, and that it is likely to do so by the end of the year. Many of the same sources also report that the SEC is expected to have the final rules in place sometime next year. But perhaps most heartening for proponents of equity-based crowdfunding is the fact that there appears to be an unstoppable political momentum across the country to make equitybased crowdfunding a reality at the state level notwithstanding the federal government’s foot dragging in regard to Title III of the JOBS Act. Several states have enacted or

have introduced their own legislation authorizing equity-based crowd funding as a way to expand investment in local businesses and create jobs. Rather than waiting for SEC rulemaking, these states are enacting intrastate crowdfunding exemptions. Kansas and Georgia were the first to pass intrastate equity-based crowdfunding legislation. Similar bills are currently pending in the state legislatures of North Carolina, Washington, Wisconsin and Michigan. I find the bill pending in Michigan, HB 4996, particularly interesting because, if passed, it would have interstate applicability. Specifically, HB 4996 provides specified legal protection to crowdfunding investment offerors for inadvertent out of state investment acceptance.

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t is indeed encouraging to see that so many states impatient with the dysfunctions of the federal government are willing to enact their own regulations rather than wait for the SEC to finally act. Some state government securities regulators, like those in Kansas and Georgia, have even gone so far as to side-step their own legislatures to more quickly implement crowdfunding rules to encourage crowdfunding investment in their states. All this state action, I believe, clearly shows broad-based political support for equity crowdfunding. Hopefully, this will help motivate the SEC regulators to quickly perform their long-overdue obligations, mandated by law, to publish Title III regulations. But even if it doesn’t, I am confident, and glad, that the SEC has to be getting the message that many states will act to make equity crowdfunding a reality regardless of what the SEC does or does not do. And hopefully, what appears to be an unstoppable political momentum for equity crowdfunding will effectively deter the SEC from generating regulations that make equity crowdfunding unreasonably difficult or that are otherwise inconsistent with the spirit of Title III. I have always believed that equity-based crowdfunding of businesses and business projects through the robust use of the Internet and related technologies would eventually become a reality in U.S. The fact that it is taking so long is, of course, disappointing. But part of the reason why it has taken so long is rooted in the fact Please see PICCIONELLI page 83

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Condoms

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used. It’s like masturbating with gloves on.” Flynt told XBIZ there is a “psychological barrier that the people who are viewing the films have trouble getting over” when it comes to condoms. That barrier can not only be a deal-breaker for porn fans, but also for studios producing adult films for profit and the performers who prefer to work without condoms for various personal reasons. And it’s why in a business in which consenting adults use their bodies to earn their living, it should be up to the performers to choose whether they want to use that level of protection while filming a scene.

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he condoms-in-porn issue became a controversial topic both within the adult film industry and in the mainstream media during the run-up to the November 2012 election. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is the largest provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the country, positioned itself as the most vocal proponent of mandatory condom use. With an annual budget of $750 million, AHF runs a network of HIV and AIDS testing and treatment facilities

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I regret the decision to go back to performing non-condom. — TOM BYRON

around the world. It has 10 clinics in the Los Angeles area alone. AHF orchestrated an aggressive multimedia campaign to urge the passage of Measure B, also known as the “Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry Ordinance” that requires the use of condoms in the production of adult movies in L.A. County. It passed with almost 57 percent of the public voting “yes.” “Basically these people who are proponents of condom use, they don’t care about the issue of condoms. They’re just trying to shut the industry down and they found a niche way to do this,” Flynt said. “If you go back over the last 20 years, you can count the number of HIV infections in porn as an example. The average is way below the infection rate in any particular category in the whole country. You have a better chance of getting AIDS from having a one-night stand out in Glendale than getting it on a porn shoot. We’re fighting an uphill battle in getting people to believe this, but it happens to be true.” The actual enforcement of the condom law is another matter that is far from resolved. Vivid Entertainment, along with coplaintiffs Kayden Kross and Logan Pierce, in September filed

“Some of my series started [using condoms] as long as four years ago,” Immoral Productions owner Dan Leal said. “‘Fuck a Fan’ was the first one I did with condoms.” Leal, center, on the set of “Fuck a Fan.”

an appeal in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals regarding U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson’s denial of a temporary restraining order in their suit against enforcement of Measure B. That ongoing struggle currently is the adult industry’s most visible response to the passage of Measure B. But the condoms-in-porn initiative got even more convoluted with the introduction of legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Isadore Hall that would require performers to use condoms in productions shot anywhere in California. The Senate’s decision on the condom legislation now referred to as AB 640 is on hold until 2014 because it was not heard or voted on by the Sept. 12 deadline. “I don’t think they should make anything mandatory,” Flynt said. “If performers want to work in the industry, that’s their choice. But the performers have to understand that they’re creating a product we have to sell to get a return on the investment, and part of that is without the use of condoms.”

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ina Hartley, who has performed in porn movies for more than 30 years, also opposes mandatory condoms, favoring a “truly condom optional” policy. “If a performer would feel more comfortable in a scene and therefore more free, I want them to be able to choose condoms without there being negative repercussions, vis-à-vis future employment by that company,” Hartley told XBIZ. “If a performer feels more comfortable not using condoms in a particular movie or with a particular partner, then the performer should not be required to use them because of

company policy.” Hartley, who is a registered nurse as well as an industry activist, strongly advocates women’s and men’s rights to “control their own bodies and what happens with them.” “As well, it makes no medical sense, nor does it dramatically increase performer safety to mandate condoms when a performer does not want to use them,” Hartley continued. “Stats show that the testing protocols we have in place have been very, very effective in keeping HIV out of the performer population. And our performer notification protocols quickly find the first- and second-generation contacts of an infected performer.” Hartley noted that “between 1998 and 2012, porn had two documented cases of on-set transmission of HIV, while L.A. County had 30,000 new cases.” Three new cases of HIV — none of which were found to have been contracted on a set according to adult industry trade association, Free Speech Coalition — clobbered the porn industry this past summer, prompting two separate moratoriums on production. Those cases came on the heels of the second industry syphilis scare in as many years in a case that ultimately turned out to be a false alarm as the performer’s confirmatory tests came back negative. But less than a week later, the industry faced another crisis when a veteran male performer was alleged to be working in scenes despite testing positive for some form of hepatitis. The performer in question chose to remain silent about the allegations, which still have not been confirmed. These developments not only

placed adult industry testing protocols under increased scrutiny but also re-ignited discussions about mandating condom use in all adult films regardless where they’re shot. FSC, which led a “No on Measure B” campaign in 2012 and continues to oppose the mandatory condom law in favor of self-regulation by the industry, stated it has a “condom optional” policy for adult films. “Our policy is performers have a choice whether or not to use a condom,” FSC CEO Diane Duke told XBIZ. “The current testing protocols have clearly worked. These latest incidents of HIVpositive performers have shown that our testing protocols have worked. There were no transmissions on set and we were able to identify HIV-positive people and get them treatment.”

P

orn performer Alana Evans, a 15-year veteran, told XBIZ she also has changed her personal policy to only using condoms in her scenes, but she does not think that making them a mandate for all performers is the answer. “I want to work with condoms because I feel it is the safest choice,” Evans said. “Many times I show up for a scene the performer isn’t someone I have worked with before. I don’t necessarily know what others do in their personal life outside of work, nor do they know my personal life. Because of this, I have decided to protect myself, and at the same time, protect the performers I am working with.” She added, “I do not believe that mandatory condoms is the right choice. Not all performers can work with condoms, so I believe it should be performer Please see CONDOMS, page 87

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Falcon

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ard notes that he may someday direct another entry in Falcon’s iconic series “The Other Side of Aspen” (he helmed Part VI shortly after the merge). Earlier this year, the studio released the big “Tahoe” twoparter (“Snow Packed” and “Snow Plowed”), which is the successor to the “Aspen” line. “Falcon is iconic, and it has such a rich history, but it is important to focus on continuing the legacy and keeping the name top of mind,” says Marketing Director Toby Morris. “The first release I marketed was ‘The Other Side of Aspen VI.’ I think it was brilliant of Chris to make

that the first movie released after the merger. He took the epic movie series that put Falcon on the map and showed the audience the modern version of the most memorable set of Falcon movies. “We always say that Falcon is White Collar, and that is a great way to sum it up. Falcon is mostly defined by the men: young men who are clean cut, strikingly handsome and have well-defined bodies. The sex is passionate and has a tinge of romantic. I think to keep the name thriving, you have to continue to deliver the topquality product that the fans expect and continue to let the brand evolve with the times. Falcon has always been current and modern, while having the traits I mentioned before.

You can see this in the new blockbuster release, ‘Bucks County.’ This movie is rich with Americana, the essence of Falcon—that innocent guy next door who is energetic and enjoys the company of his hot buddies.” Morris, who came from the travel trade publishing industry, came into the company as the only new hire post-merger. In the beginning, he primarily focused on learning all the different marketing channels. His strategy was to learn as much about each channel (affiliate, direct mail, online retail, wholesale, email, etc), assess the status, figure out a way to merge two different ways of doing business and make it more efficient and develop tactics to improve on each area—plus find new

“

Falcon and Raging Stallion are still flying high — side by side, but in different shades of the same sexy sky.

creative ways to grow and develop the audience. Part of that effort was the debut of HUNT eZine, a biweekly source for gay porn news. “I think that merging the marketing efforts and really focusing on refining both companies’ email marketing programs has been a major key. One way

I accomplished that was with creating HUNT and merging the email lists as that audience. Plus, HUNT was a way to highlight everything from both companies at once, so it naturally became a merged marketing tool. I also expanded the audience through a vigorous social media strategy that keeps the brands distinct but crosses over when necessary,” he says. “HUNT really gives us a forum and lets us keep fans engaged with our products and all the different ways they can consume it. At this time in the history of gay erotica the industry at large has such a varied audience...some people love their DVDs, some love the streaming membership solution, some want to download and own the scenes, so HUNT gives us a way to speak to the entire audience and give them all the options available. And it is continually growing and

Factory

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The statement continues, “The truth is, there have been no worker complaints from Factory Videos, and it was AHF, not anyone working on a Factory Video set, that filed the Cal/OSHA complaint. “Factory Video was inspected in March and citations were issued in September. We are now appealing those citations, most of which are general in nature: extension cord violations, guard rail violations and minor ramp violations. (Our building is pre-1906 earthquake, and we’ve made every effort to comply with any outstanding issues.) Contrary to some press reports, there were only a few citations related to the blood-borne pathogen plan. “Based on previous timelines and hearing schedules, we expect to take these citations to trial in late 2014. “Weinstein is attempting to use Factory Video to distract attention away from himself after media reports that his crusade against adult producers has led to reduced staff in the care for patients living with HIV. As gay producers, we think it’s deplorable that Weinstein would prioritize a political agenda, and his prized role as condom police, over the health and well-being of his patients. Weinstein, AHF and the people it purports to help, would be much better served by bringing the focus back to its mission of prevention and treatment of HIV, rather than this dubious moral crusade.” a

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evolving into more of an industry news source and a media outlet all on its own.” Morris notes they have a few major things coming in the last three months of the year—including a new live solution where fans will have more access to models through a live product; a new DVD and scene shopping experience for fans; and new content and media opportunities. In the meantime, Ward has focused his energies on keeping the product top notch by surrounding himself with an accomplished stable of directors. “I give my directors a huge deal of independence in selecting their projects. Each director comes up with his own ideas and casting. Once upon a time I was a control freak, but now I just offer general guidance and give final approval to ideas,” he says. “Tony is a master director, and his ideas are uniquely his. He is also one of our best editors. Every film he makes is a home run. I think Steve Cruz comes closest to my own directing in terms of the kind of sex he films. He and I think a lot alike in that regard, and because he was my cameraman for so many years, his style naturally is an offshoot of my own. He is my protégé, and I always enjoy the scenes

he films. Bruno has been directing for a shorter period than Steve, but his stuff is also amazing. I find that Bruno’s scenes are some of my favorite. Each of these three guys are among the best directors in the industry, and our company’s success is built on the powerful films that they produce.”

F

alcon’s long-running Jocks line was replaced earlier this year with the studio’s new Guys Like Us label, which debuted with “Just Like Us.” It was the first new line since the merge, with a planned six to eight titles a year marked by “pure sex with young men, no plot buildup or other distractions.” The line is headed by accomplished director Andrew Rosen (like Cruz

and Bond, a former performer). “He does a great job and brings his unique perspective to his shoots. He is also the best video editor in the industry,” says Ward, adding that another popular Falcon brand has been discontinued. “We felt that the Mustang line was really just a repeat of the Raging Stallion line, so we decided to fold all of the Mustang energy into the Raging Stallion line of films. Ironically, before the merger when Falcon was trying to figure out what to do with the faltering Mustang line, they consciously decided to make it as close to Raging Stallion as possible!” Dimarco notes that when shooting a Falcon movie, they tend to be more realistic and natural for the set-

ting and the models. “The look and feel for a Falcon movie is much lighter in tone. The scenes are more organic and there’s a sense of reality to it. The sex can be hot, intense and sweaty, but usually in a more fun and flirtatious nature. The models tend to be more clean-cut and not as hairy or tattooed as a Raging Stallion model.” Bond describes the Falcon guy as usually “an idealized all-American boy next door. It is typically a more playful, bright and happy depiction of hot sex. A Raging Stallion man is sometimes a bit older, and can be hairy or inked. Sometimes the sex is more dark and subversive. This is not a definitive separation. Models in the porn industry represent how the men of 2013 look in gen-

eral.” Dimarco adds that on a Falcon film, they use many real locations, whether it’s a house in the city or the country: “A place where it is realistic, where the story or scenario could possibly happen. We tend to shoot more outdoor sex as well, and rarely do we shoot a Falcon movie in the studio. With Raging Stallion, the movies are primarily filmed in the studio with the occasional outdoor shoot for high-concept movies like ‘Cowboys’ or ‘Arab Heat.’ Raging Stallion movies tend to be darker in tone and more fantasy and concept driven; the sex tends to be a little more dirty and rough. So with all those factors, it’s not hard to keep the brands separate and unique.” a

Gallo

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and shoulder. Video footage caught the melee on camera. “He just stormed into our offices and started beating people up,” Lucas told the NY Post. “Several people locked themselves into the editing suite. You had to see his eyes the veins bulging on his forehead. It was scary.” At that time, the star was taken into custody and charged with trespassing. Gallo could have admitted to disorderly conduct instead of trespassing if he attended anger management classes. Gallo said his time in jail was a nightmare, exacerbated by his skin-tight pink T-shirt. “Wearing pink to jail isn’t ideal,” Gallo said. “I got a lot of looks.” Despite the brouhaha, Gallo was not charged with assault and Lucas said he’d love to have him work again if he seeks anger management and sees a shrink. “We were using him all the time,” Lucas said. “He’s very popular, he’s very good looking and he’s one of my top four performers.” a

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XBIZ WORLD 8 1

Manwin

Continued from page 1

technology firm, specializing in highly trafficked websites. “The company creates, develops and manages some of the most recognized mainstream and adult entertainment brands in the world,” the site says. “As an uncontested market leader, MindGeek has developed various in-house technologies with respect to HD video streaming and website optimization, which enables it to compete on a matchless playing field.” MindGeek, debuting in 2007 as Manwin fter changing its name from Mansef, claims to be one of the top-five bandwidth consumption companies in the world. The company is headquartered in Luxembourg with multiple global offices including in Hamburg, London, Dublin, Montreal, Nicosia and Burbank and employs about 900.

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till the largest adult entertainment operator globally, the newly re-named conglomerate operates Brazzers,

82 XBIZ WORLD

“

MindGeek claims to be one of the top-five bandwidth consumption companies in the world. Twistys, YouPorn, Spankwire, RedTube, Webcams Tube8, ExtremeTube, KeezMovies, Mofos, ExtremeTube, JuicyBoys and PornHub, as well as Playboy Plus, Digital Playground and Reality Kings. It’s not clear why Thylmann left the company but, in a letter to his employees, he wrote: “It is with a sad heart that I have to announce that I have decided to sell Manwin to Manwin’s top management team. Please believe me that this decision has been one of the hardest in our lives for both my wife and myself. Both myself and Manwin are at a stage where I can no longer add significant value to the best of my ability.” Thylmann last year at-

NOVEMBER 2013

Pleasure THYLMANN’S LETTER It

has been a long time since most of us have talked, but today I am reaching out for an announcement that I am sure has been rumored around the office in the last few months. It is with a sad heart tha nounce that I have decide t I have to and to sell Manwin to Manwin’s top management lieve me that this decision team. Please behas been one of the hardest in our lives for bot self. We have grown fond h my wife and myof all of you and are happy to be able to call ma ny of you our close and dear friends. But exactly for this reason move is the best for everyo we believe this Manwin are at a stage whne. Both myself and ere I can no longer add significant value to the I hope I have taught all of best of my ability. ment the right values to be you and managethe company in the best posable to continue am looking forward to foll sible way and I owing its development. Who knows, maybe some cross again in the years to of our paths will wants to chat, I can be rea come. If anyone Manwin email address forched via my old the foreseeable future. I hope you had a good tim and myself around and can e with my family ries of our fun times togeth keep fond memowork everyone and hopefu er. Keep up the great lly see you soon! — Inka & Fabian

tracted significant media attention when he was arrested in Belgium and extradited to Cologne under suspicion of tax evasion. He reportedly denied avoiding taxation in Ger-

many, claiming he was only trying to minimize his burden. According to reports, Thylmann was released after paying a seven-figure sum. a

Continued from page 63

“Nevertheless and crucially, [Pleasure Playmates] does not claim that this is why it chose those terms. It simply ignores the question of why it has registered and used those two domain names. “Ultimately in a case such as this, where a claim of bad faith registration and use has clearly been made in relation to a number of domain names and a respondent chooses to answer that claim in relation to some of those domain names but not others, a respondent should not be surprised if a panel takes this into account in its bad faith assessment.” a

Florida

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Franks said. “But there doesn’t seem to be any political or legal will to acknowledge that. My theory is that this is the case because the porn industry is so lucrative and so powerful.” The good news for porn producers such as BangBros and Reality Kings, spotlighted as major players in the area, Franks said that the legality isn’t a big deal because porn is too popular to handcuff. a

Piccionelli

Continued from page 78

that our legal and financial systems are very highly developed and very conservative compared to most other countries. And that fact, I believe, ultimately will result in a well-regulated equity-based crowdfunding industry that will benefit more than the investors and crowdfunding businesses using it. A wellregulated crowdfunding system will, I predict, provide huge benefits to the whole country if the market for crowdfunded securities in the U.S. is viewed with the same high regard as our publicly traded equities market. U.S. stock markets are far and away the largest in the world in large part because our country’s highly evolved legal and financial system, coupled with a stable political environment has provided a level of investment security to foreign investors that is unobtainable anywhere else in the world. There is a good chance, I believe, that once established, a well-regulated equity-based crowdfunding industry will become a gigantic magnet for huge untapped pools of world capital to flow into the U.S. With a little luck, perhaps true equity-based crowdfunding will become a legal reality in 2014. I certainly hope so. If you or your business is interested in discussing laws pertaining to crowdfunding a business or a project, I invite you to call my office listed in the bio on page 10. a

Nothing in this article is intended to be, or should be considered to be, legal advice.

Boyer

Continued from page 24

They love that shit, because it is what it is -- and, more to the point here, it is what it claims to be — free porn, and a shit-ton of it. I’m not here to tell anyone who and what they can hate, or how to deal with their hatred; if ripping Thylmann a new on the boards, or penning a nice rant about him on your blog provides some sort of catharsis or satisfaction, great — have at it and enjoy yourself. Just don’t delude yourself into believing that the man is the sum and source of all your problems. To ferret that out, you might just need to start by looking straight in the mirror — and be sure to take off those rose-tinted glasses, first. a

Bitcoin

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remarkably slow pace. Indeed, although 2013 began awash in excitement over Bitcoin and its adult website applications, the cocky currency’s promise may have fizzled as fast as it came into view. For example, the Bitcoin scene was rocked in October by the closure of notorious black market website, Silk Road, which was seized by U.S. federal authorities due to its illicit narcotics trade and other transactions — which were fueled in large part by Bitcoin and its perceived anonymity. Silk Road owner Ross William Ulbricht was arrested by the FBI in San Francisco, which also seized the site’s domain name and confiscated $3.6 million worth of Bitcoins. Some estimates place the site’s overall revenue in the neighborhood of $1.2 billion USD. Ulbricht faces federal prosecution on charges including computer hacking, narcotics trafficking, and money laundering conspiracy — making one wonder how much value he now places on those Bitcoins.

W

hile the Silk Road seizure underscores the perceptual problems that surround the upstart crypto currency, some observers believe that it presents an opportunity to reform its reputation as more legitimate enterprises adopt Bitcoin, helping to put its sordid past behind it. This of course is terribly naive, given the huge profits that Silk Road generated; as the digital drug bazaar’s replacement quickly gains traction and will no doubt be run by someone smart enough not to do it from the U.S., ensuring it greater longevity. Just as the U.S. “War on Drugs” has failed in the real world, so is it doomed to failure in the virtual world — especially if crypto currencies are allowed to flourish — with this one simple fact being enough motivation to keep the world’s governments nipping at the heels of these clandestine monetary instruments. But what about online adult entertainment — a seemingly ideal market for Bitcoin — has the industry embraced the technology, is it taking a wait and see approach, or has the majority decided

that it just isn’t a worthwhile pursuit? While support for Bitcoin within segments of the adult industry can be rabid at times (often fueled by folks that own Bitcoin and want to see it increase in value); finding many examples of adult companies that actually use it is challenging. One notable exception is Blue Blood’s SpookyCash, which according to Amelia G, accepts “Dollars, Euros, Yen, Bitcoins — you know, currency.” This attitude shows the open mindedness and high level of acceptance that merchants are willing to extend to Bitcoin as another form of payment. For some additional perspective, we turn to the current discussion of the topic by the members of the XBIZ.net business networking community: Joe-Sama of the Acme Porn Company believes that Bitcoins live on the shady side of town and that the spotlight on them has been pretty bright. “The whole Bitcoin thing is just shady. No offense to anyone, but this won’t end well,” JoeSama says. “From the creator to the marketers to the triads who have been using them for years, sooner or later it’s going to come crashing down.” “Anyone considering Bitcoins should thoroughly educate themselves about Silk Road and its subsidiaries. You are connecting yourself to heroin dealers and people hiring hit men,” JoeSama adds. “I love the idea of Bitcoin but I do not want any part of the network.” This reluctance to be associated with nefarious elements is a hallmark of legitimate adult companies, many of which did not grasp the scope of the Silk Road operation, or the level to which its reputation influenced the Bitcoin phenomenon. “I knew of a few sites where you could get prescription medications and use Bitcoin as currency, but nothing at this level,” Jahaziel of DickzToyz .com posts. “It may help Bitcoin be seen in a better light.” While Damian acknowledges that Bitcoins were used to purchase illegal items on the Silk Road website, he notes that every day the good old greenback is used to do exactly that too — explaining that there is no intrinsic link between crypto currency and illegal activity, or at least

any more than with any other kind of currency. Sagely, Damian says that people technically savvy enough to own and use Bitcoins are not the target audience for paying for porn online; which may prove to be the biggest hindrance to its widespread adoption by adult content marketers — it might not be worth the bother to do so. Other markets, such as Internet gaming, may fare far better from the use of Bitcoin. “Bitcoins are more for gamblers, especially online poker players in the U.S.,” offers Tubecamgirl of Mcamnet BV. “Google for Bitcoin poker or Bitcoin casino and you will see lots of results.” Tubecamgirl notes that following the Silk Road closure, the seven day Bitcoin value chart was down by only five percent; countering the fears of those who believed that

“

No offense to anyone, but this won’t end well. — JOE-SAMA ON THE FUTURE OF BITCOIN

the closure would cause prices to plummet or even spell the end of Bitcoin. “I ‘bet’ that the betting/gambling usage of Bitcoin is a multiple of those drug and hit man shops,” Tubecamgirl concluded.

B

ourke Wills of Adult Voyeur echoed the common belief that there are certain online activities that are able to be conducted anonymously, which make Bitcoin desirable. “[The anonymous surfing platform] Tor reckons it is untraceable,” Wills says. “There is zero record of who and where you are and nothing to crack.” The big legacy of Silk Road may be in proving that this “anonymity” is anything but. In fact, there is already considerable evidence that the FBI installed its own malware on Tor users’ computers — identifying specific users, their computers and their location, while clandestinely controlling the Tor servers of alleged CP host, Freedom Hosting. Varian Gray of Lascivi-

ous Productions, Inc. says that he first associated Bitcoins with adult sites before he associated them with illegal activity. “A few years back at a Miami XBIZ conference I chatted a lot with a Bitcoin rep,” Gray states. “I had no idea this currency was being used in an underground market.” “I guess that I am too law-abiding to have heard of Silk Road. But if I was going to be on the wrong side of things, I’d think that I would like to pay cash for my drugs, guns and murder-for-hire schemes,” Gray intimates with a note of sarcasm, adding, “It just amazes me that people were doing these illegal transactions on a medium that is surely traced and monitored by the Feds. Encryption, Tor, proxy servers, etc. can be cracked and traced.”

A

ccording to Engine Food’s Relentless, anyone who does anything against the law and also develops a high profile eventually gets in trouble. “It’s always been that way.” “All the Bitcoins and Tor servers and foreign credentials amount to zero protection if powerful entities have a real interest in taking you down,” Relentless explains. “Capone on tax evasion, Assange under house arrest in a third world embassy, Snowden living in a Moscow airport, Silk Road’s ‘Dread Roberts’ in custody.” “The people in charge of trillion-dollar empires are not about to be outsmarted or outgunned by the people in charge of million dollar fiefdoms anytime soon,” he added, alluding to the persistence and power of government when pursuing criminal enterprises. Orca from STX takes a more pragmatic approach, saying that it’s not the currency that is shady, whether Bitcoin, Dollars or silver coins, it is the people using the currency to conduct illicit activities that are shady. “As for that website, if you’re going to host an anonymous online marketplace that attracts shady people doing very shady things that have anything to do with the U.S., then [you should] expect the full weight of the U.S. justice system to land on your head,” Orca offers. “It’s really stupid to live in the U.S. or any Western country and conduct that kind of an operation at that scale.”a

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MiKandi

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Although Mint List is a safe alternative Chrome web store for adults, MiKandi soon discovered restrictions after soft launching last month. “We had previously been able to write flags to the registry to enable installs, but Google’s Chrome update last month significantly reduced the ability of third parties to deliver their own apps,” MiKandi co-founder Jennifer McEwen said. “We were able to build a workaround solution but it appears that Google intends to tightly control the delivery of HTML5 apps on Chrome.”

I

n order to install apps outside of Google’s official Chrome Web Store, users must first download and run the Mint Installer, a simple application that enables installs of Chrome Apps from MiKandi Mint List. With Chrome, Google cites security issues and user protection as reasons to justify the restrictions in its latest update, but MiKandi senses a broader policy change, Adams said. “People love Android because it always strives for a balance. The Mint List App Store for Chrome is about extending that mission on the web.” a

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Huccio

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XBIZ: How will the 4K content be distributed? Tsai: We will stream 1080p and will provide 4K H264 downloads. Quicktime 4K movie files are currently about two-to-three times larger in data size than HD files. This all changes once the HVEC codec hits, which we anticipate to happen in the next two months. HVEC compression will allow for 4K streaming and file sizes to come within HD territory. In

BangBros

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identify who posted the animated GIF that allegedly was stolen from a BangBros scene and used to ramp up more sales of sexually enhancement formula that is designed as a “porn star trick.” BangBros is attempting to identify the TrafficFactory client through a Digital Millennium Copyright Act subpoena. XBIZ was unable to seek

NOVEMBER 2013

terms of the content itself, 4K is our default format so our brand new 4K library will be quite future proof for the next decade. XBIZ: How about the razor-sharp content? Will it be too sharp for porn fans? Tsai: The whole “OMG, 4K is too detailed” line is the same old story we heard 10 years ago when HD hit. But does anyone only download standard def anymore? HD porn is the defacto standard and 4K will be no different.

comment from operators of MyWeirdSexTrick.com. Industry attorney Mark Randazza, principal of Randazza Legal Group, said the practice of scooping up adult images and appropriating them is a common practice that sometimes becomes a catand-mouse game with individuals hiding behind the DMCA. “It’s been commonplace — since about as long as there’s been affiliate marketing — for bottom feeders to rip off content to use

XBIZ: Why ultra highdef and why now? Tsai: We timed our company debut around a time when 4K panels were under $1,000. Computers are just starting to support 4K natively. Heck even phones are starting to shoot and playback 4K. Part of our focus is to produce content with an emphasis on great cinematography. We want to bridge the cinematic feel with erotic content. 4K is just the next format so at the end of the day, the quality of the content itself is key. a

in banner ads,” Randazza told XBIZ. “Most of the time, the affected content owner just demands removal of the banner and whoever is behind the ad just replaces the image with some other image, which in all likelihood is also stolen. “It doesn’t usually go any further because the cost of litigating the issue can be prohibitive, but at some point every content producer reaches a breaking point and decides that examples have to be made.” a

GoDaddy

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But GoDaddy attorney John Slafsky said there’s no distinction between the two and imposing liability would cause extreme disruption to current Internet systems and processes. With more than 200 million domain names, registrars can’t police every trademark dispute, GoDaddy states.

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lafsky also argued to the panel that the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act of 1999 doesn’t say anything about contributory infringement, “No appellate court has ever recognized such a claim,” he said. “To the extent such a claim exists, and we don’t know that it does, there is no basis in this record for such a claim.” GoDaddy’s position all along is that Petronas should direct its complaints for damages to the operator of CamFunChat. With more than 200 million domain names in the world, registrars like GoDaddy can’t police every trademark dispute, the company says. The 9th Circuit panel said they would take both sides’ arguments under submission. a

ATVOD

Conference

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tion” over what to do over the proliferation of free porn and that ATVOD’s meeting was a “useful starting point.” “It is clearly a global issue and any initiatives have to recognize that most of the websites in question are hosted outside the U.K. and that such online material is often available free of charge,” the processors said. “The industry will work with [ATVOD] to develop proposals that will make it more difficult for payments to be made to online services which allow children to access explicit pornographic material. “The industry, alongside ATVOD, is therefore keen to explore this with government,” the processors said. “In the meantime, we have agreed to work with ATVOD to consider how any proposal might work in practice, should the necessary statutory underpinning come into being.” ATVOD CEO Peter Johnson told XBIZ that the regulator viewed the meeting as “ positive and constructive” but did not elaborate further on the meeting, which was not open to the public. Johnson announced earlier this year that some websites that market to U.K. consumers could have

Continued from page 60

ATVOD CEO Peter Johnson

funds blocked by banks and credit card companies if their operators fail to stop children accessing the sites. He has noted that recent enforcement activity has sent a clear message that U.K. providers of VOD hardcore porn must take effective steps to ensure that such material is not accessible to under-18s. ATVOD’s initiative to regulate foreign porn is just one of the battles facing online adult entertainment. Last summer, Prime Minister David Cameron announced an opt-in system under which households would be denied sexually explicit online material unless they specifically asked for such access. a

“As the title suggests, the event has been designed to consider issues around the protection of children from adult video content online, something which has come to the fore following a number of high-profile cases over the past few months,” ATVOD CEO Pete Johnson said. “The conference is being built around two panel-led sessions. The first will consider the nature of the problem, addressing questions such as: What is the nature of the content? How easy is it for children to access? What is known about the scale of children’s exposure? What risks does it pose to children? The second session will consider possible solutions, addressing questions such as: Are media education and parental control software sufficient? What else is being done? What more could be done and by whom? “By way of background, ATVOD has taken action to ensure that U.K. providers of online video services keep hardcore pornography out of reach

of under-18s, but we have no power to require that similar protections are put in place with regard to services being provided online from other jurisdictions,” Johnson said. “We have recently asked the U.K. financial industry to consider whether it may be possible to block payments to services which fail to protect children from adult material — an initiative for which government recently expressed support — but the issue of children accessing adult material online is multi-faceted and the aim of the conference will be to consider in the round the nature of the problem and the range of policy responses available,” he said.

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uke told XBIZ that she’ll be in contact with adult industry leaders and advocates in the U.K. “to make sure that I adequately represent their interests at this conference.” “Hopefully we can break through some of the hysteria and bring a reasoned voice to the discussion,” she said. Charlton, meanwhile, told XBIZ that ASACP

was delighted to have been invited to participate in the ATVOD conference “and firmly believe that a continued dialogue with regulatory bodies and other stakeholders in Child Protection can only be of benefit to the Industry long term.” “High-profile meetings such as this provide us with the opportunity to attempt to sway legislative thinking from the inside in a measured and reasoned manner by giving the industry a recognised voice to best protect their interests,” Charlton said. “ASACP comes to the table solely from a child protection angle and have not veered from their core message that it should be the responsibility of parents and not governments to monitor what their children view online.” The event, chaired by Channel 4 News social affairs editor Jackie Long, will be held at the Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2, on Dec. 12 from 4 p.m.-7:30 p.m., followed by a reception. Attendance is free but space is limited. Book your space by emailing here as soon as possible. a

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wia WOMAN OF THE MONTH

womeninadult.com

AMY SZABO

Media Manager, CM Productions (BaDoink and BaDoinkCash) u How did you get into the business? I was looking for a job as a journalist back in 2006. I came to be hired by a company that started a soft core online magazine in English and Hungarian. It soon turned out, that this company owned a live cam site as well: LiveJasmin.com. The magazine had been terminated after a while, but I was offered a position in their brand new media buy team. It consisted of only three people at that time: my boss, a designer and me. I had the chance to help it grow up to 14 people and LiveJasmin to get more visibility than any other adult site. u What in your background prepared you for what you are doing now? To be honest, I was a little anxious when I first started with the media buys, because I didn’t have any sales or marketing background. Then I ran into a friend, who enlightened me: “What are you so worried about? You graduated in English and communications. And exactly that is your job now.” I learned the specific ways of adult business on the go. I’ve been buying traffic for several years, and then switched to helping ExoClick advertisers maximize their investments and ROI. I attended various trade shows all over the world, getting acquainted with the most prominent personalities of the adult space and absorbing intelligence. With such a history, and having crossed paths with them several times during my career, joining CM Productions came quite naturally. The success of the BaDoink brand and its products has facilitated the birth of many exciting projects and fresh products, so they needed an extra hand to work on traffic acquisition and marketing both for mobile and desktop. My expertise and the company’s necessities overlap. However, business practices and goals differ from company to company, and CM Productions is one of a kind, so my knowledge is being put to a test every day, which is awesome. u What do you see as the challenges of working in the adult online business? How do you overcome them? A constant challenge in the online (not only adult) business is that it’s ever changing. New trends come and go rapidly, so one has to be aware of what’s hot and adapt their ways of business accordingly. Ever since I work in this industry, I never stopped learning and I don’t think this will change anytime soon. My enthusiasm and open-mindedness are great allies in the process. Also, it is essential to think outside the box, which can be quite a task sometimes, but a lively and facilitative envi-

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Farber

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FARBER: Oh, absolutely. It was pretty hard back in the day when it was harder to get merchant accounts, but now, it’s a level playing field between third-party processors and acquiring merchant accounts. There is a lot of benefit when merchants want merchant accounts, and the merchants who have been in this business for a long time know that. Because we’ve concentrated on that now for 15 years, we’re really at the forefront. XBIZ: There’s something to be said for finding your niche and sticking to it.

ronment like the BaDoink team and offices make this a lot easier. Being a female in a male-dominated space has its tricky sides, too. Our womanly charm, sensitivity and insightfulness are quite helpful in negotiations sometimes, but can quickly backfire if one is not careful enough. I’ve always paid keen attention to staying absolutely professional and respectable (sometimes even tough, they say), while being the silly Amy, who loves a good joke. In the past years the adult industry underwent many unexpected changes, and as a consequence, lots of its players began to work on solutions that open the doors to the mainstream. However, only a lucky few were able to come close to their goal, if at all. The challenge is huge and irresistible. CM Productions decided to take action on this as well. Some of the tools have already been defined and designed, and it’s only getting better, so stay tuned for some amazing stuff coming soon. u Does your work life affect your personal life? Absolutely. During the past seven years I collected a number of dear friends and acquaintances, which I can count on no matter what. This is a wonderful side effect of working with clients and partners. Having traveled to so many trade shows made me more cosmopolitan, I even changed countries for an adult industry job — something I never expected at the start. Also, I keep being the star of the conversation, whenever I meet my non-industry friends and start talking about what we do for a living. Everyone else’s job sounds just so conventional compared to mine, that I got used to getting millions of questions and sometimes spending hours answering and joking about the subject. One time I was late for a big party and when I arrived, the hostess called out on the top of her lungs: “Hey everyone, here is my friend from porn!” I spent half of the evening at where I was standing at the time of that “introduction,” explaining. This topic just never gets old.

FARBER: Absolutely. And it was a risk for us back in the day because we didn’t know how it was going to be as far as being able to acquire merchant accounts. But luckily, merchants have done well — and Visa and MasterCard understand that merchants want that control that they get with a merchant account. As long as they can keep their chargeback rates down just like with a third-party processor and follow the same rules, they can enjoy that control and ultimately, the money that they save from having a merchant account. XBIZ: Adult billing is a field with a lot of competition. What are some of the things that make NETbilling stand out in such a competitive field? FARBER: Being around for 15 years shows our reliability. While many companies come and go, we’ve been able to hold our own and do very well for our merchants. Many of our merchants have been with us since we started and are still in business today. Plus, the flexibility that you get with our system and having your own merchant account makes us stand out—that, and having value-added options such as our call center, which will handle customer service and phone orders and do outgoing campaigns, risk management and order verification. We do all of that in our call center on behalf of our merchants. The call center service has set us apart from many of our competitors. XBIZ: The call center is another way in which NETbilling has been very hands-on. FARBER: Sure. And the call center is hard work. It’s a lot of employees. We

service so many different types of merchants. We aren’t just handling calls for one specific company or only one product or service—we’re handling calls for many, many merchants that all want things done a little bit different and offer different products and services. Our call center staff has to be well-versed in handling all these different products and services. XBIZ: And you’ve maintained a U.S.-based call center instead of outsourcing and using a call center in India. FARBER: That’s right. We’ve had some merchants who, because of the cost factor, explored using offshore call centers. We’ve even had a couple that actually set up their own call center as they grew, and every time that’s happened, they’ve come back. We feel that we do our job very well. While we might charge a little bit more than a call center in India, the sales are greater, the retention is greater, and the control is much greater using our U.S. call center — which is in-house as well. XBIZ: It’s certainly easier to maintain a hands-on approach with a call center in California than with a call center in Mumbai. FARBER: That’s true. The problem with a lot of offshore call centers is that while many of the reps speak English, they don’t have a full grasp of the language. There’s a lot involved in dealing with a customer who may be angry or is confused, and just reading off a script without having a full grasp of the language is not really a viable solution for most businesses. And that’s where we thrive: even with the multi-lingual ones, English is their primary language. You can’t be a problem solver when you’re not fully understanding what the customer is looking for. XBIZ: Many people in the adult industry are predicting substantial growth in the mobile sector. From a billing standpoint, what steps must webmasters take to be as mobilefriendly as possible? FARBER: Mobile payment forms are a must. One-click payment options, compressed graphics — NETbilling has many mobile tools. XBIZ: What are some of the worst mistakes that American webmasters typically make when it comes to billing in foreign markets? Please discuss Eu-

Condoms

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“This industry never gets boring, and I feel that the Internet and ecommerce as a whole are still in their infancy,” NETbilling’s Mitch Farber says.

rope, Asia and Latin America. FARBER: For any webmaster, ignoring worldwide sales is a mistake. Offering currency conversion in your payment forms using geo-location, translating languages and offering alternative payment methods are all key to capitalizing foreign markets. XBIZ: On the whole, how knowledgeable do you find American webmasters to be when it comes to billing in foreign markets? How great is their understanding of non-U.S. billing needs, and what steps do you take to educate them? FARBER: Merchants and webmasters who have been around a long time know how important foreign markets are, but many don’t know how to go about setting up these things without going overboard. So we try our best here at NETbilling to lay out the viable options that are available with currency conversions and alternative payments without the merchant going crazy, offering too much and confusing people. I do believe that keeping it simple and just offering a few options is really key, especially when you’re talking about mobile—where the screen is so small. You have to keep those choices simple. You can’t offer 50 different methods of payment. All you’re going to do is confuse people. XBIZ: In what ways do you see NETbilling evolving in the coming years? What changes in the adult billing space do you foresee, and what steps will NETbilling take to address them? FARBER: NETbilling will continue to expand our mobile offerings as well as our partnerships with

banks, both domestic and offshore. We’re also very big on fraud and chargeback reductions. We’ll continue to develop our tools in order to help our merchants reduce fraud and chargebacks. We give our merchants extreme flexibility with the call center as to how they want their customer service handled, and we’ll continue to expand that. As far as billing goes, I don’t think billing itself will change much aside from better adaptation of mobile. XBIZ: If you were hiring a new employee at NETbilling today, what are some of the things you would look for? What things would it take for them to be effective at NETbilling? FARBER: Many of our employees have been with us for over five years. We’re very family-oriented here. That being said, I do expect hard work and dedication from our employees — and I try to take care of them well. When we hire new employees, we look for people who have the will to learn and want to be here long-term — not people who are just happy to work part-time while they’re working their way through college. XBIZ: What are some of the things that make the adult billing field exciting for you? FARBER: For me, the constant ideas for development that I see from our fellow vendors and our partners and especially, our merchants, are very exciting. We experience that regularly because we’re at the forefront of their financial assets. This industry never gets boring, and I feel that the Internet and e-commerce as a whole are still in their infancy. So there’s so much more room for growth. a

choice. But I do believe that companies need to accept condoms and our choice to use them. The biggest battle in this debate is not performer choice or regulation, but it is companies opening their minds to our desire and right to safety, while still being able to turn a profit.” Steve Orenstein founded Wicked Pictures, which has mandated condom use in all its sex scenes for vaginal and anal intercourse since 1998. Wicked made condoms a requirement after the HIV scare that year—the company had been condom optional prior to that. With their condom policy in place, Orenstein has built Wicked Pictures into a leading studio known for its quality features geared toward the couples market. “I think scenes can produce heat with or without condoms,” Orenstein said. “Certainly shooting with condoms creates more challenges on set. Regardless of how much heat the scene projects, there are some viewers that get turned off just by the sound of the word condom. There have also been certain reviewers over the years who have deducted points for condom use. Others can look past it and enjoy the scene regardless of the condom.”

I

mmoral Productions owner Dan Leal is one gonzo studio owner who has made the adjustment to condoms but has yet to see his revenue drop. “Some of my series started [using condoms] as long as four years ago,” Leal told XBIZ. “‘Fuck a Fan’ was the first one I did with condoms.” Leal produces, directs and performs in his live shoots that are later packaged for DVD distribution by Pure Play Media. In February, he changed his company policy from condom optional to mandatory. Immoral’s “Fuck a Fan” series pairs male fans with professional female performers in live sex scenes. “From the standpoint of the fans as performers, they didn’t have a history of [testing] panels like a normal performer would have,” Leal said. “Then I always had condoms on set for performers and very few chose to use condoms. It was rare.” He said that his deci-

sion really wasn’t even his to make. “It was we’re following the law. The law requires for us to use condoms,” Leal said. “I understand both sides of the argument. I listen to performers. It’s just like wearing your seatbelt while driving. It’s not an option. Technically, everyone anywhere in the state of California is supposed to use condoms if they’re making adult content for profit.” By state law, Leal noted that the California Code of Regulations Title 8, Section 5193 mandates barrier protection, including condoms, to shield performers from contact with bloodborne pathogens, or other potentially infectious material during the production of films. Cal/OSHA defines bloodborne pathogens as pathogenic microorganisms that are present in human blood and can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B & C and HIV. There is a federal bloodborne pathogens law that is almost identical to the one in California, according to officials from the state’s Department of Industrial Relations. Given the language of Section 5193, the adult industry’s policy should be to “comply with the law or seek a variance from the Standards Board,” Peter Riley, manager of Cal/OSHA’s Region III, told XBIZ. Leal maintains that the condom requirements of Measure B and AB 640 are “redundant” since Section 5193 calls for the same protection for workers potentially exposed to bloodborne pathogens. While Measure B and AB 640 have received all the publicity during the past year, Leal pointed out that Section 5193 has existed since 1993. “Most people are choosing to ignore it,” Leal continued. “The law is very clear. It’s very straightforward. It’s been on the books for 20 years. There is already an existing OSHA law on the books but the only time they ever enforced it or investigated people is when there was the possibility of people spreading HIV on set.” Tom Byron, one of the longest tenured performers in the adult industry, offered the historical perspective of someone who has done adult movies for more than 30 years. “I believe condoms and testing are the safest and most logical means of

“

If performers want to work in the industry, that’s their choice. But the performers have to understand that they’re creating a product we have to sell to get a return on the investment, and part of that is without the use of condoms. — LARRY FLYNT

protecting talent from HIV and other STDs,” Byron told XBIZ. “When it began to emerge as a serious threat and people that I knew were getting sick and dying from it, it was terrifying. No cure. You got it, you died a horrible death. And having sex was how you got it. And having sex was how I and all my friends made a living. Yet we lived in denial. “There wasn’t even a test for it. When there was, I said, ‘Why don’t we test?’ When we found out condoms helped prevent transmission, I said, ‘Why aren’t we wearing condoms?’ I was told to shut up and not make waves.”

B

yron decided in the early ‘90s to take a stand and work only with condoms, but “I was shunned and my workload plummeted,” he said. “Faced with poverty and legal bills because of an IRS case that targeted myself, Ginger Lynn and Harry Reems, I abandoned my stance two years later,” Byron continued. “Had I stuck it out and had the industry followed my lead and instituted universal condom use with testing, would it have made a difference? “I regret the decision to go back to performing non-condom.” Byron said he reached his conclusion about condoms because “testing can’t be trusted,” the business is now more global and it’s impossible to regulate someone’s actions off the set. “A test is only good the day you take it and everybody knows it,” Byron said. “Without a condom, a test is meaningless.” a

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maximize data safety. For example, Drobo advises against being vulnerable to any single point of failure by ensuring your data exists in a minimum of two separate geographic locations; reminding content owners that they are only as safe as their latest backup, and that failure can occur both in hardware and software. As a result, the company advises users to regularly check to ensure that all firmware and software is up to date and functioning properly; that all of their hardware is functioning properly; and to regularly check the integrity of all backups. But backup software and hardware systems are only part of a robust solution. “Please keep in mind the philosophy of digital asset management and remember there’s no one size fits all solution,” the Drobo spokesperson added. It all comes down to being careful and consistent in your data backup regimen. “What good is backup

Measure B Continued from page 60

the county, but as we’ve seen before, with little to no little accountability, they have no shame whatsoever.” With the county not answering the appeal, AHF, the main supporter of the porn-condom measure and an intervenor in the lower

hardware if the files on it are out of date?” the Drobo rep asks rhetorically, answering that “The best way to ensure they are up to date is to make the process as simple and painless as possible.”

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edundant local storage using RAID drives, with backups to removable drives and to physical media such as Bluray Discs — which may be stored in a fireproof strong box to keep them safe and secure — while popular options, may not be enough, however; even if copies of those backups are stored off-site, isolating them from any disaster that befalls a facility. And for companies with vast media storage requirements, physical copies may be impractical to make and difficult to store, fueling the search for better backup options. This situation drives companies to seek out alternative and online storage solutions, particularly as their data archive grows. According to Red Apple Media CTO and co-founder Remik Kolodziej, with the proliferation of adult video content online, rather than

court case, again seeks intervenor status — a status that Vivid is, again, battling against. Vivid counsel argue in their reply brief to the 9th Circuit that the AHF must satisfy Article III of the U.S. Constitution, a statute that allows only an entity or individual who has suffered injury itself or himself to bring a case or appeal in federal court.

ROCCO

images, the amount of storage required grows larger every year. “High-res and high-def video takes up an enormous amount of space, and if a content provider lost his or her website without backup or redundancy, then he or she is out of business for a long time — or however long it takes to re-encode the original tapes or DVDs,” Kolodziej told XBIZ. “That’s why it’s important to have more than one backup file and have them stored in more than one location. If every file is in one facility and something happens to it, whether a natural disaster, electrical fire or something else, than that company owner is still out of luck.” Red Apple Media recommends storing data in private cloud storage or a Video Vault, as the company calls it, which is different than the typical cloud hosting or storage plans that some other companies offer — and more universally accessible than hard disk arrays. “Our private cloud systems are optimized for storing large amounts of data

and synchronizing it across multiple locations,” Kolodziej says. “We can host with a client in our San Diego data center and replicate it to one of our other data centers in, say, Phoenix or Amsterdam, and do it on a private connection. That way, if something happens to our San Diego location, our client’s files will be safe and sound with additional backups in multiple physical locations.” The process may be familiar to users of DropBox or other free file lockers, but these services have a number of disadvantages. For example, protecting user’s privacy is one reason that Red Apple Media does not recommend clients use DropBox or other common web-based personal storage solutions, as the company has discovered that these services typically scan uploaded files to monitor what customers are storing. “Much like what Google does with Gmail, these programs use this to target customers with marketing specific to their presumed interests,” Kolodziej explains. “These types of services have the ability to data mine

everything in an account, and it’s not a good idea to give them access to that kind of personal information.” This privacy aspect is particularly import for those wanting to protect an adult content library from digital dangers, as well as for anyone with sensitive information to secure. “The best solution that Red Apple Media offers for digital asset management is private cloud storage or Media Vaults on separate servers that are not accessible directly from the Internet,” Kolodziej concludes. “No open source, no public FTP — this kind of protection makes unauthorized access 100 percent impossible.” It is the kind of data security and peace of mind that allows information managers and content providers to sleep better at night, free from fear. At the end of the day, having a robust data protection strategy can involve redundant local backups combined with the failsafe storage solutions that Red Apple Media offers — whatever it takes to keep your business running in the face of a digital disaster. a

They also argue that one party’s satisfaction of Article III does not satisfy the requirement for all other participants and that the AHF lacks any protectable interest in the appeal. Vivid attorneys said in their reply that the AHF can be only seen as a friend of the court, at best, in its appeal over the preliminary injunction.

nents of gay marriage behind California’s 2008 Proposition 8 effort had the constitutional authority, or standing, to defend the law in federal courts after the state refused to appeal its loss at trial years earlier. But the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned the 9th Circuit’s Hollingsworth decision, and Vivid asked Pregerson to disqualify the AHF as intervenors. But Pregerson denied Vivid’s motion, ruling that the U.S. Supreme Court decision “implicitly approved of the framework currently at issue” because it left the district court’s decision intact in the Hollingsworth ruling. “At the district court level, intervention by initiative proponents is proper when the government is enforcing the initiative but refuses to defend it, regardless of whether the intervenors have standing independent of the government defen-

dants,” Pregerson wrote in his decision that favored the AHF. But at the federal appellate level over the questions involving the preliminary injunction, Vivid attorneys wrote that the AHF must butt out. It their latest brief, Vivid counsel said that the only point at issue on its current motion with the 9th Circuit is the AHF’s claim to full party status on appeal. “AHF’s insistence that they are ‘needed’ in this case is incorrect,” Vivid attorneys wrote. “This court is more than capable of resolving the issues appellants raise notwithstanding the county’s election of the option to not file an answering brief. “AHF has no interest in this litigation sufficient to satisfy either Article III standing or intervention ... ,” Vivid attorneys wrote. “[The] intervenors accordingly should be dismissed as parties to this case.” a

ing .porn and .sex. “I think that .porn in particular will be an enormous bonus to search results,” he said. “Based on my experience and logic, surfers will search for ‘mature porn’ or ‘teen porn’ for example, and my sites will rank high in those results. Once I knew ICM had qualified to run .porn I was straight on the phone with my wish list of domains. It is very

important to me to own as many of the top 20 adult search term keywords.” Really Useful, based in the Turks and Caicos Islands, operates 17 websites including top brands FakeTaxi.com, Massage Rooms.com and FakeAgent.com, as well as the .xxx websites, that bring in 8 million to 10 million views a day to the tube sites, JT said. a

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t the lower court this past summer, Vivid was denied a motion to knock AHF off the case by Pregerson, who said that he disagreed with studio’s claim that the U.S. Supreme Court in Hollingsworth vs. Perry requires intervenors to show they have standing independent of the actual defendants in case, Los Angeles County. Pregerson earlier this year granted AHF’s motion to intervene based on the 9th Circuit case Hollingsworth vs. Perry. That ruling held that oppo-

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No, I didn’t tell them a joke. I asked them for a loan for my website, then they checked my credit. 8 8 XBIZ WORLD

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from visitor to member are considerably higher.” JT said that he was particularly motivated to acquire the latest .xxx properties because of ICM Registry’s plan to include grandfathering rights to other top-level domains it plans on operating, includ-

Lecompte

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they want to buy impressions. They can apply filters developed in-house by country, operating system, ISP and frequency capping in order to target the best audience possible. These technical features in addition to the campaigns managing tools (budget alert, volume monitoring, etc.) and the relevant tips from our support and account advisors help both advertisers and publishers to make money in the long term. XBIZ: And how does Mobidea work? Lecompte: Mobidea is totally different from StarAdvertising and the rest of StarEdition projects. Its only common goal is to provide a technology for partners who wants to monetize adult traffic coming from a mobile device. It’s a mobile monetization platform that webmasters and media buyers can use to convert their 3G and Wi-Fi traffic. Mobidea has evolved a lot during the past six months. On one hand, we have worked heavily on opening new country markets and at the same time on another hand Mobidea developers have sharpened to the maximum the automatic optimization algorithm. For affiliates, making money with Mobidea is very easy: They can do it through a white label (we help them to build custom mobile portals in a few clicks) or, thanks to a smart link (optimized redirection), both solutions are connected to Mobidea’s proprietary technology. According to country, device and operator, the mobile user will directly see the most efficient payment offer available for his profile. In most cases we offer the user payments to be directly charged on his phone bill. This is one of the reasons why our affiliates are happy. Today, we successfully convert mobile traffic from 60 key countries and our team is highly motivated to provide new services in many other places in the near future.

traffic is coming from English-speaking countries, Western Europe and South America. With Mobidea, we see high performances in several key markets where mobile advertising is booming, including in Italy, Mexico, Switzerland, Ireland, France, Spain, Argentina, Guatemala, Germany, The Netherlands, Thailand, Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, Norway and India. Both projects are worldwide and it’s very interesting to see how the advertising demand is different coming from web sources and the mobile ones. We operate everywhere, but basically we focus on where the demand is and readjust the strategy daily according to global trends

and forecasts. Most of the time a good trend is defined by billing solutions and volumes of traffic available. Among other factors, this is what we analyze to identify key markets. XBIZ: What’s a typical work day like? Lecompte: Turning on Skype defines the beginning of a new day. Since our team works from seven different places around the globe, almost everything goes through instant message software to coordinate and track data. It’s nice to see how Internet threw away borders and decreased culture shocks. My day usually starts with a global “adult” and

then “technology” press review so I can stay tuned with the numerous and quick changes in our virtual world. Then comes a long — but so needed — time dedicated to answering email and planning for the day and the rest of the week. Once emergencies or hot topics have been handled, I plan our next marketing/communication actions and collaborate on new business development with matching teams. XBIZ: When not thinking about the biz, what do you like to do? Lecompte: This is a very interesting question. I think it’s hard for us as online professionals to be able to disconnect from time to time.

Unfortunately the Internet has no official time zone and public holidays, which makes it hard sometimes to log out. But when I finally turn my computer off I really enjoy the most basic things: Spending time chilling with my wife and family, reading, watching TV — those very little simple things that makes you happy to get time for yourself, you know? At least I really can’t complain about how hard it is not to think about business or work. I work in a great company doing things I love, and I’m next to very cool people — colleagues, partners and clients — and getting paid for it. I hope at a certain point everyone could feel like this. a

XBIZ: Where is most of your business coming from? Lecompte: It depends on which company you are referring to. For example, on StarAdvertising mobile adnetwork, most of our best

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WEB DEPOT SIDR TAKING SIDES WITH SIDR Sidr creates responsive, mobile friendly, Facebook-style side menus

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As the mobile Internet gains in popularity, screen sizes are shrinking, just as feature sets are growing. This induces a whole new set of issues for web designers seeking to fit links to all of the relevant products and services, without cluttering content or limiting the space available to display that content. One popular solution is the use of hidden menus that are only displayed in response to user input, expanding and collapsing as needed through the power of jQuery. Sidr (www.berriart.com/sidr/) is a jQuery plugin by Alberto Varela for creating responsive, mobile friendly Facebook-style side menus, and claims to be the easiest way for making your website’s menus responsive. Varela was inspired by the way Facebook implements its menu on mobile devices. “The major reason for creating this plugin was just being able to easily add existing content (like a menu, a search box, social icons, etc.) to a menu in small screens,” Varela explains. “Simply load existing HTML into a Sidr, and then, hide this HTML and show the menu button with media queries.” “You will be able to create multiple Sidrs on both sides of your web page to make responsive menus (or not, it works perfectly on desktops too),” Varela adds. “Fill the Sidrs normally, with existing content, remote content, or whatever you want.” In its simplest usage, webmasters create a DIV called sidr and place a menu there. The plugin is then activated by binding it to a hyperlink. By default, this menu will not be visible and will only be displayed or hidden by clicking on the link. With Sidr you can create as many menus as you want on the same page, placing them at either the right or left side of the screen. When creating more than one menu, however, you need to name them with unique identifiers. If you do not create a container DIV for the menu, then the plugin will create it for you. There are multiple ways to load content into Sidr menus, including external URLs and internal functions. In its simplest usage, it takes no more than placing the content into a DIV to create the menu, as seen in the example above. “The most common way is to load existing HTML into the menu,” Varela states. “You can add as many selectors as you want and they will be loaded in order.” Sidr makes it possible to load remote content easily via AJAX. For those who need a more complex way to load content into the menu, callback functions are easily created — as are more sophisticated responsive menus. Sidr allows users to open or close menus programmatically and to bind them to any event, including using an external library to implement touch events, such as a right/left swipe touch event that opens or closes the responsive menu. As with other plugins, Sidr must be included after the jQuery script call. Varela notes that a performance boost can be had by loading the script at the bottom of your web page, or asynchronously. Sidr also includes two themes (style sheets) with the plugin, one dark, and a light one; although webmasters are not required to use these styles, they must then create their own. The Sidr website offers several coding examples to get you quickly up and running, while providing inspiration for your own deployment methods. If you’re looking for an attractive and accessible way to offer the most links in the least space, with a great user experience, then Sidr may be for you. } WWW.BERRIART.COM/SIDR

REQUIREJS HARMONIZING ASSET ALLOCATION Eliminate jQuery load and other scripting conflicts with RequireJS

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Savvy coders are increasingly making use of modular programming techniques — breaking projects into more readily manageable blocks of code that boost their reusability while making maintenance and updates easier. While these are great benefits, being able to manage the dependencies between these modules can become a problematic process. Consider the loading of JavaScript files, for example. Many of today’s applications make use of a range of JavaScript files, often loaded individually using a separate tag for each occurrence. This hurts performance and can also cause script conflicts when files that are dependent on other files are called in the wrong order. An easy example of this can be found in jQuery plugins, all of which are depend ent on the base jQuery library, which must be loaded by your page before any of its plugins. Enter RequireJS (www.requirejs.org), a JavaScript file and module loader designed to eliminate jQuery loading errors and other scripting conflicts, while improving the speed and quality of a website’s coding. Optimized for in-browser use, RequireJS is compatible with Chrome 3+, Firefox 2+, IE 6+, Opera 10+ and Safari 3.2+, and can also be used in other JavaScript environments, such as Node or Rhino. Although RequireJS doesn’t require jQuery, it’s often used alongside the technology, and demands some special considerations in order to make everything smooth and easy. “While RequireJS loads jQuery just like any other dependency, jQuery’s wide use and extensive plugin ecosystem mean you’ll likely have other scripts in your project that also depend on jQuery,” a script spokesperson states. “You might approach your jQuery RequireJS configuration differently depending on whether you are starting a new project or whether you are adapting existing code.” One consideration is the use of global variables, as jQuery will register itself as the global variables “$” and “jQuery,” even when it detects AMD/RequireJS. “The AMD approach advises against the use of global functions, but the decision to turn off these jQuery globals hinges on whether you have non-AMD code that depends on them,” the spokesperson explains. “JQuery has a noConflict function that supports releasing control of the global variables and this can be automated in the require.config.” Another consideration is module names, since jQuery defines a named AMD module “jquery” (all lower case) when it detects AMD/RequireJS, so the publisher recommends that to reduce the confusion, developers should use “jquery” as the module name in their require.config. For example, in the require.config below, the module ID is shown on the left (jquery), while the path to the jQuery file is on the right side (jquery-1.9.0), relative to the baseUrl — in other words, the function is calling jQuery 1.9.0, located a js/lib/jquery-1.9.0.js, relative to the HTML page. Note that the path does not include the “.js” file extension: require.config({ baseUrl: ‘js/lib’, paths: { jquery: ‘jquery-1.9.0’ } });

“The other (recommended) solution is to just name the file ‘jquery.js’ and place it in the baseUrl directory. Then the above paths entry is not needed,” the spokesperson added. “You can avoid lots of configuration lines by placing the files according to the default ID-to-path convention of baseUrl + moduleID + ‘.js’.” The RequireJS website offers a wide range of coding examples, such as illustrating how to set the baseUrl to be the directory for third-party, library code, using one extra path config in the app code. Other instances involve using a shim configuration, as well as how to modify the plugins to be wrapped in a define() instead, for further flexibility. Other examples show how to set the path of jQuery to point to a Google-hosted CDN, which the company says, benefits users who might already have the file in the browser cache and so won’t have to download it again. One factor to note when loading an asset from a CDN is that all plugins needing that asset as a dependency, have to call define(). It will take some time to get a grasp on the flexibility, power and value of RequireJS, but if your sites make heavy use of JavaScript and jQuery, then RequireJS i a winner.

90 XBIZ WORLD NOVEMBER 2013

} WWW.REQUIREJS.ORG

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UNSLIDER.COM SLIDING SMOOTHLY Here’s a lightweight, streamlined jQuery slider that “just slides”

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When it comes to maximizing the amount of content that can be squeezed into the minimum amount of screen real estate, using a slider script to shuffle through multiple images makes a lot of sense. This popular presentation paradigm can easily get out of hand, however, with feature creep bloating file sizes; lessening sliders’ attractiveness to speed-conscious coders. Enter Unslider (www.unslider.com), a lightweight (3kb), streamlined, jQuery slider that just slides content screens — but still offers some decent options for those looking for a little more — without going overboard. According to its publisher, Unslider is cross-browser compatible, having been tested in all the latest web browsers; and falls back nicely when displayed by legacy browsers. The script provides keyboard support, allowing users to navigate slides using the left and right arrow keys, and it adjusts for varying slide heights, stylishly transitioning these height values without requiring extra code. As with many other current generation scripts, Unslider is made to be fully functional with responsively designed websites, allowing an easy fit into nearly any website’s look. Using Unslider couldn’t be easier, even for technically challenged neophyte coders. Simply include both the Unslider and jQuery scripts on the required web pages. If you are already using jQuery, be sure to call the Unslider script after the jQuery call is completed. “Unslider doesn’t need any really awkward markup; in fact, all you need is a DIV and an unordered list,” states a publisher’s rep. “You can add as many slides as you want, but Unslider won’t work properly with one slide (but then it’s just a box).” While Unslider is a simple script, it does offer a number of useful options. “Although it’s lightweight, Unslider comes with a range of options to customize your slider,” the rep notes. “You can add, remove, or completely skip out the options object. It’s up to you.” These options include support for touch and swipe actions, commonly used on mobile ready and responsive sites, by using the jQuery.event.swipe plugin, for easy out-of-the-box functionality. The Unslider configuration options include: This allows you to start and pause Unslider through data.start(); and data.stop(); and to manually enable keyboard shortcuts and append the navigation dots, via data.keys(); and data.dots();, respectively. Navigation may be enhanced through data.next(); and data.prev(); which will move to the next slide (or the first slide if there isn’t one) or move to the previous slide (or the last slide if there isn’t one). The data.move(0); function lets you go to a specific slide index, with an optional callback, providing a lot of flexibility for those seeking something a bit more than a simple slider. While not the most fully-featured of content shufflers, Unslider does a great job of flipping through images and other content, and is free to use. Try it on your site and see if it makes a viewer-pleasing impact. } WWW.UNSLIDER.COM

TYPEAHEAD.JS ENHANCE SITE SEARCH Inspired by Twitter.com’s auto complete search functionality, typeahead.js is a fast and fullyfeatured auto complete library

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A staple of “Web 2.0” coding, “typeaheads” are those helpful hints that try to guess what you’re typing, filling in the blanks. They are found on search engines and on every other imaginable form input. It’s important to note up front that typeaheads are not “spell checkers” but marketing tools that can be creatively monetized, while helping to filter and funnel a site’s traffic. One popular site to get on the bandwagon is Twitter, which decided to implement a typeahead, but found that there wasn’t a solution allowing for prefetching data, searching that data on the client, and then falling back to the server for additional cues — so being the innovators they are, they created their own. Inspired by Twitter.com’s auto complete search functionality, typeahead.js (www.github.com/twitter/ typeahead.js) is a fast and fully-featured auto complete library that displays suggestions to endusers as they type. The script shows the top suggestion as a hint (such as background text), offers customized templates for suggestions, and works with both hardcoded data as well as remote data, allowing suggestions to be easily drawn from multiple datasets. The system is optimized to quickly index and search these large datasets on the client. “That allows for sites without datacenters on every continent to provide a consistent level of performance for all their users,” a Twitter team spokesperson states. “It plays nicely with Right-To-Left (RTL) languages and Input Method Editors (IMEs) [as well]. “We also needed something instrumented for comprehensive analytics in order to optimize relevance through A/B testing,” the spokesperson added. “Although logging and analytics are not currently included, it’s something we may add in the future. According to Twitter’s Open Source Manager, Chris Aniszczyk, typeahead.js is a fast and battle-tested jQuery plugin initially built to support the company’s internal needs, but now open sourced on GitHub under the MIT license in hopes that by sharing this piece of its infrastructure, Twitter will benefit from its broader evolution. Aniszczyk says that there are three ways to get data: using local, hard-coded data passed on page render; by using a prefetch URL that will be hit to grab data on pageload and then stored in localStorage; or by using a queryable API that returns results as-you-type (with the query being passed in the ?q= parameter). “You can also combine local or prefetch [data] with a remote fallback for the performance of local data combined with the coverage of a remote query API (e.g. quickly search your friends but be able to find anyone on your site),” Aniszczyk explains, adding that “There are lots of options for configuring everything from ranking, matching, rendering, templating engines, and more.” Using the typeahead.js API is easy and turns any input[type=”text”] element into a typeahead, using a single dataset or an array of datasets. The script’s GitHub page delves into the numerous configuration options and provides a page of working examples to help get you started. The datasets that define a set of data that hydrates suggestions include datums that can be represented as a string for easy manipulation. To boost performance, typeahead.js rate-limits network requests to lighten the load. For those developers wanting to combine the script with Twitter’s popular Bootstrap project all that is required is to load typeahead.js’ JavaScript after Bootstrap’s JavaScript file and then specify some configuration options. As for compatibility, typeahead.js works with popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox 3.5+, Internet Explorer 7+, Opera 11+ and Safari 4+, and is dependent on jQuery 1.9+, which must be loaded before typeahead.js. Boasting a high level of template engine compatibility, the ability to process custom events, and an easily skinned style set — along with a price tag of “free,” typeahead.js is an intriguing way to add suggestive capabilities to your internal search marketing efforts, while enhancing the overall user experience. Try it and see if it makes your content easier to find. } WWW.GITHUB.COM/TWITTER/TYPEAHEAD.JS

NOVEMBER 2013 XBIZ WORLD 9 1

On the Scene Oktoberfest 2013

Photos by FubarWebmasters.com

9 2 XBIZ WORLD NOVEMBER 2013

NOVEMBER 2013 XBIZ WORLD 9 3

THE INDEX

Premier Services & Solutions |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| AFFILIATE PROGRAMS DDFCASH Exclusive European glamour babe, fetish and niche program ADAM & EVE CASH Affiliates can bank on the Adam & Eve brand through competitive commission rates of at least 20 percent on all sales plus a $1 reward for every new customer; bonus commissions on future sales, a $5 affiliate referral bonus, plus an additional five percent of the referred affiliate’s commissions along with other perks.

The affiliate program of DDF Productions, one of the biggest European adult website companies since 1999, DDFCash is known for its selection of glamour and fetish sites offering 1080p HD video and high resolution photography, combined with cutting edge technology and customizable choices such as a rotating banner system, custom banners, mixed photo and video galleries and more.

} ADAMEVECASH.COM

} DDFCASH.COM

BADOINK

EVIL ANGEL

Profit from next generation video downloads and streaming

Promote high-quality content from renowned brand names

Paying affiliates $25 on every free join or 60 percent for the life of each membership via wire, check, Paxum, or PayPal, BadoinkCash offers unique sites and upsell plugins plus the ability to monetize desktop, mobile and tablet traffic with proven white labels as well as through exclusive upsells that add revenue and increase ‘good’ transaction volume.

From top directors to world-renowned actors, John Stagliano’s Evil Angel is a multiaward winning studio offering more than 5,000 hardcore movies catering to consumers’ wildest fantasies, while the Gamma-powered FameDollars sponsorship program allows affiliates to profit from this popular brand.

Tangible goods affiliate program with name recognition

} BADOINKCASH.COM

} EVILANGEL.COM

BUDDY PROFITS

FAME DOLLARS

Gay adult affiliate program offers hand-picked exclusive videos and pictures

Content is king for this star-struck affiliate program

Buddy Profits free hosted galleries were built to convert your traffic. The affiliate program offers hand-picked exclusive videos and pictures, free bandwidth and great designs.

Gamma Entertainment’s Fame Dollars affiliate program offers porn star content from Peter North, Tera Patrick, Silvia Saint and Rocco Siffredi as well as studio content from Devils Film, White Ghetto and Silverstone.

} BUDDYPROFITS.COM

} FAMEDOLLARS.COM

CASHINPILLS

HUSTLERCASH

Affiliate program offers an array of choices

Affiliate program offers content from Hustler

CashInPills offers an affiliate program for numerous products, including Derminax, Untoxin, Maxatin, Natural X, Probolan 50, AcaiBerry 900, Climax Control, Therma Cuts, iBright, Vigrax, UltraSlim and XTRASize.

The Hustler affiliate program has scores of websites, including Hustler.com, BarelyLegal. com, HustlerHD.com, AnalHookers.com, AsiaFever.com, MuchasLatinas. com, ScaryBigDicks, HottieMoms. com, and DaddyGetsLucky, among others.

} CASHINPILLS.COM

} HUSTLERCASH.COM

CECASH

NAKEDSWORD

A veteran affiliate program offering cutting-edge features

Make money in the gay porn business

Featuring more than 50 sites for affiliates to promote using new marketing tools and a new user friendly stats interface, the CECash 3.0 was designed to make affiliates money through the company’s innovative sites that have been enjoyed by more than 2 billion surfers and 6.9 million members, generating $105 million in webmaster payouts.

A business division of AEBN, the NakedSword VOD site and exclusive content paysites with affiliate payouts of up to $40 per trial join or a 60 percent revenue share.

} CECASH.COM

9 4 XBIZ WORLD NOVEMBER 2013

} NAKEDSWORD.COM

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| MRSKINCASH.COM

WEBMASTER CENTRAL

Celebrity online content, affiliate program

Providing a wide array of products and services

MrSkin.com is the No. 1 resource for celebrity nudity online and MrSkinCash is the only place where affiliates can promote it. The company boasts the best conversion and retention rates as well as the most respectable brand name in celebrity.

Since 1996, Webmaster Central has been providing a wide array of content and services for webmasters across the globe. Over the years the company has expanded its services from simple content provider to a one-stop shop for everything from simple content streaming to mobile streaming, with numerous custom delivery systems.

} MrSkinCash.com

PUSSYCASH A progressive provider of interactive content promotional tools With sites such as ImLive, Sexier and others, PussyCash is home to an affiliate program that pays webmasters for traffic sent to these adult sites through banners and exit traffic, offering the combination of extremely powerful traffic and revenue inducing incentives, along with its popular WebcamWiz.com white label generator. } PUSSYCASH.COM

} WEBMASTERCENTRAL.COM

MOBILE SOLUTIONS

AFFIL4YOU Redirect mobile visitors to a custom monetization platform Wister-backed Affil4You allows adult website owners and entrepreneurs to quickly set up a customized, mobile friendly white label site featuring high quality content from top studios, such as Adam & Eve, Holly Randall and Private, as well as custom integrations of the affiliate’s own content. } AFFIL4YOU.COM

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TOTEMCASH

BITTERSTRAWBERRY

Great solution to earn cash with VirtuaGirl

An independent network for maximizing mobile profitability

TotemCash is the best solution to make money on sexy girls with its desktop strippers VirtuaGirl.

BitterStrawberry provides mobile offers in more than 60 countries using WAP and Premium SMS billing to deliver increased profits from an affiliate’s current traffic levels, redirecting visitors to the best offer at the moment to find the best advertiser and offer for every country, device, operator and channel from partners all around the globe.

} TOTEMCASH.COM

} BITTERSTRAWBERRY.COM

CONTENT PROVIDERS

ONLINE DATING

ADULT CENTRO

ADULTFRIENDFINDER

Robust tools for content creators, buyers and sellers

Popular Adult FriendFinder is an online personals community website

AdultCentro offers its AC Publisher program for marketers seeking to build a site or add feeds to existing sites and the AC Marketplace, bringing digital content buyers and sellers together, while its AC Cloud service enables creators to distribute and monetize content.

AdultFriendFinder is an online sex personals community site. It allows members to meet new friends or sex partners. The site won the 2010 XBIZ Award for Dating Program of the Year.

} ADULTCENTRO.COM

} ADULTFRIENDFINDER.COM

SEXENTERTAIN

DATING GOLD

The best source for leased content

One-stop online dating and webcam affiliate program

Thousands of movies, thousands of stars covering every conceivable niche and genre, the SexEntertain Movies collection is a great source of bonus content for your sites, tubes and blogs. Hand picked from dozens of smaller adult studios, the SexEntertain Movie collection specializes in black, Asian, teen and Latina stars.

DatingGold offers the advantages of a single source solution to monetizing dating as well as webcam and mobile traffic, from sources such as exiting site visitors, 404 error pages, search engines, geo-IP banners and text links.

} SEXENTERTAIN.COM

} DATINGGOLD.COM

NOVEMBER 2013 XBIZ WORLD 9 5

THE INDEX

Premier Services & Solutions |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| PAYMENT PROCESSING NETBILLING Merchant account acquisition, billing and support systems CCBILL Credit, debit and other online payment processing and support Founded in 1998, Tempe, Ariz.-based CCBill offers a range of international billing solutions in multiple currencies and languages along with advanced fraud protection, member management, 24/7 customer support and innovative marketing services to make CCBill a trusted partner. } CCBILL.COM

From its headquarters in Valencia, Calif., NETbilling offers flexible solutions for adult merchants wanting to process credit cards, electronic checks (ACH) or telephone orders, with advanced reporting, membership management, fraud scrubbing, a free shopping cart, and 24/7 live service for merchants and their customers. } NETBILLING.COM

EPOCH

ORBITAL PAY

Since 1996, Epoch has been a worldwide

Credit card and ACH processing plus call center services

leader in online billing. Epoch has processed millions of transactions worldwide and is fully certified by the card associations. The company accepts multiple currencies and offers regional billing options presented to your surfers in their local languages.

Austin, Texas-based OrbitalPay is a premier gateway billing solutions provider, offering merchant accounts for businesses including product sales, membership, VOD and cams, with competitive rates, a superior gateway and relationships with multiple banks for stable processing.

} EPOCH.COM

} ORBITALPAY.COM

GTBILL

SEGPAY

Payment processing and affiliate payout services

At SegPay, the client always comes first!

Based in London, GTBill offers the needed diversity and experience required to be a competitive global payment service provider, by processing credit cards, phone orders and electronic checks, with advanced stats reporting, membership management, fraud scrubbing and 24/7 support for customers and merchants.

CMYK Mix SegPay, launched in June of 2005 as an EU IPSP, has a global reach and has secured multiple acquiring relationships that support merchants in the US, Canada and the European Union and supports consumer payments globally. It’s processing engine is designed on industry standard technology and its hardware is fully redundant with load balanced servers that are scalable both “upwards and outwards.” The servers reside in a 24/7/365 managed hosting facility.

} GTBILL.COM

IPROCESSING Payment processing and high-risk merchant account acquisition The Eureka, Calif.-based team at iProcessing offers decades of merchant services and transaction processing service experience for both U.S. and international merchants and supports all major credit cards in multiple currencies, as well as ACH, European debit and mobile phone billing, coupled with fraud prevention services that result in increased revenue and lower chargeback ratios. } IPROCESSING.COM

} SEGPAY.COM

SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

ELEVATED X Leverage CMS technology to save time and make more money Elevated X provides content management system (CMS) software designed for building and managing adult websites, with more than 2000 sites using its advanced platform that not only manages content, but prepares it through integrated video editing functions and other unique features designed to give users a competitive edge. } ELEVATEDX.COM

L3 PAYMENTS

MANSION PRODUCTIONS

Flexible and customizable merchant account-based billing systems

Robust infrastructure powering paysites and affiliate programs

Westlake Village, Calif.-based L3 Payments LLC is a trusted vendor of merchant processing solutions and payment services providing merchant account processing that allows users to easily create new pricing structures, sites and join forms, without the limitations imposed by third party processing services.

Publishers of the popular MPA3 cascading billing and affiliate program platform, which ranks among the leading affiliate tracking software products, Mansion Productions offers stable tools for billing and managing customers, and for building sites as well, through its Members Area System (MAS) and custom design services.

} L3PAYMENTS.COM

} MANSIONPRODUCTIONS.COM

9 6 XBIZ WORLD NOVEMBER 2013

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| TRAFFIC SERVICES

WEB HOSTING

ADXPANSION

MOJOHOST

Buyers and sellers of targeted adult traffic

A one-stop solution for hosting content

AdXpansion is the worldwide leader in targeted advertising for the adult market. Advertisers use keywords to target the consumers they want while publishers earn more money by selling their traffic to the highest bidders.

Hosting company MojoHost offer solutions that vary in size from as small as 1U of rack space to mutiple racks, cabinets or cage space. The company offers managed dedicated hosting, managed virtual hosting, corporate email solutions, colocation, domain registration and more. MojoHost is privately owned and operated.

} ADXPANSION.COM

} MOJOHOST.COM

EXOCLICK

REDAPPLEMEDIA

An innovative advertising network with a focus on technology

Providing managed web hosting and media delivery services

ExoClick was developed as a platform that would better monetize web traffic whatever its origin or the format of the ad spot and is powered by an open ad network that uses a proprietary ad serving technology to provide efficient solutions to every advertiser and publisher around the world.

Red Apple Media offers Cloud hosting, managed dedicated servers and ecommerce packages for both beginners and professionals, coupled with peerless customer service and technology such as video streaming, and PCI and PA-DSS compliant shopping carts, with more than 99.999 percent uptime year after year.

} EXOCLICK.COM

} REDAPPLEMEDIA.COM

JUICYADS Advertising marketplace for publishers JuicyAds is an advertising marketplace for publishers to sell ads and earn money, as well as for advertisers looking to buy traffic } JUICYADS.COM

VIDEO-ON-DEMAND

AEBN Promote top selling movies and interactive technology The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network provides affiliates with a range of branded video-on-demand sites in every popular niche to promote, with both straight and gay theaters providing exclusive, high definition content unavailable elsewhere; along with the RealTouch haptic device, which brings virtual sex to a whole new level. } AEBN.NET

HOT MOVIES Affiliate program offers one of the largest VOD collections HotMovies is one of the largest online adult video-on-demand services. It operates on a pre-paid minutes system, offering more than 160,000 videos from 2,300 studios. The service continues to add new titles daily covering every angle of erotica from the latest features and gonzo titles to a wide range of vintage, gay and transsexual offerings. } HOTMOVIES.COM

NOVEMBER 2013 XBIZ WORLD 9 7

CALENDAR FEATURED EVENTS

n JAN. 22-25 This month, Surfer Feedback focuses on the previous This month, Surfer Feedbacksites, focuses on as thethe previous month’s best and most-active as well most-active month’s best and most-active sites, as well as the mostadult niches plus the all-time best Young Adults, Ebony and active adult niches plus the all-time interacial Courtesy of Feet websites. We also examine joiningbest sitesvideo, with discounts Courtesy of PornUsers.com andsending MILF websites. also examine downloads and feedbackWe to webmasters ofzip thefile sites you join. PornUsers.com & Vegas Ken and the impact of payment processors, if any to join a site. & Vegas Ken Howa important it forsite a site to offer theirbecause... ? When you see discountedisporn price you join pics in a zip file for easy download?

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Does a site’s payment processor have any impact on your decision to join? Do you send feedback to the webmaster(s) of sites you join?

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XBIZWORLD WORLD NOVEMBER NOVEMBER2013 2013 9988 XBIZ

REVIEWED SITES REVIEWED SITES FOR OCTOBER 2013 FOR SEPTEMBER 2013 RANK SITE RANK SITE

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XBIZ 360 SCORE SCORE

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90.9 90.3 90.5 89.8 90.0 89.7 89.7 88.9 89.4 88.6 88.9 87.9 88.5 87.4 88.2 86.9 88.2 86.8 87.9 86.7

REVIEWED EBONY MILF SITES — ALL TIMETIME REVIEWED SITES — ALL RANK SITE SCORE RANK SITE

1. MommyGotBoobs.com 1. EbonyAuditions.com 2. MyFirstSexTeacher.com 2. RoundandBrown.com 3. AllOver30.com 3. RealBlackLesbians.com 4. MILFsLikeItBig.com 4. GloryHole-Initiations.com 5. MILFHunter.com 5. BootyliciousMag.com 6. KarupsOW.com 6. BlackIcePass.com 7. MyFriendsHotMom.com 7. MyBlackCoeds.com 8. BrandiLove.com 8. GhettoGaggers.com 9. LatinAdultery.com 9. JadaFireXposed.com 10. 50PlusMILFs.com 10. HollaBlackGirls.com

SCORE

88.6 93.0 87.7 88.0 83.8 85.0 82.0 85.0 81.5 80.5 81.1 80.0 80.3 80.0 80.0 80.0 79.7 80.0 78.3 80.0

REVIEWED INTERRACIAL SITES — ALL TIME REVIEWED RANK SITE FEET SITES — ALL TIME SCORE RANK SITE

1. 1. 2. 2. 3. 3. 4. 4. 5. 5. 6. 6. 7. 7. 8. 8. 9. 9. 10. 10.

CYBERSOCKET WEB AWARDS The Cybersocket Awards recognize outstanding GLBT websites for their achievements in both Surfer Choice and Industry Choice categories as technological entrepreneurs, agents of free expression and cultural change, and innovators in queer online media and entertainment. CYBERSOCKETWEBAWARDS.COM

REVIEWED VIDEO SITES — ALLTIME TIME REVIEWED RANK SITEYOUNG ADULT SITES — ALLSCORE RANK SITE

XBIZ will take over the extraordinary W Hollywood Hotel for a seven-event series that will be the most exclusive, all-encompassing experience ever presented. The industry trade conference of the year consists of separate events specifically tailored to explore the future of the Digital Media, Movies/Content, Pleasure Products and Retail sectors of the adult industry. Here are the events: n Digital Media Conference n Film Conference n Pleasure Products Conference n Retail Conference n Retail Retreat n FSC Summit & Awards n XBIZ Awards 2014

SCORE

DogFartNetwork.com 89.0 DawnDesire.com 91.0 I LoveBlackCum.com 84.5 HotLegsandFeet.com 90.6 ButtsAndBlacks.com 84.5 FootWorshipStudios.com 88.0 RacksAndBlacks.com 83.0 FootFetishDaily.com 84.5 WhiteTeensBlackCocks.com 81.7 FootsieBabes.com 84.5 Gloryhole.com.com 80.8 Young-Goddess.com 84.0 BlacksonBlondes.com 78.6 FootFactory.com 80.0 ExploitedMoms.com 77.0 GoldenFeet.com 79.0 CumBang.com 76.4 LegSex.com 78.3 AfricanFuckTour.com 74.5 CreamedFeet.com 77.0

n JAN. 24

XBIZ AWARDS Experience a new height at the industry awards event of the year. Presented by Fleshlight and hosted by the incomparable adult film superstar Jenna Jameson, the red-carpet gala event will host industry A-lists from around the globe for the most spectacular XBIZ Awards show to date. Join the biggest stars and industry luminaries as we celebrate the most outstanding achievements of the past year and honor the best of the best. XBIZAWARDS.COM

n MARCH 27-29

THE PHOENIX FORUM The Phoenix Forum is a leading educational/networking event for the online adult industry. Unlike large exhibit-style tradeshows, The Phoenix Forum is a mid-sized gathering, offering attendees a relaxed face-to-face networking environment and providing opportunities to meet, learn and share ideas with their online industry peers. THEPHOENIXFORUM.COM