LOS ANGELES, CA — XBIZ is pleased to announce the return of its exclusive Euro Legal Panel at the upcoming XBIZ Berlin webmaster conference, presented by TrafficPartner.

Offering a refined slate of educational, networking and social opportunities targeting this international gathering of adult digital media players, one highlight of XBIZ Berlin is its Euro-centric legal panel, slated for Wednesday, Sept. 13, from 1-1:50 p.m.

Organized and moderated by J.D. Obenberger, a Chicago-based adult entertainment attorney who lived in and around Stuttgart during the Cold War as an Army captain of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, and whose considerable experience includes serving on more than 100 courts-martial proceedings and an ability to speak conversational German, this session will clarify the many challenges and opportunities presented by today’s European legal scene.

“For the second time at its Berlin Show, XBIZ has permitted me to bring together a legal seminar that is quite unique for adult online business events,” Obenberger explains. “It is the only seminar, anywhere, that especially focuses on E.U. and German law in the context of adult online business operations, while offering news and information about the legalities of the U.S. market as well.”

In addition to Obenberger, German lawyer-participants include the return of Dr. Daniel Koetz of Dusseldorf and Marko Doerre of Berlin.

Koetz is the only German member of the U.S.-based First Amendment Lawyer’s Association and has built a reputation as a champion of free expression on the internet in Germany and will focus his discussion on a bill now pending before the Bundestag that threatens expressive freedom on social networking sites.

Known as the Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz or Network Enforcement Act (NEA), this law if enacted, imposes profound consequences on the management of posts and takedown requests for commercial social networking sites, giving the government the power to levy fines of up to €53 million for failure to take down, in as little as one day in some cases, in seven days in others. The measure focuses on “illegal speech” that is already in violation of German law. This includes hate speech, but many other classifications as well.

For his part, Doerre, an expert on German laws for the protection of youth and teens who primarily serves adult entertainment clients since 2002, plans to keep attendees updated on legal developments affecting operators of adult programs. Before establishing his own practice, he worked in the legal department of AOL in Hamburg. He is now headquartered in Berlin where he is known as the “Pornoanwalt” (Pornlawyer).

New York-based attorney Barry Covert also will participate on the panel. Born in Germany, Covert is a U.S. lawyer on the cutting edge of adult entertainment law and will discuss special requirements and complications for adult companies doing business with U.S. customers.

Offering an upgraded slate of educational and networking events, the 2017 edition of XBIZ Berlin returns to the stylish Catalonia Berlin Mitte Hotel on Köpenicker Strasse from Sept. 11-14. This ultra-convenient venue is located in the midst of local attractions such as Alexanderplatz and the historical Nikoleiviertel, the center of Berlin’s trendy nightlife and entertainment scene.

Near the Heinrich Heine Metro Station, transportation is easy, fast and inexpensive — although with a show hotel offering a showcase of contemporary Berlin style, complimentary breakfast, and lunch buffets, reliable Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and other enjoyable amenities, including an on-site bar and the Kunstwerk Restaurant that make wining and dining easy. The hotel’s charming garden courtyard provides a perfect venue for attendees to mingle, so there is little reason to venture away from this nouveau networking hub.

Affiliates, talent and producers qualify for free registration, while members of XBIZ.net are eligible for discounted event admission.