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Massive Defection Labeled as Highly Troubling Event

Multiple adult-oriented sites illegally share explicit footage from films and television series, disregarding copyright laws, leading to hundreds of Quebec actors, producers, and crew members being affected. Outraged by the blatant disrespect, professionals in the industry are calling for...

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Illicit pornographic sites exploit copyrighted nudity and sexual content from movies and TV shows,...
Illicit pornographic sites exploit copyrighted nudity and sexual content from movies and TV shows, impacting numerous Quebec actresses and productions. Outraged artists, technicians, and producers advocate for legislative reinforcement, using words like "revolting", "degrading", "disturbing", and "terrible".

Massive Defection Labeled as Highly Troubling Event

Rewritten Article:

Unauthorized Use of TV and Movie Nudity Scenes on Pornographic Sites: A Complex Issue

Charlotte Poitras, a former comedienne, finds her nude images on numerous adult websites, despite never having appeared in pornographic content. This issue is far from isolated, as many actresses face a similar predicament. These unauthorized appearances of intimate scenes shot for television or cinema are used by pornography platforms for financial gain.

"I've lost job opportunities because of this," says the 29-year-old artist who now focuses on writing. "Employers would check my background and see that I was on porn sites. It hurts my reputation."

This practice, noted by French-language newspaper La Presse, is a commonality among XXX platforms. They seize upon scenes originally intended for mainstream consumption, instantly transforming them into material for pornographic viewers. One site, identified during La Presse's survey, lists approximately 200 Quebec actresses, receiving up to 270,000 unique visitors daily, according to various analysis tools. Each artist's "portfolio" is rated out of five stars by users.

Tania Kontoyanni, president of the Union of Artists (UDA), calls this practice "extremely disturbing." These intimate scenes, hard to accept in their original context, are distributed as if the actresses were central to pornographic scenes tailored for unknown audiences.

Following reports from La Presse, UDA and the Quebec Association of Media Production (AQPM) are collaborating to combat this issue. Hélène Messier, president and CEO of the producers' group, explains, "We are currently identifying rights holders, as some extracts date back several decades."

Many actresses contacted by La Presse were reluctant to discuss a situation they found deeply sensitive. Several agencies, producers, and directors either ignored or declined interview requests. One agent, speaking under the condition of anonymity, explained that the actresses alerted to this phenomenon, often by loved ones, feel "betrayed."

The agent continued, "When I talk to them about a role with a certain degree of nudity, 100% of the time, the actresses respond: it all depends on the context, it all depends on if it serves the story." When nudity scenes are removed from their artistic context, they are not only distorted but also rob the actress's vulnerability on-screen of its intended meaning, transforming it into an object of consumption.

The practice is not limited to Quebec, as movies such as 50 Shades of Grey, Game of Thrones, Euphoria, and Basic Instinct find an audience in their explicit scenes. An American site, boasting 10 million unique visitors each month, even awards annual "Anatomy Prizes" for aspects like "Best Breasts," "Best Buttocks," and "Best Debuts."

Although UDA was aware of isolated cases related to La Presse's report, they did not anticipate such widespread, systematic exploitation in Quebec. Some productions, such as Two Women in Gold, Simple as Sylvain, and C'est comme ça que je t'aime, areorious targets. Scenes from the feature film Borderline have generated over a million views on various adult sites, while a lesbian intimacy scene from the series Unité 9 has been viewed over 500,000 times on one of the three largest pornographic platforms worldwide.

Charlotte Poitras' nudity was part of mainstream projects with artistic intentions. "Contracts with UDA stipulate that your image is used in such a project, for such a duration, and on such a platform," she explains. "In no case do they foresee diffusion on a porn site," which she considers "shocking" and "degrading." MPoitras hopes this La Presse report will contribute to better results in internet searches for her name than the infamous sites that exploit her image.

This unauthorized use of TV and movie nudity scenes introduces ethical, legal, and technological challenges, requiring a comprehensive approach for resolution. Content creators, platforms, and legal entities must collaborate to enact more effective strategies against copyright infringement and protect the privacy and reputation of those involved.

  1. Charlotte Poitras, a former comedienne, discovered that her nude images were being showcased on numerous adult websites, despite lacking any involvement in pornographic content.
  2. Tania Kontoyanni, president of the Union of Artists (UDA), voiced her concerns over this practice, stating it as "extremely disturbing" and a violation of actresses' privacy.
  3. Many celebrities, contacted by La Presse, were reticent to discuss this sensitive issue, with some agencies and production houses declining interview requests.
  4. Actresses often feel betrayed when they discover that their nudity scenes, removed from their artistic context, are being monetized on pornographic sites.
  5. Casualties of this issue extend beyond Quebec, with popular television shows like 50 Shades of Grey, Game of Thrones, Euphoria, and Basic Instinct also being targeted.
  6. As the use of TV and movie nudity scenes on pornographic sites has become a widespread issue, content creators, platforms, and legal entities must collaborate to enact more effective strategies against copyright infringement and protect the privacy and reputation of those involved.

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