YNOT – Allison Vivas, chief executive officer of Pink Visual, will receive the 2012 FSC Leadership Award, adult industry trade group Free Speech Coalition announced late Tuesday. The award will be presented during a ceremony Jan. 10 in Los Angeles.

The FSC Leadership Award annually recognizes the adult entertainment industry business or individual who demonstrates excellence in leading by example. The award may be given for community service, activism, creating a positive and outstanding work environment, technological innovation or other qualities that lift the business or individual above the crowd, according to FSC Executive Director Diane Duke.

“Allison has great instinct, a brilliant mind and a boatload of courage,” Duke said. “She combines those qualities to provide leadership not only for Pink Visual, but also for our industry as a whole.”

In March, Vivas accompanied FSC representatives and a group of other industry leaders to San Francisco to protest the approval of dot-xxx during a meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. Vivas spoke to the media on behalf of the adult industry’s opposition to the adults-only sponsored Top Level Domain and addressed ICANN’s board of directors. Joining several others among the largest adult industry companies, Vivas also issued a letter to dot-xxx overseer ICM Registry demanding protection of industry brands.

In 2011, Vivas and Pink Visual made it company policy to protect the health and safety of performers by funding monthly testing. Previously, most adult industry companies required performers to undergo testing for sexually transmitted diseases at their own expense.

In addition, Vivas and her company are among the leaders in the fight against copyright infringement. Pink Visual not only is a charter supporter of FSC’s Anti-Piracy Action Program but also aggressively prosecutes content pirates and sponsors business-to-business seminars in which industry leaders may learn more about strategy and litigation.

“Vivas exemplifies the industry executive: professional, proud to be part of the adult industry, fighting to protect the rights of adult business owners and pushing to keep in the lead with new technologies for the consumer,” Duke said.

For more about FSC, visit FreeSpeechCoalition.com. For more about Pink Visual, visit PinkVisual.com.