ManyVids CEO and co-founder Bella French recently discovered a fraudulent account posting and selling pirated copies of her explicit videos and photographs via the platform OnlyFans. This was happening without her knowledge or consent.
The fraudulent account was activated in December 2016 and was selling French’s content under a fake name — a scenario that is all too familiar for many adult performers and models. A former model herself, French has an extensive library of content accessible to her fans worldwide. And though certainly this is not the first time she has heard of similar scenarios happening in general, French only recently became aware that it was happening to her when a fan informed her of the fact.
The issue intensified when French reached out to OnlyFans and requested that the fraudulent account be taken down, only to be met with a response, French alleges, that was neither sympathetic nor urgent.
French issued the following statement regarding OnlyFans’ refusal for many days to remove the impersonation account: “Pirated content is rampant in the adult industry. It is so commonplace that it has bred complacency. There is reluctance to demonstrate a sense of urgency or proactiveness in these situations to protect the content creators. If it can happen to me, how many others have also experienced this type of frustration?”
This question — How many others have also experienced this type of frustration? — is impossible to answer. Millions? Endless numbers? Everyone who has ever made content in any form?
“To say I am disappointed with OnlyFans’ response is an understatement,” French continued. “I am frustrated by OnlyFans’ reaction and their unwillingness to cooperate for many days. I will not stay silent. This is about injustice and content creators like myself being ignored.”
Yes. And make no mistake — OnlyFans is far from the only site that behaves in this manner. It is heartening to see French calling out this exchange. Hopefully, she continues to highlight the issue, as well as the rampant, decade’s worth of egregious content piracy and subsequent exploitation that has been happening throughout the industry.
In this regard, it is important to note that, though French certainly is a content creator like everyone else, she is also not just a content creator like everyone else. As the CEO of a major platform within the industry, French’s voice has the potential for major impact.
“Business owners in the adult community have a responsibility to set up processes to address the issue as proactively and respectfully as possible. I call upon our community in the adult space, OnlyFans included, to collaborate and introduce protocols that will serve to protect the performers and not the criminals that are profiting from them,” French said — to which we can only say yes. And get in line.
At the time of receiving relevant press material, the fraudulent French account had been taken down. Press material made it clear that the profits from said account had all ultimately went to the unidentified imposter.
