against the Montreal-based company MindGeek over alleged sexual exploitation videos on one of its websites, Pornhub”, reports CBC. “An international law firm has launched a lawsuit in the U.S. It monetizes child rapes, revenge pornography, spy cam videos of women showering, racist and misogynist content.”Īccording to the Washington Post, in a lawsuit filed last month 34 women allege that the company profits from rape, child pornography and sex trafficking, describing it as a "classic criminal enterprise" disseminating non-consensual sexual encounters. Universal Images Group via Getty Images What kind of help?īut if Pornhub “prides itself on being the cheery, winking face of naughty” and, as explained by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, “has “donated to organizations fighting for racial equality,” among others, there is another side: “Its site is infested with rape videos. The Three Graces, 1630-1635, by Peter Paul Rubens at Madrid's Prado Museum. Bosses at the Louvre have said only that they are ‘dismayed’, while the Musée d’Orsay has remained silent on the subject.” “The Uffizi museum in Florence is threatening to sue.
“The Classic Nudes series has been ruffling some feathers since it was posted online,” The Local wrote recently.
The Louvre Museum in Paris was prompt to deny reports that it, too, was initiating legal procedures but made clear that the institution is “not a partner in this operation and have in no way collaborated with this platform.” MORE FROM FORBES More People Getting Naked During Coronavirus: When Clothing Is Optional, What About Masks? By null “High-brow museums are furious that the most popular pornographic streaming service is sexually exploiting classic masterpieces without permission,” the news website adds. All this obviously if the museum grants the authorization which, for example, would hardly have been issued in this case.”
“No one has granted authorization for the operation or use of the art,” a spokesperson for the Uffizi told The Daily Beast. “In Italy, the cultural heritage code provides that in order to use images of a museum, compressed works for commercial purposes, it is necessary to have the permission, which regulates the methods and sets the relative fee to be paid. In fact, it’s not just a question of taste but of legal rights for one of the museums: The Ufizzi Gallery in Florence has said that it’s initiating legal action against Pornhub for rights infringements and wants the content from their collections off the site as soon as possible.Īccording to the Italian press, the institution has already sent a warning to MindGeek, the Canadian owner of Pornhub. Photo by VCG Wilson Corbis via Getty Images Ruffling feathers and legal action