The Federal Magistrate's Court's interim injunction came after AICO members Wicked Pictures, Calvista Australia Pty Ltd., and Adultshop.com petitioned to stop local Australian companies from selling pirated Wicked Pictures films, many of which star Jenna Jameson.
“Obviously, Jenna is hugely popular and people will try to capitalize on that and make money from it,” said Graeme Dunne, executive officer for the AICO.
According to the release, the injunction will block retail, online and mall-order businesses Kaosshop Pty Ltd., and Interactive Pty Ltd. and their director, Theo Armenis, from selling any film produced by Wicked on the kaosshop.com website.
As of 10 a.m. this morning, Wicked videos could still be added to a user’s electronic shopping cart on the website.
“Piracy is a major problem in the Australian adult film industry,” Dunne said. “We are being flooded with pirate DVDs and videos. We estimate that they account for over 80 percent of adult film sales in Australia.”
In a market where there are 7 million adult films sold annually, Dunne said, piracy is seriously undermining legitimate film production and distribution companies.
Australian copyright infringers face serious penalties for infringement. Penalties can often result in criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
AICO and representatives from Kaosshop and Platinum Interactive are scheduled to appear on Oct. 6 in Federal Magistrates’ Court in Sydney.