Irish firm linked to Pornhub says US lawsuit which alleges it distributed child sexual abuse images 'without merit'
Gordon Deegan
A Dublin based subsidiary of the operator of the world’s most visited adult entertainment website, Pornhub has stated that a US lawsuit alleging that it distributed child sexual abuse images are “without merit”.
Yeah! That's what they all say! I wish the media would stop calling pornography 'adult entertainment'; it is adolescent at best.
That is according to new and overdue accounts for Aylo Billing Ltd which show that revenues increased by 28 per cent from $240.73 million (€210 million) to $307.4 million in 2020.
The company has its registered office here at Baldonnell Business Park in D22 and over three years across 2020, 2019 and 2018 Aylo Billing Ltd generated a cumulative $769 millions in revenues.
Pre-tax profits at the company in 2020 almost doubled to $10.76 million.
The directors state that company’s principal activity is the resale of membership subscriptions and the management of online memberships for certain websites primarily delivered through online and mobile media platforms.
In a note attached to the accounts, only signed off on April 30th 2025, the company states that two anonymous individuals filed a putative class action in February 2021 in an Alabama court district against Aylo Billing Ltd and affiliates.
The note states that the claims allege that Aylo Billing and affiliated companies benefited from a sex trafficking venture in violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act "and that the company and affiliates received, possessed and distributed child sexual abuse images."
The note states that “the company considers the lawsuit to be without merit and intends to vigorously defend it”.
It states that the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, injunctive relief, attorneys' fees and costs.
The note states that in December 2023, the Alabama Court granted the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification.
A separate note states that in May 2024, an anonymous individual filed a class action in California alleging that the company and affiliates violated the Video Privacy Protection Act by sharing user data without consent and is seeking damages.
Again, Aylo Billing state that it considers the lawsuit to be without merit and intends to vigorously defend it.
The company has been indemnified by group companies in the two matters and there is no provision required in the financial statements.
The accounts do disclose that the company agreed in July 2023 to make $24 million in total benefits in settlement of a class action brought in June 2021 at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
The class action alleged deceptive and fraudulent billing practices. The company reveals that it paid out a further $6 million in attorney fees and a $25,000 service award to the plaintiff.
On its website, Aylo describes itself as “a tech pioneer offering world class adult content platforms”.
Aylo state: “We provide trusted environments to enable a safe online user experience, and to empower our communities by celebrating diversity, inclusion and expression."
Aylo states that its portfolio includes Pornhub, YouPorn, Brazzers, Men.com, Nutaku “all of which maintain robust trust and safety protocols”.
Accumulated profits at Aylo Billing Ltd at the end of 2020 totalled $15.43 million while cash funds almost doubled from $6.19m to $11.5 million.
Aylo Billing Ltd’s immediate parent firm is based in Cyprus while consolidated financial statements for Aylo Holdings SARL are available in Luxembourg.
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