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Corey D. Silverstein

This author has written 165 articles
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Learning from the Financial Crisis in Cyprus

There are a multitude of reasons why you may want to have your adult entertainment business set up outside of the United States. Some of the reasons include favorable tax laws, decreased individual liabilities, and staying outside of the jurisdiction of state and federal agents and prosecutors, just to name a few. For the record, I am not suggesting that you pack up your bags and move your corporate entity and money overseas. Nor am I suggesting that setting up your corporate entity and bank relationships overseas is a bad idea. I am merely urging you to carefully analyze all of the legal and financial aspects of your decision whether or not to pursue an overseas business entity and banking relationship. Imagine that you were running a highly successful adult business that you spent a tremendous amount of time, money and energy setting up overseas. Imagine that your business was financially strong and that you had loads of cash in the bank. Finally, imagine that your hard-earned cash was being kept in your overseas bank account, safe from taxation. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Now, I want you to imagine waking up one morning and realizing that you don’t have…

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The Proper DMCA Takedown Notification

On October 28, 1998, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the “DMCA”). Since becoming valid law, the DMCA has been controversial to say the least, with many demanding reform. For many in the adult industry, the DMCA has been helpful and beneficial in intellectual property protection while others in the adult industry feel that the DMCA provides too much protection and has allowed “content pirates” to abuse the DMCA for its own financial gains. The adult industry is no stranger to the DMCA. The exponential growth of “Tube” style websites over the past several years has led to an unquantifiable number of lawsuits, disputes, articles and controversies. There are enough articles from adult industry experts regarding the pros and cons of the DMCA and there are equally enough articles from adult industry experts regarding intellectual property protection. The purpose of this article is to examine an often neglected but important piece of the DMCA. This article will discuss what must be included in a properly formatted DMCA notification of claimed infringement (commonly referred to as a “Takedown Notice”). Pursuant to the DMCA, specifically, 17 USC § 512(c), (c) Information Residing on Systems or Networks At…

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Internext 2013 Legal Seminar: Peering into the Crystal Ball

On January 14, 2013, adult industry attorney, Corey D. Silverstein, had the privilege of speaking at the Legal Seminar at the Internext-Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The seminar synopsis was as follows: Now that the election is over, the industry at least knows who the American president will be for the next four years, and it also knows that the fight to keep government out of its business continues in California. But many other burning issues also face the industry, which finds itself at yet another crossroads. This panel will look at the future of the industry from a legal perspective. We know where we've been; the question now is, where are we going? Adult industry lawyer, Corey D. Silverstein, gave his thoughts and opinions on what hot topics the adult entertainment industry would be faced with in 2013.

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Let’s Talk Content and Licensing Agreements

As I write this column, the holiday season has arrived and with it the end of the year. And when the new year rolls around, the adult industry enters into one of the busiest trade show schedules of the year. In the month of January alone, AVN presents an array of shows in Las Vegas: the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo—both the B2B show and the Fan Fest—the Adult Novelty Expo, the AVN Awards Show, and InterNext. Also in the month of January, XBiz presents XBiz 360. Trade shows are a fantastic way to network, learn, improve and grow as a member of the adult industry community, and I urge you to take advantage of the many benefits of the trade shows. I have been attending AVN-sponsored trade shows for over a decade and I am continuously amazed by the great seminars and speakers put together by the AVN team. There is a good chance that you are reading this article while you are at one of the trade shows mentioned above and I encourage you to attend as many seminars as possible. Don’t be afraid to step into a seminar that you don’t think affects your particular business; you never…

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Lawrence G Walters

Silverstein Legal Welcomes Lawrence Walters

Attorneys Corey D. Silverstein and Lawrence Walters (firstamendment.com) announced that effective December, 2012, they have entered into a mutual of-counsel relationship. Walters and Silverstein will serve as of-counsel to each others law firms in order to expand the services, resources and locales of both firms. The of-counsel relationship will permit the two firms to share resources, strategies, research and experience for the benefit of all of their respective clients. Of-counsel is often the title of an attorney who works at a law firm but is not an associate or partner. Welcome Larry; its great to have you!

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Don’t Be Trapped by Headlines

It’s been a busy time for adult industry legal news, with stories popping up on websites, blogs, television stations and message boards. In the past few months we have seen the obscenity conviction of Ira Isaacs, renewed life in the Free Speech Coalition’s battle against the constitutionality of 18 U.S.C. 2257, the failure of SOPA, the ongoing war against piracy, and, of course, condom regulations in Los Angeles. Countless words have been expended discussing these important issues, with more to come in the future. In addition to the hurricane of headlines, the United States is heading toward a turbulent election. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will challenge his Democratic opponent, President Barack Obama, in what will be the most expensive political campaign in the history of the world. Make no mistake about it; the outcome of this election could have substantial ramifications for the adult industry. I encourage all of you United States voters to be fully informed about the candidates before casting your vote. But as essential as all of these issues are, what should matter more to you, the adult industry professional, are the day-to-day details of running your business. And these mundane details can be overlooked in…

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Internext 2012: Protecting Your Online Brand

I am pleased to announce that I will be co-presenting this year's legal seminar at the Internext trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 16, 2012 at 3:00pm. This year's seminar is entitled: Protecting Your Online Brand; Trademarks, Licenses and Affiliate Agreements. In an increasingly complex adult industry, the protection of your intellectual property has never been more important. This seminar is a MUST for everyone in the adult industry. More details to come soon. See you all there.

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Legal Symposium at the 2011 Phoenix Forum

I am excited to let you all know that I have been invited as a panelist at the 2011 Phoenix Forum. Friday April 1, 2011 from 11:00 am to 12:15 pm come on join me for the Legal Symposium. How do you keep ahead of changing laws and protect your business? The legal symposium will be an opportunity for you to ask questions about various legal issues related to the Adult Industry. Included will be a discussion about the value and cost of pursuing content theft and piracy vs. the value and cost of not pursuing. What are the benefits to the defendant and to the plaintiff? Is it worth it? Are there other options? Please visit http://thephoenixforum.com/ for more information.

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The Adult Industry and Contracts

Would you buy a house without a deed? Would you buy a car without getting its title? Or do you blindly sign every document that shows up in the mail promising free money? I'm assuming that you answered all of those questions with a "no." So why is it that most people are smart enough not to engage in the ridiculous examples mentioned above, yet when it comes to contracts and people in the adult industry, I find myself dealing with clients every day who either rushed into an agreement without a written contract, didn't consult with a lawyer prior to making a contract, and/or didn't understand the terms of a contract before they signed it? First, a simple definition of a "contract:" a contract is an agreement between two or more parties that is enforceable by law. While many contracts are in written form (and very much should be), many states only require that certain types of contracts be in writing. The legal term "statute of frauds" generally governs which types of contracts must be writing. Traditionally, the statute of frauds applies in the following circumstances: contracts in consideration of marriage, contracts that cannot be performed within one year,…

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