Judge Orders 8 Websites Transferred to Bright Imperial

LUXEMBOURG — Bright Imperial, the company in the midst of being acquired by adult entertainment conglomerate Manwin, has received a federal judge's approval to take over eight "red tube"-like domain names used to stream adult tube site content.

Bright Imperial not only operates RedTube.com but at least 116 other "red tube" sites.

U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady ordered a default judgment against various different registrants, including Rchr-media of Spain (Red-Tube.net), PayVS Ltd. of Seychelles (Red-Tube.net), Christian Stechl of Italy(RedTube24.net), Thomas Gebauer of Germany (RedTubeHardcore.com), Steve Johnson of Spain (Reds-Tube.com) and Key-Systems HmbH of Virginia (My-RedTube.com, RedTube24.com and Red-Tube-Porn.net).

O'Grady ordered the default judgment based on a magistrate judge's finding last month. He said that none of the defendant domain names filed an objection to the magistrate's ruling.

"The magistrate judge finds that the well-pled facts of the complaint establish that the registrants all registered the defendant domain names with a bad faith intent to profit," according to the magistrate judge. "The RedTube mark in question is a distinctive mark apparently well known in the online adult video content, and the defendant domain names have merely added minor generic qualifiers or modifications to this mark or its top-level domain, thereby intentionally creating a significant likelihood of confusion. 

"The registrants have modeled the websites posted on defendant domain names, as well as their business model, after those of plaintiff. In doing so, it is clear that the registrants have attempted to usurp plaintiff’s goodwill to make advertising revenues themselves, thereby potentially tarnishing plaintiff’s goodwill."

The magistrate judge further said that PayVS offered Red-Tube.com for sale to Bright Imperial, and that because of the offer it "clearly indicates that that defendant domain name is maintained by the registrant as a moneymaking scheme, rather than to conduct any legitimate business activities."

Manwin last month filed merger papers with the Austrian Competition Authority stating that an acquisition for Hong Kong-based Bright Imperial Ltd. is in the works.

Bright Imperial owns two U.S. trademark registrations for the RedTube mark. In 2010, court papers revealed that Bright Imperial operated 116 other "red tube" domain names.  

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Choice Talent Management Launches Fan Platform 'ChoiceFilmz'

Choice Talent Management CEO Chris Crisco has launched a new fan platform called ChoiceFilmz.

Dredd to Launch Official Site

Dredd has announced his new website OfficialDreddXXX.com, launching April 20.

New Pleasure Product Review Site 'ToyChats' Launches

ToyChats.com, a pleasure product review and discussion site, has officially launched.

AEBN Reveals Jade Venus as Top Trans Star for Q1 of 2025

AEBN has named its top trans stars for the first quarter of 2025, with Jade Venus landing atop the leaderboard.

SexLikeReal Debuts 'AI Passthrough' Feature

SexLikeReal has introduced an AI Passthrough for video editing during VR livestreaming.

Ron Jeremy's Accusers Reach Settlement With Rainbow Bar & Grill

The Rainbow Bar & Grill has reached confidential settlements with a group of women who filed a negligence lawsuit against the Sunset Strip restaurant over alleged sexual assaults committed by Ron Jeremy, according to Rolling Stone.

Cherry Kiss, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q1 of 2025

AEBN has announced its top-selling stars for the first quarter of 2025, with Cherry Kiss landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

Sportsheets Joins FSC as Gold Member

Sportsheets has joined Free Speech Coalition (FSC) as a Gold-level member.

Age Verification Watch: Two End Runs, Two Failed Bills

Industry stakeholders and free speech advocates have anxiously been awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, which could significantly impact state age verification laws around the country. In the meantime, state legislatures continue to weigh and pass AV bills, AV tech providers continue to tout their services, and legal challenges continue to play out in the courts — with some cases on hold pending the SCOTUS ruling in Paxton.

FSC Helps Defeat Colorado AV Bill

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has announced that, with its help, Colorado's recently introduced age verification bill has been defeated.

Show More