VALLEY ADULT-FILM COMPANY BRINGING SUIT IN PIRACY CASE.

Byline: BRENT HOPKINS

Staff Writer

VAN NUYS -- In a closely watched trial for the adult-film industry, Van Nuys-based E.A. Productions will begin its lawsuit seeking millions of dollars from Canada's Kaytel Video Distribution today.

E.A. Productions, known for its Evil Angel video line, accuses Kaytel of bootlegging its wares and selling them to retail stores, damaging its reputation and crowding legitimate product off shelves.

The trial downtown comes after more than two years of preparation by E.A., which claims Kaytel infringed on its copyrights and trademark.

While a typical adult film costs only tens of thousands of dollars to make, E.A. Vice President Chris Norman said the company took a much bigger financial hit when it began finding fake copies of its movies in stores midway through 2005.

When he discovered a display purporting to be his company's wares for sale in an adult bookstore that was 95 percent fake, Norman found himself "livid" and "shaking." And then he called his attorney.

"We're more concerned about demonstrating our honesty and integrity to consumers," he said. "This is about preserving our reputation, not about some pot of gold out of a lawsuit."

An e-mail to Kaytel's Montreal office was not answered, but the company has defended itself in the trade press in the past and fought E.A.'s suit for two years in Canadian courts.

If the company is found liable in the case, it could have significant effect on other companies in an industry long troubled by knockoff goods.

"When piracy is brought to the surface and prosecution happens, it helps the whole industry," said Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, the adult industry's Canoga Park-based trade group. "We all need to stamp out piracy. We're treated like the stepchild, but we're upstanding companies, we pay taxes and we're part of the community. ... I commend Evil Angel for going the extra mile and prosecuting this."

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

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