Thothub.tv Shuts Down Following Infringement Suit

SANTA MONICA, Calif.—Thothub.tv, the website that reposted paywalled adult content from OnlyFans and Patreon without charge, has left the Internet. The site was disabled today amid mounting legal pressure, namely a new copyright infringement lawsuit divulged yesterday on AVN. OnlyFans creator Deniece “Niece” Waidhofer on Monday filed a copyright lawsuit in Los Angeles against Thothub.tv operators, the site’s host and several adult entertainment operators who advertised on the portal, claiming her images were scraped off OnlyFans and Patreon and reposted without permission. The Texas-based lingerie and cosplay model alleged direct, induced and contributory copyright infringement, along with misappropriation of likeness and unfair competition in her suit. She also claimed that Thothub.tv and host Cloudflare, along with the adult advertisers Chaturbate and BangBros, operated as a RICO enterprise with the site. Waidhofer attorney Brett S. Rosenthal told AVN that he and his client were gratified to see that Thothub had been shut down today.  “Thothub clearly saw the writing on the wall,” said Rosenthal of the Dallas-based law firm Reese Marketos LLP. “But we are just getting started.  “We will hold Thothub’s members and the companies that enabled its piracy accountable for the harm they caused,” Rosenthal said. “We will continue to chase down online pirates wherever they may be hiding and bring them to justice, and we will ask courts to enforce existing law so that companies like Cloudflare must enact reasonable and effective repeat infringer policies to prevent sites like Thothub from flourishing.  The era of online copyright lawlessness is over.” Waidhofer’s suit seeks an order disclosing Thothub.tv’s operators, as well as a preliminary injunction over the infringed photos. It also seeks treble damages for injuries and alleged racketeering activity, as well as attorneys fees. Thothub.tv operators did not respond to AVN requests for comment about today’s apparent closure of the site.