@Mcjl:
From what I understand a contract is a contract and X amount sets the terms of such contract. I do know someone in the industry and when he went on his own. He HAD to pay out the remaining degrees of said contract.
That is technically correct.. but there are major exceptions. If it turns out the contract contains any stipulations that are not legal, then the entire contract is void. For instance, there is a 24/7 streaming live webcam site similar to the "Big Brother" TV show. The guys that live there are required to sign a contract that they will stay there for 6 months. If they leave early, they have to pay $500. If they don't leave on time, they are charged $50 per day. However.. the contract is not legal even though it was drawn up by a lawyer. Therefore it is unenforceable.
Another example: if someone signed a contract that stipulated they would sell someone their heart for $1 million. That contract would also be void.
In any contract involving porn, just try and enforce it. A judge would throw it out of court. That includes copyright issues.