CANOGA PARK, Calif. — The Free Speech Coalition will make a presence at ANME starting on Saturday.
ANME, formally known as the Adult Novelty Manufacturer Expo, begins Saturday and lasts through Monday at the Burbank, Calif., Airport Marriott.
At the FSC booth, staff will have information about the FSC’s new Code of Ethics program and Porn Guardian founder Peter Phinney will demo a new pilot program targeting product piracy in the adult novelty marketplace.
“First, we want to thank the ANME show organizers for their generosity, every year, and their support of FSC,” FSC Membership Director Joanne Cachapero said. “We’ve been developing programs with the pleasure products market in mind, so we can bring some value to the table for retailers and vendors.”
“The FSC Code of Ethics program features an emblem that can be used on signage, websites, content, packaging and more — to tell customers your adult business subscribes to a code of ethics and standards developed by FSC for better business practices. The COE guarantees improved consumer experiences and conveys a sense of assurance to your customers,” Cachapero said.
Phinney, who has been using advanced technology for years to catch online content pirates, is using that know-how to stem the growing availability of counterfeit products online.
"Diane Duke at the Free Speech Coalition has graciously helped us launch a pilot program with two Southern California companies, Sportsheets and Screaming O, and we got to work comparing items on offer online with their manufacturers' catalogue of goods," Phinney said. "We were able to confirm that the market was being flooded with counterfeit merchandise, sold as genuine, which of course damages the legitimate brands and violates U.S. and foreign trademark law. Now we can notify the manufacturers of each instance of infringement almost as soon as it happens."