OFCOM regulations - say goodbye to yout business!

[lowerloft]

Let's see how many people pop by the AITA stand at the ETO Show and say hi and then join up.

This is just one of many fights AITA are taking on for the industry and who know what is next, so cannot let people join just for this one situation for free. It is going to cost AITA to do this and as Michelle said it requires funds like all Associations.

For under 28p a day, under 14p a day for a performer your company can have a voice and help AITA fight ATVOD and other's.

Is your industry worth it?

[Daz Savage]

Hi Terry.
Yeah... look, I want to apologize for sounding off, I just am fed up of us not pulling together. What I see trouble brewing like this I tell everyone... not because I'm scaremongering but because we need to know and be aware.
The title of the OP is a bit over-the-top but it has to get people's attention.
I had hear about this coming ages ago but didn't know it was law until MYSON emailed me yesterday. I picked up the email about 1AM and immediately set to work removing video from my sites!
NOT because I'm throwing in the towel but because they are not gonna make me buckle to them.
I'm half Irish and half West Indian... so I have the potato-famine and the slavery holocaust to remind me that the British Government do some bloody idiotic things at times but occasionally they see sense. I'm fighting by not giving them what they want. I will comply with the regs but we all know they care nothing for the regs - it's the revs they want.

The only way I can see to fight this is to find legitimate ways to keep going whilst not being caught by the five key areas:
1. An 'arguably' TV-like service.
2. On-Demand (not live)
3. Editorially controlled by you.
4. Publicly accessible.
5. UK operation.

Funnily enough the audio recording I heard on this included the speaker dismissing the reasonable argument by Playboy that hardcore was NOT like TV since you can't get HC on UK TV. The speaker said, Well it is as far as we're concerned!
So basically if I move to EIRE they could just say "well it's the UK as far as WE'RE concerned." couldn't they.
My only option is to dump the video.

[one eyed jack]

They've been up and at it a year already. If they were going to get you they wouldve done it by now.

People can run and hide or stand and fight and it seems the only way to fight this is to take your entire business over seas as th eonlyway to protestagainst it is toactually join it.

Some producers dont actually run their sites. Nor do they physically upload from the UK. Nor do they get paid in UK currency but, a wise producer will always pay their taxes.

[Paul Taylor]

this is my sticking point, i edit all my own videos and I upload from the UK I am fucking stuffed.

A few people I have spoke to seem to think that this won't come off, its been going a year and they haven't done anything and some people haven't heard about it yet as I had to tell them. It's a big job they have on there hands.

If I was to find someone to trust with the editing and uploading, they are not going to do it for free are they?

Paul

[videokim]

If only one good thing comes from this it will be getting the adult industry together on an equal ground (which till now was impossible), being the most disorganized adult industry in the world has not done us any favours.
Its mad how everyone is surprised & runs around like headless chickens when a problem arises, joining ATIA or any other organization that can help is a good step forward & maybe (a big maybe) we might even get to the stage where we could form a union...again this could be many years yet.
This is early days yet with ATVOD but they will come calling on individuals now or later so the threat is real, scapegoats will be used in their campaign & court cases will be won & lost but UK porn will still carry on like it has always done.
Maybe some of these organizations could tell people (advice only) how to base their businesses abroad until they can fight this & it would give incentives to people to justify membership fee's.

[lowerloft]

Kim

There is a lot of advise available to members of AITA through. Again if AITA starts advising everyone on here then no one would join and also it would just be general advise and may not answer individual concerns.

Re just moving your company abroad to get away from AVTOD is something that has to be looked in to in depth as they mentioned this as something they had looked in to and it seems this would be hard to use to get round.

The UK industry needs to catch up with the US and Australian markets where the level of support and backing for the trade association is much higher. It has to become more professional with more people treating it as a business and not a bit of fun where they may earn some extra cash on the side.

[s rougier]

As I'm clearly not very bright, I've missed something in all this. It's stated above that YouTube, RedTube etc are exempt from these regulations, but despite reading the regulations I haven't managed to understand why.

Any enlightenment that anyone can offer would be appreciated.

[lowerloft]

s rougier

This is because they are user generated sites.

[videokim]

Hi Jason

Thanks for getting back to me on that, yes we are way behind in the unity stakes here in the UK because there has never been a clear structure / union for us in the porn industry.
People are wary of what help & support they will get as most of the associations are only there for the Pro industry not the 1000's of other small time industry workers, the actual Pro industry in the UK is far to small to justify a union but to include the amateur industry too would make it feasible.
America seems the best country at present to host from, our webmaster saw this coming last year & shifted everything to the states like our TAC webmasters who also done the same thing.
For trusted people who can upload from & base businesses for UK producers abroad this has opened a whole new industry for them, even if we do find loopholes for the robbing ATVOD regime people have now lost faith in the UK government & will base future businesses overseas.
There is nothing we can do about ATVOD now (its like closing the gate after the horse as bolted) but it will get the industry together for future problems.

[lowerloft]

Kim

AITA is open to all, you do not have to be a major producer or retailer to join. It would be great to get more of the smaller producers to join up, only going to cost you ?100 for the year and with all those small voices comes a large shout.

With AITA being able to say the represent X number of UK adult companies the Government Department who AITA are talking to at the present will listen to a them with more interest.

If you have any questions, AITA have a stand at ETO this weekend.