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According to the Department of Justice, it's time to update the federal law with the internet in mind. The new regulations "merely" improve record-keeping rules, federal lawyers wrote in a defense of their proposal.

The countless porn sites that steal content from others will be in jeopardy as well, potentially to a much greater extent than they face on the copyright-violation front, Bernstein said. He predicts that the number of free porn sites, which often rely on swiped photos and videos, will drop.

What else will happen if the new enforcement guidelines survive legal challenges? Attorneys and industry insiders expect a major shakeout. "There are going to be a lot of people who go out of business, and a lot of people who fill the gap and go into business," Bernstein said. "You'll see fewer and fewer people buying content from others unless they literally get the records. You'll see new production and new content coming out of this."

In addition, he said, "vintage" porn -- produced before July 3, 1995 -- may become more popular because the new enforcement regulations don't require age records for older content.

The new regulations raise other issues, too. Some adult performers are afraid their personal information -- including their real names and addresses -- will land in the hands of countless webmasters who now need to keep age records for every image on their sites. On the other hand, performers should expect this sort of thing, said William Margold, an industry activist and former porn actor. "When your privates become public, you lose all your privacy," he said.

For now, porn site owners are hoping for a legal victory. That may seem to be a long shot considering the U.S. government's hard-right turn in recent years, but the industry is crossing its fingers.