Seth Warshavsky
Encyclopedia
Seth Warshavsky was a pioneer in the Internet pornography
industry and the founder of Internet Entertainment Group (IEG). During the dot-com boom years of the late 1990s, Warshavsky's welcome media attention made him the face of the online pornography industry to a public fascinated with what was then virtually the only segment of the dot-com industry operating at a profit.
Beginning in 1996 with the profits from a phone-sex operation he started while living in the Oregon building in Seattle,WA, he had friends at AT&T who would find him sex-related numbers (i.e.; 1-800-GET-SOME).
Warshavsky converted a warehouse in Seattle into the studios of IEG's flagship website, Clublove.com. The website used computer technology that was cutting edge for its day. The business model was similar to that of a live peep show
. For a monthly membership fee plus an hourly charge, you could watch post card sized, low resolution images of women strip and touch themselves in real time. For more money, you could talk to the camgirl
s over the phone and direct them. If you liked the show, you could even tip them.
Anderson and Lee filed a $90 million copyright-infringement suit against IEG in 1998 to claim a share of the profits of the video of them. A U.S. district court judge dismissed the case, ruling that the duo gave up their rights when they agreed to let IEG webcast the footage. Following appeals, Anderson and Lee were awarded a $1.5 million judgment plus court costs and attorney fees in December 2002.
Warshavksy fled the country in January 2001 to Bangkok, Thailand, leaving in his wake a number of unpaid creditors and former IEG employees. He now manages Electronic Transaction Services Ltd., a rights management system and network of billing agreements that enables bill and collection for mobile applications and content.
Internet pornography
Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed by means of various sectors of the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups...
industry and the founder of Internet Entertainment Group (IEG). During the dot-com boom years of the late 1990s, Warshavsky's welcome media attention made him the face of the online pornography industry to a public fascinated with what was then virtually the only segment of the dot-com industry operating at a profit.
Beginning in 1996 with the profits from a phone-sex operation he started while living in the Oregon building in Seattle,WA, he had friends at AT&T who would find him sex-related numbers (i.e.; 1-800-GET-SOME).
Warshavsky converted a warehouse in Seattle into the studios of IEG's flagship website, Clublove.com. The website used computer technology that was cutting edge for its day. The business model was similar to that of a live peep show
Peep show
A peep show or peepshow is an exhibition of pictures, objects or people viewed through a small hole or magnifying glass. Though historically a peep show was a form of entertainment provided by wandering showmen, nowadays it more commonly refers a presentation of a sex show or pornographic film...
. For a monthly membership fee plus an hourly charge, you could watch post card sized, low resolution images of women strip and touch themselves in real time. For more money, you could talk to the camgirl
Camgirl
Camgirl or Cam-girl or chat model is an Internet term for women who are featured on webcams. A portmanteau of "camera" and "girl", the word is used for women who operate their own webcams, such as Jennifer Ringley and Ana Voog. The term is also used to describe women or girls who broadcast...
s over the phone and direct them. If you liked the show, you could even tip them.
Early Internet pornography scandals
Warshavsky was involved in many of the early Internet's porn-related media controversies, including:- the distribution of a homemade pornographic videoCelebrity sex tapeA celebrity sex tape is typically an amateur pornographic video recording involving one or more celebrity famous person which has been, intentionally or unintentionally, made available publicly....
starring Pamela AndersonPamela AndersonPamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
and Tommy LeeTommy LeeThomas Lee Bass , best known as Tommy Lee, is an American musician and founding member of glam metal band Mötley Crüe. As well as being the band's long-term drummer, Lee founded rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has pursued solo musical projects...
(without their consentConsentConsent refers to the provision of approval or agreement, particularly and especially after thoughtful consideration.- Types of consent :*Implied consent is a controversial form of consent which is not expressly granted by a person, but rather inferred from a person's actions and the facts and...
), - a 1998 lawsuitLawsuitA lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
over a sex video of Pamela AndersonPamela AndersonPamela Denise Anderson is a Canadian-American actress, model, producer, author, activist, and former showgirl, known for her roles on the television series Home Improvement, Baywatch, and V.I.P. She was chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Playboy magazine in February 1990...
and Bret MichaelsBret MichaelsBret Michaels is an American musician, actor, director, screenwriter, producer and reality television personality. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist of the glam metal band Poison. Besides his career as lead singer, he has several solo albums to his credit, as well as one chart single...
(never aired by IEG) - a 1998 lawsuit by actor Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
over another sex video (also never aired) - the Our First TimeOur First TimeOur First Time was one of the first widely popularized Internet hoaxes. Eighteen-year-olds "Mike" and "Diane" made a public announcement declaring they were to lose their virginity....
hoaxHoaxA hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
. - nude photographs of Dr. Laura SchlessingerLaura SchlessingerLaura Catherine Schlessinger is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics...
in 1998 - Papalvisit.com, a website with information about the 1999 visit to the U.S. by Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
that also featured salacious stories and links to pornographic websites - the "sex.comSex.comSex.com is an Internet domain name and web portal currently owned by Clover Holdings LTD. The domain name was the focus of one of the most publicized legal actions about ownership of domain names...
" domainDomain nameA domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
IEG collapse
At IEG's peak, Warshavsky claimed to have 100,000 subscribers and $50 million annual revenue, although subsequent events cast doubt on the veracity of this earnings claim.Anderson and Lee filed a $90 million copyright-infringement suit against IEG in 1998 to claim a share of the profits of the video of them. A U.S. district court judge dismissed the case, ruling that the duo gave up their rights when they agreed to let IEG webcast the footage. Following appeals, Anderson and Lee were awarded a $1.5 million judgment plus court costs and attorney fees in December 2002.
Warshavksy fled the country in January 2001 to Bangkok, Thailand, leaving in his wake a number of unpaid creditors and former IEG employees. He now manages Electronic Transaction Services Ltd., a rights management system and network of billing agreements that enables bill and collection for mobile applications and content.