Records and releases

Why records exist

Adult content is legal to make and sell in many places only because everyone in it is an adult who agreed to take part. The way the law and the platforms you rely on confirm that is through records: proof of age and identity for every performer, kept in a form that can be produced if asked. The specifics vary by country and change, so treat this guide as the shape of the obligation and check the current rules for where you live and sell.

Age and identity records, including 2257

In the United States, the federal record-keeping law commonly referred to by its section number, 2257, requires producers of certain sexually explicit material to keep records verifying the age and identity of every performer, and to make those records available for inspection. It has detailed rules about who counts as a producer, which material is covered, what documents are acceptable, how records must be organised, and what statement must appear with the content.

Whether and how it applies to a solo creator selling their own clips, to collaborations, and to creators outside the United States depends on your facts. Many creators keep records as if it applied regardless, because platforms and processors often require similar documentation anyway and because keeping them costs little compared with the alternative.

At a minimum, that means for every person who appears in your content, including you: a copy of a government-issued photo ID, a record of legal name and any names they perform under, and the date of production, kept securely and consistently. Ask a lawyer familiar with adult content law how the rules apply to you, and do it before you publish collaborative work rather than after.

Collaborator releases

A release is a signed document in which a person who appears in your content confirms they are an adult, agreed to take part, and agrees to the uses you intend: selling the clip in your store, using excerpts as previews, bundling it, and so on. It should also cover ownership and income if those are shared, and what happens if either of you later wants the content removed.

Get it signed before filming, keep a copy with the ID records, and give the collaborator a copy. Templates exist, but a release written for your actual arrangement, reviewed by a lawyer, is worth the modest cost once you are collaborating regularly.

Storing records, and what platforms expect

Keep records encrypted, backed up in at least two places, and separate from your public-facing files. Retain them for as long as the content is for sale and for whatever period the current rules require after that.

VestaVids has an 18+ gate and email verification for everyone and expects creators to sell only their own original work. Payment processors that permit adult transactions commonly have their own documentation requirements. Read them; they can be stricter than the law.