SAN DIEGO, CA – Cybernet Expo heated up on Tuesday afternoon with a lively discussion panel titled “Doing Business in Adult in 2005.” Somewhat unique for an online industry gathering, this seminar featured speakers exclusively from the adult video business. Moderated by YNOT Payment President YNOT Bob, the guest speakers included porn star Dave Cummings, former porn star and industry activist Bill Margold, and controversial filmmaker Rob Black of Extreme Associates.Although no longer on the Board of Directors for the Free Speech Coalition, Margold showed little change from his traditional image as an industry activist and defender.

“We need to support this industry,” Margold said. “Nobody has ever died from an overdose of pornography.”

His advice for new arrivals to the industry?

“Get used to being whipped kids, but whip back.”

Margold listed several steps he thought the industry should take to protect itself from the government, starting with raising the minimum age of adult actors to 21.

“I think it would be a really good gesture,” he argued.

Margold then argued that the industry needs to “bring into this business intravenous drug testing,” then quickly added, but “not marijuana.”

Other steps that would help, according to Margold, would be for the industry to sever all ties with escort services, eliminate the use of undocumented foreign talent, and convince the government to tax porn so that it had an interest in porn’s health.

“You have to be a little bit rebellious,” Margold advised. “Think of yourself as the island of Madagascar in the game of Risk.”

After offering that image of isolation, Margold quickly added that he was opposed to efforts to bring a dot-xxx domain name extension to existence. That kind of isolation, he said, was nothing to seek.

Addressing a bit of industry history and calling former actress Traci Lords a “miserable bitch,” Margold said that the industry responded quickly when it was discovered that she was only 17 years old when she shot a number of scenes for adult movies. The incident involving Lords eventually led to the creation of 2257 record keeping laws.

Rob Black, who was previously targeted in a government obscenity investigation, said his case is still ongoing, but business for Extreme Associates is steady.

“There’s some distributors who won’t take the product,” Black admitted. “But my web sales and direct to consumer have gone through the roof because everyone wants to see what the government says they can’t have.”

Black said an end to his battle with the government is still a ways away.

“We still have that option to go to the Supreme Court,” said Black, who then added that his attorney felt the Supreme Court was the likely end result of the case.

According to Black, people who get involved in the adult entertainment industry need to understand that there are associated risks with that involvement. He also added that while he was at times tempted to strike a plea deal with the government to end his case, he ultimately decided to fight for what he thought was right and see the case to trial.

Dave Cummings reminded the Cybernet audience that the adult entertainment industry is a “real economic engine.”

“We hire people. Those people then go out and spend money.”

As he often does, Dave also argued that sexuality should not evoke shame.

“Sex is natural. It is normal. It is healthy,” Cummings said.

Margold, who was around when the adult film industry was just getting started, then told the audience that the reason why the adult entertainment industry chose the letter “X” to designate its movies was because of that letter’s connection to poison.

“We chose the X because next time you go to your medicine cabinet look what’s on your bottle of iodine,” Margold said.

The conversation then focused on mainstream attitudes towards adult entertainment.

“If society is afraid to admit they’re jacking off then they shouldn’t get mad when Congress cuts off their dicks,” Margold said.

Cummings agreed, saying that people masturbate to the industry’s content then have feelings of guilt afterwards.

Asked whether the mainstream press is respectful of adult performers, Margold said that generally it is not.

“They shake your hand like they’re extracting cat shit from a litter box with their teeth.”

According to Margold, the industry is more about quantity than quality in recent years. He did see some positive trends, however.

“There’s more blacks in the business, I think that’s helping the industry along.”

The panel heated up a bit when Rob Black admitted that he and Margold didn’t like each other. Black was responding to comments that Margold had just made ridiculing some of Black’s more unusual films.

Black also took exception to those who argue acts like simulated rape scenes should be kept out of adult movies.

“We’re actors and actresses,” Black said. “It’s fake.”

Black urged the audience to fight unreasonable restrictions on the content of adult films, and noted that many Hollywood R-rated films contain scenes that are far more disturbing than the kinds of scenes that make up his more controversial adult films. Black mentioned the Hollywood movie “Harry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” which includes a scene where a mother is raped and sodomized while her son is forced to watch.

“If we did something like that automatically we’d go to jail,” Black said.

Moderator YNOT Bob offered support for Black. Acknowledging that for many people Black’s content “may not be your cup of tea,” he said those who are offended should “change the channel, but don’t outlaw it.”

Dave Cummings then added a George Carlin-like observation to the discussion.

“The people who bitch the most about what we do are usually 300 pound ugly motherfuckers,” Cummings observed.