Things often get rather messy when legal matters and BDSM collide. LittleMistress at the Dommes.co.uk discussion board recently asked what was happening with the (currently defunct) SlaveSpace.com and I suddenly realised how long it’s been since I last heard any news about the case. It’s an interesting one, and brings up worrying questions about how BDSM is perceived by the outside world. The story, as reported thus far, goes like this:
The SlaveSpace.com webmaster had a pretty intense 24/7 D/s relationship with a female sub who he’d originally met on the internet in 1998. She later moved to Maryland to be closer to him, and lived there with his other female slave. They willingly participated in heavy BDSM play together, which they filmed and put on the pay-to-view site. The problems began in 2001 when the couple separated. The model withdrew consent for her former Master to use material featuring her on his website. He disagreed, as she’d signed release forms which gave him legal rights over the images. They remained in contact on relatively friendly terms, and she went camping with him in 2003. They fell out again shortly afterwards, and this time she went to the FBI. As a result, what should originally have been a minor dispute over copyright became a press-fuelled minefield of legal charges involving sex trafficking, forced labour and obscene publications.
One of the most basic problems with BDSM is that consensual acts between lovers can easily be mistaken for abuse when taken out of context – especially when those acts have been immortalised in a multitude of still photos and internet videos! The last I heard, the case was due to go to court in 2007 and the webmaster was potentially facing 30 years to life in prison if found guilty. There appears to have been little information in the public domain since. The old url has a static page with an appeal for “any information that would be helpful” and the email and phone number of the webmaster’s legal representation.
Anyone know how things stand now? Any update would be appreciated.
