Aylo
 | |
| Company type | Privately held |
|---|---|
| Industry | Information Technology Web Development |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | , Canada |
Area served | Worldwide |
Number of employees | 900+[1] |
| Website | mindgeek |
MindGeek is a privately owned, multinational corporation headquartered in Luxembourg City with offices across North America and Europe. Formerly known as Manwin, the company was renamed in 2013, following a buyout from the management team[2] . MindGeek is one of the world’s largest operators of branded, online entertainment including both adult oriented websites, as well as mobile games and celebrity gossip sites.
The company is also one of the two leaders in mobile-phone pornography in North America, handling millions of visits each day. According to the company, MindGeek is one of the top five bandwidth consumption companies in the world.
MindGeek emerged from Manwin. The effort to rebrand Manwin into MindGeek took place in October of 2013. The MindGeek identity was created in order to emphasize the technology through which it provides a portfolio of branded entertainment experiences. The company logo of MindGeek features a brightly lit light bulb.
In December 2012, former Manwin owner Fabian Thylmann, a German national who lives in Belgium, was arrested by Belgium police. He was later extradited to Germany at the request of Cologne prosecutors on suspicion of tax evasion.
In October 2013, Fabian Thylmann stepped down from his role as managing partner, stating that he could no longer add significant value to the best of his ability. He sold his stake in the company to Manwin’s top management team[3] .
History
Manwin is the owner of many major pornographic web 2.0 websites including YouPorn, Pornhub, Tube8, XTube, ExtremeTube, JuicyBoys, Webcams, KeezMovies, Tranny Surprise, and SpankWire, which between them generate some 16 billion visits per month and consequently are believed to be among the most popular websites on the planet.
Manwin also owns and operates a number of pornographic content brands such as Brazzers, Digital Playground, Mofos, MyDirtyHobby and Twistys. They also manage the websites of Wicked Pictures.
In March 2010, Manwin bought the Canadian holding company Mansef. Mansef owned the websites Brazzers, Mofos, and Pornhub.
In September 2010, Manwin acquired EuroRevenue.
In November 2011 Manwin became an operating partner of Playboy, managing the brand's online and entertainment business Playboy Plus Entertainment, which operates a number of television channels and online services based in the UK and Benelux.
In January 2012 Manwin signed a deal to acquire the assets of the American pornographic movie studio Digital Playground.
A merger notification (with Reality Kings) was filed with the Austrian Federal Competition Authority in April 2012. In September 2012, Manwin completed the acquisition. Company documents show that following the deal in the autumn, Miami-beach based RK Holdings gave a Dublin company, Manwin Content RK, the right to use thousands of its pornography movies.
Manwin filed a lawsuit in California in November 2012 to block a new .xxx domain. It claimed that introducing the new suffix was the first step towards making it mandatory, meaning governments could easily censor by blocking access to all .xxx sites. Manwin announced that it would not allow its content to be used on any sites with the suffix, saying: 'We oppose the .xxx domain and all it stands for. It is our opinion that .xxx domain is an anti-competitive business practice that works a disservice to all companies that do business on the Internet.'
In May 2013, Manwin, owner of one of the largest portfolios of adult-oriented websites, agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit it brought against ICM Registry over the cost of .xxx web domain names. The settlement will result in discounted wholesale prices of $7.85 a year for .xxx names during May 2013 and at other times in the future. ICM Registry is owned by British former fax-machine mogul Stuart Lawley. The settlement provides that ICM will not pay any money directly to Manwin.
References
- ^ "Manwin home page". Manwin Holding SARL. Retrieved July 19, 2013.[better source needed]
- ^ Pardon, Rhett. "Fabian Thylmann Sells Stake in Manwin to Company Management". XBiz.
- ^ Pardon, Rhett. "Fabian Thylmann Sells Stake in Manwin to Company Management". XBiz. Retrieved 19 February 2014.