The renaming of the Montreal-founded, Luxembourg-based company behind dozens of adult sites “comes in response to the need for a fresh start and a renewed commitment to innovation, diverse and inclusive adult content, and trust and safety,” according to a company statement. Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), the British Virgin Islands-based private equity firm with an office in Ottawa, purchased the MindGeek assets in March. (The Logic)

Talking point: Though the company says the name change “symbolizes a fresh beginning,” the name itself isn’t particularly new to MindGeek. Aylo is a subsidiary of MindGeek that was founded in 2010 and counts company employees Polina Hadjivasiliou, Andreas Alkiviades Andreou and Constantina Georgoude as administrators, according to Quebec business records. ECP managing partner Fady Mansour is Aylo’s beneficial owner, with more than 75 per cent of the firm’s voting shares, according to the records. The company has been mired in controversy for years. In 2020, a column in The New York Times said Pornhub was “infested with rape videos.” Visa and Mastercard have since suspended payment services on the site, as well as on MindGeek’s advertising platform, and the company has faced a litany of lawsuits related to racketeering and sex trafficking.