Florida is suing massively popular anime and hentai games platform Nutaku, as well as the payment processor Segpay, in two complaints that allege the companies ignored the state’s age verification law.
Nutaku is owned by Aylo, which is also the parent company of Pornhub and some of the biggest porn platforms on the internet. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a press release last week that his office is suing Aylo and Segpay—a high-risk merchant account that specializes in adult entertainment—and alleges that the companies are violating state law HB3, which requires websites to verify that visitors based in Florida are at least 18 years old.
Uthmeier’s complaint against Segpay and its parent companies claims that because Segpay provides payment processing services to the adult gaming site xh.lustyheroes.com, which is owned by Gethins Ltd., one of the other defendants in that complaint, it should be on the hook for the site not verifying ages in Florida. Segpay also has a business address in Florida, according to the complaint and Segpay’s site.
The complaints were first reported by AVN. Corey Silverstein, an attorney representing Segpay, told AVN last week: "Segpay has yet to be served with any formal complaint and maintains a policy of not commenting on pending or threatened litigation.” Silverman told 404 Media Segpay has no additional comment.
The separate complaint against Nutaku and Aylo also names Spicevids, a site that curates videos from a variety of adult studios. Nutaku has two sites: a safe-for-work game site at nutaku.com, and a “lewd” game site at nutaku.net. Aylo started blocking access to several of its other porn sites, including Pornhub, when Florida’s age verification went into effect in January, but Spicevids and Nutaku’s sites remained available, requiring users to click a box to agree that they’re 18 but not requiring ID.
Samantha Cole
“Aylo believes that Spicevids and Nutaku comply with Florida's age verification requirements. We intend to vigorously defend against these allegations in court,” a spokesperson for Aylo told 404 Media in a statement. “Spicevids has implemented age verification measures consistent with the law's requirements since it took effect on January 1. Nutaku's gaming platform operates within the law's parameters, as games containing sexually explicit content represent less than the statutory threshold. These platforms are committed to ongoing compliance with applicable state laws. We look forward to presenting the facts through the appropriate legal process.”
Florida’s law applies to sites with a “substantial portion,” defined as more than 33.3 percent of total material on the website, of adult material.
Emanuel Maiberg
Both complaints start with the baseless claim: “Access to online pornography is a pervasive threat to the health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
Florida brought a similar lawsuit against major porn sites outside of the Aylo umbrella last month, claiming that XVideos, Bang Bros, XNXX, Girls Gone Wild and TrafficFactory were all flaunting the state’s age verification law.
