Filmmaker Christopher Bell interviewed his good friend Muscletech spokesperson Christian Boeving about anabolic steroids for the critically acclaimed documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster*”. Boeving spoke honestly about his use of anabolic steroids. When CNN aired excerpts from the documentary shortly after its screening at the Sundance Film Festival, Muscletech fired released the bodybuilding and fitness model from his contract.
Muscletech apparently has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to steroids. You certainly can’t talk about steroids if you are sponsored by Muscletech. Muscletech allows you to publicly talk about quite a few things (like masturbating to Christina Lindley’s Maxim photo spread, making multiple references to Lindley’s ample breasts or alluding to Lindlay and microphone fellatio whileinterviewing Christina Lindley) without consequence but talking about steroids publicly crosses the line. Such a public admission of steroid use might indicate to consumers that the muscular physique of a sponsored bodybuilding athlete is not solely the result of Muscletech supplementation.
Dynamic Sports Nutrition, Inc., owner of Steroid.com website, filed a civil lawsuit in February 2008 against Elite Fitness Inc. and Caliber Design, Inc., owner of EliteFitness.com, requesting injunctive relief for copyright infringement. At issue is the electronic book (ebook) formerly marketed by Elite Fitness entitled “Anabolic Gameplan by Dino Strong.”
An out of court settlement appeared likely until this week when the owner of Elite Fitness sent out an email newsletter which, in part, offered insight into Elite Fitness’ legal strategy to defend themselves against the copyright infringement lawsuit.
So, we’re off to the races defending a lawsuit over something I did not even write and spending thousands in the process. The irony here is that most likely, the judge will find that the copyright for Brian and Anthony’s book is invalid. To add insult to injury, according to my friend Bill Llewellyn, who authors the Anabolics series that he updates every year, Anthony and Brian plagiarized his work extensively when they wrote their book Anabolic Steroids Ultimate Research Guide that they claim Dino infringed. And Bill has agreed to testify on our behalf. The good part of Bill’s testifying is that Anthony and Brian cannot enforce a copyright that is shown to be invalid itself.
In other words, the defense hopes to invalidate the January 26, 2006 certificate of registration for Anabolic Steroids Ultimate Research Guide on file with the United States Copyright Office because the work allegedly infringed on the copyright for Anabolics 2007 by William Llewellyn by copying steroid information tables and charts. Apparently, if the certificate of registration is invalidated, then Elite Fitness believes Dynamic Nutrition no longer has a legal basis to claim copyright infringement.
This is a dispassionate overview of what I believe are the pertinent facts in the legal battle between Steroid.com and Elitefitness.com.
But the public relations battle, no matter how irrelevant to the legal case, will likely overshadow the legal battle, at least on the internet. Anthony Roberts, senior editor of Steroid.com, has been blogging about the deteriorating relationship with Elite Fitness for several months. George Spellwin finally responded publicly with a scathing attack on Anthony Roberts and Steroid.com in an email newsletter to members this week. In response, Anthony Roberts has addressed all allegations with multiple blog entries on his website yesterday and today providing background and insight into the animosity surrounding the lawsuit. Regrettably, I expect the acrimonious exchange to continue to the detriment of all involved.
Two of the best-known and most successful internet sources of anabolic steroids have been arrested at a Pattaya seaside resort in Thailand as part of an international sting operation involving the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). They will be extradited to the United States on “charges of using the Internet to illegally export steroids to the United States” (”Two Britons arrested in Thailand after sting operation: police,” March 21)
Police gave the names of the two detained men as Ashly Vincent Livingston, 45, and Edwin Richard Crawly, 44. They were arrested in a sting operation involving US anti-drug agents, police said.
Anthony Roberts called me to identity Edwin Richard Crawly as one of the founders of British Dragon and to identify Ashly Vincent Livingston as Redicat. Anthony broke the story on his blog.
Thai authorities have told the media that the two Britons did not do anything illegal in Thailand. Consequently, they face no charges in Thailand.
Livingston and Crawly set up an online store to sell steroids to customers in the United States. Steroids are legal in Thailand but are a controlled substance in the US.
The police later arrested Mr.Edwin Richard Crawley (44) a British national who lives in the house, which he had used as the centre of operations for his business. According to the police report, Mr. Edwin Richard Crawley originally opened a company called” Nutri Med. Co. Ltd.” registered as an import-export company…
Another police team also searched a single house opposite and found Mr. Graisorn Tongrak (31) the son- in-law of Mr.Edwin Richard Crawley, who was looking after the house for his father- in-law…
After that, the police took both suspects to search another building in the same soi, registered as a company called” Vincent Centre Service Co. Ltd. operating a postal and utility bill payment service. Here, however, police found several empty bags of drugs, called “British Dragon” and 2,500 copies of steroid instruction sheets.
The D.E.A. officers took the steroids away for evidence. They also searched a warehouse behind the Nutri Med. company office, where they found and confiscated two machines used to pack steroids and also seized two land deed papers relating to the two houses, a Toyota car, a BMW R1200 RT motorbike, and 13 bank books which contained millions of baht; in total property worth about Bt 20 million.
A third group of police later arrested Mr.Ashley Vincent Livingston (45) British, and Mrs. Jirawan Livingston(38) , his wife, living at a house in Moo. 10, Soi Kow Noi, Pattaya Hill 1. According to the information police had received, they all belonged to the same gang, whose big boss was Edwin Richard Crawley. At this house, the police did not find any evidence, but seized a land deed paper, a Honda and a Toyota car, jewellery, Bt 100,000 in cash, and six bank books, which had many tens of millions of baht in the accounts. Police Major General, Amaresrit Wattanawiboon, revealed that Thai police were originally notified by the D.E.A. that they had intercepted steroids, which had been delivered to America in plain envelopes and on investigation, discovered that the biggest operation was in Pattaya . Mr. Edwin (the big boss) had been importing steroids from China through the Internet and then forwarding them to USA and Europe. On receipt, customers would send money to his account in Thailand. Some of the goods were sent to Pattaya and repacked in dolls or fruit, to be sent to Europe by parcel or in plain envelopes. Mr. Ashley had been worked with Mr. Edwin as his assistant, finding customers for him. This operation had been running since 1999. It made him a millionaire, being able to afford to buy property in Pattaya worth Bt 20 million.
The anabolic steroid black market is on the verge of being driven completely underground meaning steroids will likely travel same channels as black market narcotics. Obviously, this makes the use of black market androgens more dangerous than ever.
The fact remains, however, that synthetic designer steroids are considered unapproved new drugs, and are NOT covered by DSHEA as legal dietary supplements…
Andro, norandro etc were covered by DSHEA because you could find them in most animals, and hence in the food supply. No animals, plants, etc naturally produce DMT, Epistane, methyl, 1-4ADD, etc etc.
It should be noted that Quincy’s new sponsor IBE disagrees since other supplement companies selling it (everyone else is doing it). Quincy Taylor also states that Epistane is legal and notes that steroids are not sold in supplement stores and supplements are not sold in pharmacies.
A legal supplement sold over the counter at many fine supplement stores. Funny my pharmacy never sold epistane, haladrol, phera or any of those. I’ve never seen any of those in any pharmacy. Hmmm I only seen to find them sold legally at supplement stores. So if I go out on the street with Haladrol and get pulled over will I be arrested? This is a foolish conversation and this is where it ends. That’s my answer.
Elite Fitness published an article today discussing the implications of Liberty Media’s acquisition of a controlling stake in Bodybuilding.com:
Many people have already heard that the world’s largest bodybuilding company, bodybuilding.com, sold a huge controlling stake to Liberty Media, parent of QVC, for $100 million dollars. However, what some people don’t know is that there are those who are panicking for various reasons and some even believe that the sale could cause the sport of bodybuilding to die off!
I was one of the people panicking about the implications for professional bodybuilding. When there are changes in ownership, particular when a closely held private company is acquired by a publicly traded conglomerate, there are often changes in strategy and management.
So, within hours of the January 7, 2008 acquisition announcement, I contacted Ryan DeLuca, the CEO and founder of Bodybuilding.com to clear the air. DeLuca granted me an interview (which was published on Muscletime) the same day. Ryan assured me that the Bodybuilding.com strategy included increased involvement in the sport of pro bodybuilding:
[Bodybuilding.com’s involvement in pro bodybuilding] will continue to increase. We are 100% dedicated to giving back and helping the sport of bodybuilding to grow and prosper. If anything, this deal will only help us with that mission!
In spite of Ryan DeLuca’s refutations of changes in strategy as I confirmed in my Muscletime interview, Elite Fitness points out how the rumors persisted.
Strewn across Internet sites and forum boards are claims that bodybuilding.com must remove anything even remotely controversial from their site as part of the deal. That means anything to do with steroids and other hardcore bodybuilding topics must be axed in order to suit Liberty Media.
The change in the Bodybuilding.com forums that fueled many of the rumors was the relocation of the “steroid forum” to a sub-forum of the “IFBB section.”
When asked of any changes he had noticed on the site, Hawryliw said, “The biggest change I have seen was the steroid section being moved to the IFBB section. They claim it was to help to keep “noobs” (beginning users) from asking stupid questions. We all know the real reason was to take the steroid section off the front page to avoid any negative light. Ironically, steroids were prohibited from being talked about in the IFBB section before. Now, steroids are a sub-section.”
This was noticed several weeks ago by Anthony Roberts (a few days in advance of the acquisition announcement by Liberty Media).
But there is a big difference between censorship (deletion) and a reorganization of the forums of a message board. Elite Fitness further confirmed that Liberty Media has not asked Bodybuilding.com to delete controversial steroid content from their forums.
And he told me what is really going on with the issue of controversial material being moved or removed due to the Liberty Media deal mentioning, “This is not true. They have not asked us to remove anything or change anything on our site. Of course, with more national media watching what we are doing than ever before, we have to be extra careful with what we do or say so we don’t end up on Dateline.”
Unfortunately, it is not raining steroids, but at least the sky is not falling.
Anthony Roberts posted an entry in his blog about ongoing investigations resulting from Operation Raw Deal. I spoke with him on the phone and he informed me that federal agents with the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations and the Postal Inspection Service have recently made several informal “knock and talk” visits with customers (end users) who purchased steroids domestically from remailers. It appears that the feds are not targeting end steroid users (which is consistent with our sources involved in other investigations resulting from Operation Raw Deal.
Keep in mind that while Operation Raw Deal in large part crippled the steroid underground lab industry, authorities did not arrest a handful of large steroid remailers with connections to indicted UGLs. As there are still ongoing investigations, it is too soon to assume these remailers have escaped prosecution; there is the likely possibility that the feds are still building cases against them. Not everyone indicted as part of Operation Raw Deal has been sentenced leaving open the possibility that several are cooperating defendents in related cases.
Anthony Roberts tells me to expect a new series of Operation Raw Deal related steroid busts in the coming weeks. Otherwise, these remailers will likely become DEA confidential sources and informants in future federal steroid crack-downs in coming years.
MESO-Rx had the opportunity to visit the “Anabolic Network” internet television studio today and see a sneak preview of the upcoming “Anabolic Review” webcast hosted by Anthony Roberts. I was impressed. The production quality exceeds other internet video programming I’ve seen to date in the bodybuilding industry.
The CEO and founder of Steroid.com has made a major initial investment in the future of internet video which places the Anabolic Network in a prime position to capitalize on the convergence of the PC, television and mobile phone. Best of all, the first series will be devoted to the discussion of anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs.
While the Anabolic Review webcast will be the first bodybuilding internet show to be broadcast on the Anabolic Network, there are future plans for additional shows in the future, including some innovative sitcoms.
There are a few other companies that can afford such an investment in internet television, but for now they are mostly content to to release low budget internet videos. Certainly, there are some really good internet bodybuilding videos shows out there, but the established players with deep pockets seem reluctant to make the big investments.
In the meantime, the launch of the Anabolic Network is only days away.
