MindGeek Files Infringement Suit Against XVideos.com Parent

MindGeek Files Infringement Suit Against XVideos.com Parent

LOS ANGELES — Adult entertainment conglomerate MindGeek filed a lawsuit this week in Los Angeles federal court against the operators of XNXX.com and XVideos.com, claiming the tube sites streamed its content in excess of 100 million times without authorization.

The suit, which names parent company WGCZ S.R.O. as well as owners Stephane Pacaud and Deborah Pacaud, claims copyright infringement, contributory copyright infringement and vicarious infringement, and seeks $150,000 for each infringed film as well as a restraining order as relief.

“The XVideos websites are sites that purport to provide to members of the public adult-oriented audiovisual works uploaded by users,” the suit said.  “Defendants … have copied to their servers millions of audiovisual works ostensibly uploaded by their users, including tens or hundreds of thousands of works owned by plaintiffs. Defendants then publicly performed, reproduced and distributed plaintiffs’ works to millions of people throughout the world, without any license, justification, or defense.

“Moreover, while defendants have purported to defend their conduct by invoking the ‘safe harbors’ of Section 512(c) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, in fact, defendants do not fully comply with the core requirements of the safe harbors, including the requirements that they take down infringing content after formal notice and terminate so-called ‘repeat infringers.’”

MindGeek, along with Wicked Pictures, which is named as a plaintiff to the suit, said the case is not about whether the DMCA applies to tube sites that store, publicly perform, and transmit to the public works uploaded by users.

“Instead, what this case seeks to address is the unlawful and unfair conduct of one particular group of websites that brazenly flouts the requirements of the DMCA by engaging in a pattern and practice of ignoring valid DMCA copyright notices and by failing to implement any serious ‘repeat infringer’ policy, thereby enabling hundreds of individuals to continually infringe without any consequence.

“By doing so, defendants have lost the ability to invoke the DMCA safe harbor and are liable for all of the infringements on their system. Accordingly, the court should enjoin defendants’ conduct and award damages to plaintiffs for defendants’ willful and deliberate infringement of thousands of their copyrights.”

The material allegedly infringed upon came from the rainbow of MindGeek brands, including Brazzers.com, RealityKings.com, Mofos.com, DigitalPlayground.com, Twistys.com, Babes.com and Men.com, as well as Wicked.com material.

“XVideos.com — just one of the XVideos websites — purports to be the ‘Best Free Porn Site,’ featuring in excess of 10,000 new videos each day. In the normal course of operating the XVideos websites, defendants copy, adapt, publicly perform, display, distribute and otherwise disseminate to the public tens or hundreds of thousands of audiovisual works each day.

“Among the audiovisual works copied, adapted, publicly performed, displayed and distributed by defendants are numerous copies of plaintiffs’ subject works. Indeed, during the past 18 months alone, defendants transmitted copies of the subject works in excess of 100 million times …. Plaintiffs have never authorized defendants to reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, or otherwise exploit the subject works via the XVideos websites.”

In August, the MetArt Network filed an infringement suit against XVideos.com and the Picauds, alleging the online adult company found 44 of its copyright-registered works over 65 separate and distinct URLs its sites. When it asked for take downs, compliance was short of what it had asked, MetArt said.

WGCZ S.R.O.’s attorney of record declined comment to XBIZ on the lawsuit.

View suit filed Tuesday

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

Tiffani Time Makes Her WIFEY Debut

Newly crowned XMA Creator Awards Rising Clip Creator Tiffani Time stars with her husband Benfit and Jax Slayher in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint WIFEY.

Karmen Karma Stars in Latest From Ricky's Room

Karmen Karma stars in the latest release from Ricky's Room, titled "A Long Time Cumming."

FSC Publishes Analysis of Federal Trade Commission Event Promoting AV

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published an analysis of a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) event held this week that promoted age verification among other forms of speech regulation.

Cubbi Thompson Makes Her Jules Jordan Debut

Cubbi Thompson has made her Jules Jordan debut alongside Lexington Steele in the studio's latest release.

Seth Gamble Drops Trailer for Upcoming Feature 'Once Upon a Time in the Valley'

Multi-XMAs winner Seth Gamble has released the trailer for his upcoming Wicked Pictures feature, "Once Upon a Time in the Valley."

Ryan Reid Stars in Latest From Brazzers

Ryan Reid stars with Damon Dice in “A Day in the Life,” from Brazzers.

Andylynn Payne Toplines Joey Silvera's 'Trans-Active 30'

Andylynn Payne headlines director Joey Silvera’s “Trans-Active 30” from Evil Angel.

Violet Myers, Megan Faith Star in Latest From Slayed

Reigning XMAs Premium Social Creator of the Year Violet Myers stars with Megan Faith in the latest release from Vixen Media Group studio imprint Slayed.

Coco Bae Returns to Brazzers

Coco Bae stars with Danny D. in the latest release from Brazzers, titled “The Cock Collector.”

GirlsDoPorn Owner Michael Pratt Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking

Michael Pratt, former owner of the rogue website GirlsDoPorn, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California on Thursday to sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking charges, according to a report by City News Service.

Show More