Weird News: Cheese makers may sue porn site

Another week, another group of cheese makers considering taking legal action against a porn site for defamation....

That's right-- the Consortium of Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese is threatening legal action against an adult website for comparing the cheese to a streaming video service it's launched. PornHub, a popular adult video site which racks up 79.9 billion views per year, used Parmesan cheese as a punch line in an advertisement.  The cheese makers didn't find it funny.

The ad, which is for the site's premium streaming service, features a couple in a supermarket. The man suggests the couple buys some "aged Parmigiano-Reggiano" cheese. "They say it is the PornHub Premium of cheeses," he says.

The Consortium says PornHub used the name of their product without permission and has damaged its reputation.

The Consortium of Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese is an organization that represents Italy’s 500 certified Parmesan makers.  To be part of the group, members must abide by an 800-year old process to make their cheese. The Parmesan industry brings in about $2.2 billion each year, so you know they mean business.

Pornhub has since removed its ad from YouTube and Vimeo. In a statement, the consortium called the ad “vile and unacceptable” and “offensive for our producers and their cheese.”