Leave it to skeevy softcore baron Joe Francis to prove, irrefutably the commercial merits of digital video and online distribution. Until the advent of cheap cameras, storage and a timely way to get the footage to the masses with little fear of censorship, Francis's Girls Gone Wild cameramen would never have shot seven hours of a then-unknown Ashley Alexandra Dupré shaking her rump, gettin' nekkid and kissing other teens. The Internet makes everything cheaper: Francis had offered Dupré $1 million to appear in a video, until he discovered she was already in his archives. Which means he's getting her for the price of beer and a bus ticket.

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Dupré's R&B track has netted her six figures so far. But imagine how many $29.95 signups Francis will see from the video excerpted above — not to mention continued monthly billings to lazy horndogs who forget to cancel their accounts. Guess who else won't be cashing in? Hustler, Vivid, Skinemax or any other old-media video distributor. In less than 48 hours, any footage he posts will be on file sharing networks for free. That's why Francis knows he has to move this product fast.

A lesson to young women: Protect your long tails. Don't sign on the dotted line without a lawyer or agent present, and make sure you hold onto the source footage. It might just be worth something, and Valleywag would rather see you cash in than Francis any day.

(Still and clip from Girls Gone Wild)