This is a safe-for-work article so please bare with us.
You know that crazy graph that shows how companies like Kraft, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever own pretty much every brand you’ve ever heard of? Well, if someone made a graph like that in the pornography industry, Aylo (formerly Mindgeek) would be at the center of it.
We won’t jump into the entire listing of Aylo’s various storied brands – this is a serious legal newsletter, after all – but for this particular story, it’s good to know that they are the parent company for PornHub, Brazzers, and several other websites that absolutely none of us have heard of.
Well, those particular companies have found themselves in a dispute with DISH and Sling over video playback and streaming technology. According to allegations in the complaint, Aylo and its various websites willfully infringe on patented streaming technology which allows users to consume video without the need for downloading, endless buffering, and low-quality resolution.
There also seems to be some confusion over what is behind the corporate veil. Dish didn’t bring suit against Aylo. Instead, they brought in a variety of entities that purportedly run the various Aylo brands.
Do we expect figuring out the exact relationship between these entities and Aylo to be a significant issue in this case? Yes. Do we think this case will get incredibly expensive for all parties? Yes. Do you think we will run out of law puns on this subject? No chance.