US District Judge David Barlow granted a preliminary injunction on September 24 blocking part of Utah’s SB 73, a law that required adult websites to verify that users are physically in Utah even when they use VPNs.

The lawsuit was brought by Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, YouPorn and RedTube, which filed suit against Utah officials in April 2026. Barlow found the company is likely to succeed on its dormant Commerce Clause claim, writing that the provision could force websites to verify users beyond state borders and that perfect geolocation is technically impossible.

The injunction targets only one section of the law. Its core age-verification requirements remain intact while the litigation continues. The ruling is a limited win for the adult-content industry, which has fought a wave of state-level verification mandates across the country.

Utah’s SB 73 also included a 2 percent tax on pornography transactions and a ban on websites explaining how VPNs work. Those provisions were not addressed in the injunction ruling.