Last week, PornHub launched a brand new subscription adult video streaming service called PornHub Premium that the company is touting to be “the Netflix of porn.” Along with the launch, PornHub released a cutesy YouTube video advertising the service, comparing everyday items by saying that they were “the PornHub Premium of such and such.” All things considered, it was pretty G-rated for a porn advertisement.
One of those bits in the ad featured a man saying to his partner while shopping at the grocery store, “Why don’t we get this aged Parmigiano-Reggiano… They say it’s the PornHub Premium of cheeses.” One might take being compared to a high-end adult video streaming service as a throwaway compliment and go on with their day, but the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium is PISSED, and now they’re considering pursuing legal action against PornHub.
Lawyers for the association are investigating whether they have grounds to take legal action against Pornhub for supposedly tarnishing the name of their treasured cheese. In a statement released on Wednesday, the consortium branded the advert “not only distasteful and unacceptable, but offensive for our producers and their work”.
The video is “vulgarly aimed at making a profit from the exploitation of the fame gained by Parmigiano-Reggiano,” the statement said.
Apparently, the issue lies with the use of the term Parmigiano-Reggiano specifically, and not the generic “Parmesan” term which is more common in the United States. For their part, PornHub seems to have bowed under pressure of Big Cheese, and have since removed the ad.
Personally, I would have gone with a Roquefort or Taleggio anyway, because hopefully their people have better senses of humor, and, if you’re going to compare porn to cheese, it should be staaaaaaanky.
(Via Time)