Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The private-equity firm that owns MindGeek — which operates a massive network of adult entertainment properties, including Pornhub — has shed the company’s old name and, it hopes, some of the baggage that came with it. “The decision to rebrand the company as Aylo comes in response to the need for a fresh start and a renewed commitment to innovation, diverse and inclusive adult content, and trust and safety,” the Montreal-based company said in an Aug.
17 statement. In March, Ethical Capital Partners, a private-equity firm based on Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, acquired MindGeek for undisclosed financial terms.
ECP has said it would focus on building the company’s “trust and safety” and to make it “the internet leader in fighting illegal online content.” The company’s sale — and now the name change — comes after it was the target of lawsuits accusing it of profiting from child pornography and nonconsensual sex videos.
MindGeek has said the allegations lack merit. Last year, Visa and Mastercard both cut off payment processing to the advertising division that sells ads on Pornhub, after a federal court rejected Visa’s request to be removed from a case in which MindGeek was being sued for allegedly distributing child pornography.
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