In a unanimous vote Sept. 28, the committee approved resolution 2006-X, which could make High Springs one of the few counties in Florida that have successfully prevented new adult companies from setting up shop.

The final vote is now in the hands of City Commissioner Jim Gabriel

City Attorney Jim Pendland told the High Springs Herald that the city has been trying to create an ordinance against adult companies for several decades. The challenge, Pendland said, is in making sure the wording of the ordinance successfully blocks out adult companies while at the same time avoids any infringement on constitutional rights.

The committee has reportedly modeled the ordinance after others counties in Florida that have aimed to accomplish the same ban on adult. If the moratorium passes, it would be in effect just long enough for the city to come up with a permanent rule.

Previous attempts to ban adult companies failed to make the proper submission timeline to the City Commissioner.

“I feel that [the committee] is very close to bringing a recommendation to us,” Gabriel told the local press. “It would be a shame to have an adult entertainment business come in under the wire. I can’t imagine anything that would be more out of character for High Springs.”

In a similar move, Albuquerque, N.M., is considering a ban on adult companies in its downtown area. Earlier this week, the city council reviewed a proposal to place a moratorium on any new adult entertainment businesses opening in its central core.

The zoning law would reenact a ban the city upheld 30 years ago, which over the years became lax. Albuquerque is in the midst of a revitalization plan, and the City Attorney Bob White has stated that adult companies are “inconsistent with that goal.”

Source: XBiz

LOS ANGELES — Newly launched consumer portal XFANZ has asked the adult entertainment industry for information that is of interest to fans.

XFANZ, which launched Oct. 2, will now accept press releases, event notifications, video releases, website launches and promotional videos from adult entertainment industry companies looking to market their products directly to consumers.

“This is our official post-launch invitation to the industry to come onboard and get your name, brand and products in front of a global audience,” XFANZ Managing Director Alan Hawkins said. “In its first week of launch, XFANZ has already been visited by 60,000 unique Internet users — now that’s incredible.”

Company Public Relations Director Dusty Marie said XFANZ will help adult entertainment industry companies achieve a competitive edge in the business-to-consumer marketing model.

“The industry is changing rapidly and only the strongest brands will achieve and sustain success,” Marie said. “XFANZ is guaranteed to aid in the global branding of your company.”

Advertising inquiries should be directed to Kristen Kaye at Kristen@xbiz.com.

All other inquiries should be directed to Marie at Dusty@xfanz.com.

Source: XBiz

LOS ANGELES — Vivid girls Savanna Samson and Brea Lynn will appear in the November issues of Penthouse.

Penthouse interviewed Samson, while Lynn appears as the Pet of the month.

Source: XBiz

LAS VEGAS – ARS and Greenguy of Greenguy & Jim have announced plans to partner on the release of 45 free hosted sites, ARS’ Marketing Manager John V told XBIZ.

The partnership builds on a longstanding relationship between ARS and Greenguy dating back over many years of cross-promotional parties and events at adult webmaster gatherings in Las Vegas and Florida.

The new sites, which originally were counted at 27 and quickly grew to 45, will be available on both the ARS site, where webmasters can access the linking code, and Greenguy’s Hfslinks.com, John V said.

The sites will be shared by both companies, although Greenguy is behind the creation and hosting.

“Becky [DeForest] and Marc [Greenguy] have known each other for almost a decade and have worked closely in the past,” John V said. “Greenguy is just a blast and a joy to work with. He does what he says he’s going to do and gets it done immediately.”

The new sites include AdultMovieMatrix.com, BigBoobsGalore.com, ChicksGoBothWays.com, FirstTimeTwinks.com, GayBlackHardcore.com and MidlifeMammas.com, to name a few.

“Considering Greeny is one of the best, if not the best, at what he does, we’re very excited to be using our combined efforts on a long-term project again.” DeForest, CEO and owner of ARS, said.

Webmasters who link to the free hosted sites can save time by utilizing ARS’ one-stop site for links. Steps include selecting the sites by content, category, paysite or date and then using ARS export tools for the download of site links containing user affiliate code.

In August, the parent company of ARS was acquired by DeForest, a former chief executive of the company and current owner of Storm Media. At the time, DeForest said she planned to instill a sense of vision and leadership back into the company through new goals of extending the offerings of content, services and payouts.

Source: XBiz

SAN DIEGO — Media Distribution and web hosting company Red Apple Media has relaunched its official web presence.

“We are extremely proud of our vast array of clients ranging from gay adult studios that utilize our video-on-demand and pay-per-view solutions and video encoding — All Worlds Video and Channel 1 Releasing to name a few — to mainstream web businesses utilizing our hosting and digital rights management software” Red Apple Managing Partner Steven Daris said.

As part of the relaunch, Red Apple is offering its DRM Packager as a free extension of its DRM Services package, a full-featured software utility for batch encoding and encrypting files.

“Red Apple Media delivers music and videos through a proprietary online shopping cart with optional DRM, streaming and burn-to-DVD technology,” a company spokesman said. “In addition, [we] offer one of the highest speed networks for hosting, co-location, and media delivery to all types of businesses.

Red Apple Media is known in the gay adult industry for VOD sites Twinkville.com and AllWorlds.tv.

The company is planning to expand its VOD site network to tap the vein of an array of gay niches.

“We are very selective about which companies we work with and were elated when these clients approached us to create ‘white label’ VOD solutions for them,” Dwayne Custer, Red Apple’s director of business development, said.

Source: XBiz

LOS ANGELES — Private Media Group has become the latest ASACP Corporate Sponsor, joining an ever-growing list of adult entertainment companies working to stop the spread of child pornography online.

The Barcelona, Spain-based Private Media Group is one of the largest adult entertainment companies, making its addition to ASACP very important, the nonprofit organization’s Executive Director Joan Irvine said.

“Private Media Group is not only one of the largest companies in the industry, but clearly also one of the most conscientious,” Irvine said. “This is a company that goes far above and beyond simply following the rules. Having their support means a lot to ASACP.”

Private Media’s Internet Director Fiona Garvey said the NASDAQ-listed company was pleased to join forces with the ASACP.

“We are proud sponsors of ASACP,” Garvey said. “We fully support their tireless efforts to protect our children and our industry.”

According to Garvey, Private’s commitment to public service extends beyond its ASACP sponsorship.

Private Media’s CEO Berth Milton, who’s father founded the company more than 40 years ago, has embarked on an African tour to raise money and awareness to stop the spread of AIDS and violence against women on the continent.

Source: XBiz

CANOGA PARK, Calif. – In honor of its namesake, the Free Speech Coalition announced Thursday that it will participate in the 2nd annual National Freedom of Speech Week Oct. 16-22 as part of a nationwide effort to support one of the great fundamentals of the U.S. Constitution.

The FSC will join several other organizations, including The Media Institute, in recognizing freedom of expression as the foundation of democracy. TMI founded NFSW in 2005 in partnership with the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation. Other organizations in support of NFSW include the American Bar Association, the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the National Coalition Against Censorship and the Recording Industry Association of America.

The mission of NFSW is to raise public awareness of the importance of free speech by getting civic and community groups, schools, PTAs, companies, associations, media outlets, unions, nonprofit groups, libraries, scouting and youth groups involved.

As a participant, the FSC will hold several fundraisers, and its Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist, The Raben Group, will make a visit to Capitol Hill on the FSC’s behalf for a NFSW-scheduled event.

“In troubled times more than half a century ago, President Franklin Roosevelt uttered the visionary principles that would inspire a nation and guide America through World War II and into the 21st century,” the NFSW website states. “He called them the Four Freedoms – Freedom of Speech and Expression, Freedom of Religion, Freedom From Want, and Freedom From Fear. Today, free speech defines our American way of life. It is indeed a triumph of our democracy – a freedom to be celebrated.”

The FSC also will be encouraging current members to get involved in protecting free speech with recommendations on writing letters to the editors of newspapers, requesting that local libraries set up a display commemorating the week and contacting their local civic organizations to encourage meetings on the importance of freedom of speech.

Source: XBiz

LAS VEGAS — Porn Kings owner Lucas Bradfield issued a statement regarding the pending litigation between his company and Falcon Foto, calling the company’s suit “frivolous,” and saying that his company has also filed its own suit against Falcon Foto in federal court in California.

As XBIZ reported last month, Falcon Foto filed suit in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleging that the owners of Porn Kings infringed on its rights by using Falcon images on websites and free hosted galleries without a license.

Bradfield denied Falcon’s allegations, saying he was confident that a court would agree with his position.

“It would be nice if Falcon would enter into fruitful working relationships with others in the industry, rather than trying to make money through litigation,” Bradfield said. “I understand Falcon is involved in a separate lawsuit involving allegations of shaving. I’m not aware of the details of that lawsuit and therefore cannot comment on it. But these lawsuits certainly point to a pattern. Porn Kings did not engage in acts constituting infringement. Porn Kings respects the intellectual property rights of others and unlike Falcon, has fruitful relationships with many others in the industry.”

Bradfield said he believed the lawsuit was intended to “strike fear” into Porn King affiliates.

“Porn Kings would like all of its affiliates to know that it is business as usual at Porn Kings, and that it is still doing what it does best, making our affiliates money and sending payouts on time,” he said.

In the meantime, Bradfield confirmed that Porn Kings had filed its own suit against Falcon Foto early last week in a federal court in California, saying only that the suit was brought when it became apparent that the parties would not be able to settle their dispute amicably.

“Falcon is not involved in any lawsuit regarding shaving," Jason Tucker, Falcon Foto president, said. "I am personally very disappointed that Lucas supports theft. Beyond that his press release is worthy of no comment.”

Source: XBiz

NEW YORK — Internet hosting company Webair has received ICANN accreditation, making it a one-stop shop for webmaster hosting and domain registration.

ICANN accreditation allows the hosting company, founded in 1996, to provide services to online companies of all varieties and sizes to sell top-level domains at discounted prices.

“Webmasters can now come to us like they would a GoDaddy to register domains at big discounts,” Webair CEO Michael Christopher told XBIZ.

Christopher said the company currently offers .com, .net and .org TLDs, but added that other domains such as .mobi will be available soon. “This will be a really big money-saver for webmasters.”

“This is a huge step for our company,” Christopher said. “We host hundreds of thousands domains, and have been working toward ICANN accreditation for some time now. It was a logical decision that will save existing clients a lot of money in the long run, and will offer added incentive for potential clients as well.”

Webair will sell TLDs at $5.99 or less.

In connection with the ICANN accreditation, Christopher said Webair plans to launch a full-feature website soon. The site will include a Webair Control Panel, branded as the EZPanel, to support newly added company features.

“The software we are integrating into this second version of the Webair Control Panel allows webmasters to manage domains, hosting accounts, virtually everything associated with the webmaster services we offer, from one convenient location," said Christopher, adding that the panel can be co-branded and resold by Webair customers to new clients.

The EZPanel includes SiteReptile and ObjectCube DRM integration. It manages service notification, supports the setup of customized monitors, manages DNS servers and allows for unified server management across all data centers from a single location.

Source: XBiz

LOS ANGELES — The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) will be represented at the second Mobile Adult Content Congress by ASACP Executive Director Joan Irvine, who will take part in two different panels examining issues faced by webmasters who are looking to “mobilize.”

Source: XBiz

LOS ANGELES — Dubbed the ultimate destination for fans of adult entertainment, XFANZ.com has made its much-hyped debut on the Internet. The innovative, adult celebrity driven online community is a dynamic and fun fan portal that offers unique insight into the world of adult entertainment.

Launched at 10:02:06 p.m. PST on 10/02/06, XFANZ.com will act as a link between adult stars and enterprises and their fans worldwide. The site delivers a wide variety of original content and contains a wealth of resources with a fresh approach, providing fans with intimate access to their favorite celebs, sites and studios.

“XFANZ was constructed with a mission to become the ultimate playground for fans of adult entertainment,” XBIZ President Alec Helmy said. “I am very proud of what our talented team has achieved here and thrilled to see it finally go live.”

XFANZ.com features adult entertainment news published throughout the day, video and website reviews, exclusive video clips, photos from red carpet events, a comprehensive web directory, events calendar, blog and online community.

“XFANZ is going to cover just about everything that is sensational in the world of adult, and there’s a whole lot to cover!” XFANZ.com Managing Director Alan Hawkins said.

XBIZ Director of Public Relations Dusty Marie added, “XFANZ is the perfect site for the industry to connect with its fans, and a tremendous marketing vehicle providing reach to a global audience. Adult companies have already contacted us and are eager to take advantage of the many opportunities XFANZ offers.”

Source: XBiz

LONDON — PasswordByPhone has made inroads into the French-speaking market, a company spokesman said.

“We take the highest tariff wherever possible,” Marc Jarrett of PasswordByPhone said. “But it is common knowledge in France that the highest premium rate tariff is only €0.34 per minute, which is why takeup has been so high.”

In the meantime, the company has released data that confirms its belief that conversions dramatically improve when selling to the surfer in his native language.

“We have also recently added visitor stats,” Jarrett said. “Now, webmasters have an accurate snapshot of all activity, and not just sales.”

For more information, visit PasswordByPhone.

Source: XBiz

BOCA RATON, Fla. – In a continued effort to ramp up its editorial staff, Penthouse Media Group has tapped P.J. Lucas as associate publisher for Penthouse Magazine.

Diane Silberstein, president and publisher of Penthouse, lauded the hiring of Lucas as the first associate publisher since Penthouse was acquired by Marc Bell in 2004 from former owner General Media.

“Penthouse is a lifestyle brand with tremendous global recognition, and we are bringing in executives who understand the nuances important to men and marketing to them," Silberstein told XBIZ.

Lucas comes to Penthouse from Golf World, where he served as associate editor. Prior to that, he worked for New York Magazine, Field & Stream/Outdoor Life, Men’s Health, Esquire and Footwear News.

“P.J. is a well-respected, results-driven executive who embraces the daily changing media menu, and he’ll lead our team of passionate sales executives, sharing Penthouse’s vision and executable multiplatform offerings,” Silberstein said.

Lucas will report directly to Silberstein.

This is the second new recruit for Penthouse Magazine in the past week, starting with Mark Healy as editor-in-chief. Healy joined Penthouse from GQ where he served as articles editor since 2003, and prior to that he was senior editor for Details.

Source: XBiz

SEATTLE – Falcon Foto has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the current and prior owners of Porn Kings and its affiliated websites.

The multimillion-dollar lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Wash., alleges that the owners of Porn Kings infringed on its rights by using Falcon images on websites and free hosted galleries without a license.

Falcon seeks damages and injunctive relief from Porn Kings’ original owners John Does 1 and 2, subsequent owners Marvad Corp. and Roger Vadocz, Trey Hickey and E-Media Group, and current owners Lucas Bradfield and Noble Developments.

Licensing negotiations between Falcon Foto and the first owners of Porn Kings began in 2003, but according to the lawsuit, they failed to reach a purchasing agreement for Falcon-produced content. The suit further claims that the defendants used Falcon content regardless of their legal right to do so, and that Falcon content was allegedly passed along from each subsequent owner of Porn Kings, without licensing permission.

Falcon attorney Robert Apgood told XBIZ that at no point did any of the owners of Porn Kings have licensing agreements with Falcon.

Porn Kings affiliates that have sent traffic through a Porn Kings-owned free hosted gallery that featured unlicensed Falcon images could also be held accountable.

Porn Kings operates many adult sites, among them Gutter.com, Chubby.com, AdultPussy.com and StonerBabes.com.

Falcon is represented by Apgood and Spencer Freeman.

A Porn Kings representative would not comment on the suit.

Source: XBiz

LOS ANGELES – Just three years after its founding by business consultant Holly Moss, Women in Adult (WIA) has changed hands and will now be managed by media company XBIZ, parent company of XBIZ.com and trade magazines XBIZ World and XBIZ Video.

XBIZ will oversee management of the website,
WomenInAdult.com, as well as related functions and events supporting women in the industry.

WIA was founded on the premise of empowering women in the adult industry with business development opportunities, as well as providing a forum where industry women can speak their minds freely and build strategic alliances with one another.

“I have tremendous respect for women in the adult industry, especially those who have overcome great challenges in order to achieve their success,” company President Alec Helmy said. “XBIZ has always supported WIA’s core mission of empowering, inspiring, and supporting women in the adult entertainment industry. XBIZ is very proud to be involved in shaping the future of WIA.”

The revamped website, which launched today, features Woman of the Month profiles, industry news, events calendar and a discussion board.

“This is a great opportunity to bring women from all areas of the industry together to network, socialize and inspire one another,” XBIZ Sales Manager Kristen Kaye said.

"It is an exciting time for women in the adult industry,” XBIZ public relations associate Dusty Marie said. “What a wonderful and advantageous prospect for the growing number of women to network, advise and support one another. The strong backing of XBIZ provides the stability and resources WIA needs. The teaming of XBIZ and WIA is an ideal pairing.”

Source: XBiz