| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters |  San Francisco, California, United States |
| Industry | Pornography |
| Products | Pornographic films, internet pornography and sex toys |
| Website | Kink.com |
Kink.com is a San Francisco-based internet pornography company that runs a group of websites devoted to BDSM and related fetishes.
Contents |
Hogtied.com
Kink.com was started by UK-native Peter Acworth in 1997 while he was a PhD student in finance at Columbia University. After reading a story in a British tabloid about a fireman who made 250 thousand pounds in a short period by starting an internet pornography site, Acworth decided to start a porn site of his own. Since Acworth had what he described as a lifelong interest in bondage, he oriented the site toward BDSM porn.[1] The site was called Hogtied.com and initially featured content that was licensed from other primary producers. The site was successful, and the site was soon grossing several thousand dollars per day. Acworth soon left his graduate studies to work on the site full time.[1]
Move to San Francisco
In 1998, Acworth moved the company from New York City to San Francisco.[1] Finding that sales were leveling off because other sites were using the same content, Acworth began producing his own content, initially featuring himself with various models who he found through Craigslist or through his photographer friends.[1][2] He opened the company's second site, Fucking Machines, in 2000,[3]. and has since opened fourteen additional subscription websites.[4]
Several websites under the Kink.com umbrella feature directors that relocated following the demise of Insex as a result of US government pressure in 2005, but offer more of a focus on consensuality than Insex was known for.
In late 2006, Kink.com purchased the San Francisco Armory for $14.5 million, for use as a production studio. A group known as the Mission Armory Community Collective formed to oppose Kink.com's use of the building and in early February 2007 held a public protest in front of the building.[1][5] Some residents of the Mission District were disturbed by Kink.com's purchase of the San Francisco Armory, feeling that a pornography studio should not be located in the middle of a residential neighborhood near schools or that the site should have been used for low-income housing or other community-oriented uses.[5][6][7][8] At one point, there were plans to destroy part of the structure to accommodate condominium development. Ironically, the condo plan's changing of the integrity of the building created supporters who welcomed Kink.com's use of The Armory as a way of revitalizing the structure and bringing back business to the area without altering the appearance of the historic building, as well as being in keeping with San Francisco's tradition of accommodating sexual minorities.[7] San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom also expressed concern over the Kink.com purchase, and scheduled a special meeting of the San Francisco Planning Commission in March 2007 to review the company's use of the building.[1] The meeting was well-attended by both supporters and detractors of the Kink.com purchase. The Planning Commission for its part ruled that Kink.com was not in violation of any law or zoning requirement.[6][9][10] Although Kink.com has stated that its activities would be invisible to the surrounding neighborhood, La Casa de las Madres, a neighboring women's shelter, announced that they would be leaving the location because of the media scrutiny of Kink.com's presence.[11]
In 2007, the company's website Fucking Machines was involved in a trademark dispute when the United States Patent and Trademark Office refused to grant a trademark for the name of the site, asserting that it was obscene.[12]
Online streaming
In 2007, the company began streaming regular live shows, in part as a defense against copyright infringement.[13] One Kink.com bondage site, Device Bondage, now streams monthly live shows,[14] and erotic wrestling site Ultimate Surrender began streaming its competitive matches live in 2008.[15]
In 2008, the company added on-demand technology to its websites, selling updates to their websites on a per-episode basis rather than strictly by subscription.[16] This system recently began adding third-party content, including that from Germany's Marquis.[17] The company's most recently launched site is BoundGods.com, a gay bondage site directed by Van Darkholme. Bound Gods was launched under a new gay-focused division, KinkMen.com.[18]
In November, 2008, Kink.com was nominated for a 2009 AVN Award in a new category, Best Adult Website.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d e f "A Disciplined Business" by Jon Mooallem, The New York Times Magazine, April 29, 2007.
- ^ "The New Pornographers" by Robin Rinaldi, 7x7, August 01, 2006.
- ^ " The Man Behind the Fucking Machines", Village Voice, July 16, 2008
- ^ "Kink.com Celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary", Behind Kink, February 1, 2008.
- ^ a b "Kink hearing: The pornographer's purchase of the Armory faces more roadblocks" by Deborah Giattina, San Francisco Bay Guardian, March 7, 2007.
- ^ a b No welcome mat for adult film studio" by Marisa Lagos, San Francisco Chronicle, January 26, 2007
- ^ a b "San Francisco Planning Commission - Special Public Hearing", SFGTV, March 8, 2007. (link to streaming Windows Media video and downloadable MP3 audio)
- ^ "Porn Studio Puts City in a Kink" by Lisa Leff, San Francisco Chronicle, February 2, 2007
- ^ "Planning Commission hears Kink.com case" by Liz Highleyman, Bay Area Reporter, March 15, 2007.
- ^ "Ex-armory turns into porn site". San Francisco Chronicle. 2007-01-13. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/13/BAG0INI8PD1.DTL.
- ^ "Service organization flees from kinky Mission neighbor" by Sarah Duxbury, San Francisco Business Times, March 23, 2007.
- ^ Jeffrey C. Billman (2007-06-07). "THE F BOMB". Orlando Weekly. http://www.orlandoweekly.com/features/story.asp?id=11596. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
- ^ "At Kink.com, A Live Tool Against Piracy", CNet News, March 30, 2007.
- ^ "Trina Michaels to Appear Live on DeviceBondage.com", XBiz, August 14, 2008.
- ^ "Ultimate Surrender Streams 3 Matches Live", Adult Video News, August 18, 2008.
- ^ "Kink.com Launches Kink On Demand", Adult Video News, August 6, 2008.
- ^ "Kink.com Partners With Germany's Marquis", Adult Video News, August 19, 2008.
- ^ "Kink.com Launches First Gay Bondage Site", Adult Video News, August 4, 2008.
- ^ "Complete 2009 AVN Awards Nominee List", AVNAwards.com, November 25, 2008.
External links
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