Leading Provider of Adult Content Supports Internet Content Rating Association’s Self-Regulatory Efforts
LOS ANGELES and WASHINGTON, DC. – May 15 2006 – Vivid Entertainment Group, the leading adult film studio, said today it will support the Internet Content Rating Association (ICRA) by adopting self-regulatory labelling and other steps to prevent access by children to online adult entertainment. Vivid will use ICRA’s self labelling technology to label all Vivid Web sites, and will carry an ICRA label on all of its Web pages that contain its new, downloadable movies. ICRA is a non-profit organization that exists to protect children from potentially objectionable material while preserving free speech on the Internet. Vivid joins other major Internet and communications companies in supporting one of the world’s leading self-regulatory efforts on the Web.
Vivid’s move comes on the heels of a decision by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to withdraw its preliminary approval for creation of a “.xxx” domain name for voluntary use by the adult-entertainment industry.
“We are taking this step to back the ICRA effort to protect kids from unwanted exposure to online material intended for viewing by adults only,” said Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment. “As an industry leader, Vivid takes seriously its responsibility to help provide tools that enable parents to monitor what is seen on home computers by their children. Our work with ICRA will label not just our Web site, but the Web pages that contain all downloadable content produced by our company.”
Mr. Hirsch said Vivid is also supporting ICRA with a financial contribution and has agreed to participate in an ICRA/Progress & Freedom Foundation-sponsored roundtable discussion on adult content rating in Brussels, Belgium June 14; Mr. Hirsch will be a panelist in a similar roundtable in New York City September 13, 2006. Vivid will also begin affixing the ICRA logo to its Web site.
“We commend Vivid for taking the initiative to protect children from adult content online, and we hope that other adult content providers will follow in their footsteps,” said Stephen Balkam, CEO of ICRA. “Now that the . xxx domain has been rejected, it’s more important than ever for providers of adult content to take the necessary steps to ensure their material can be accessed only by suitable users.”
The ICRA label will alert content filters and other blocking devices that the material is not suitable for young viewers. In addition to using ICRA labels, Vivid plans to print a visual label on the packaging of its DVDs sold and rented in stores.
Mr. Hirsch said that Vivid’s self-regulatory labelling programme was a follow-up to last month’s announcement of its “Burn to DVD” programme under which consumers can download Vivid films directly to their computers to create their own DVDs.
Noting this new development, Mr. Balkam said that the Vivid step was particularly important in light of the changing nature and complexity of Web sites and digital content delivery, as well as the new devices, particularly mobile devices, that people now use to access the Internet. “ICRA’s new vocabulary and technology were designed with these innovations in mind, to enhance our efforts in protecting children from accessing online adult entertainment.”