WASHINGTON – U.S. regulators call it a case of deceptive marketing gone wild, filing a lawsuit against the California company that markets the “Girls Gone Wild” videos of college-age girls showing their breasts.

The Federal Trade Commission accused Mantra Films Inc. of misleading customers and billing them for videos they never ordered, in a complaint filed in federal court.

Mantra markets the Girls Gone Wild videos in late night infomercials on television. They have been hugely successful, with tens of millions of copies sold.

The FTC charges that, since 2000, customers who ordered a single video from Mantra were sent videos each month and had their credit or debit cards charged until consumers took action to stop the shipments.

“In a case of deceptive marketing gone wild, consumers were enrolled in a program of monthly deliveries without their knowledge,” said FTC consumer protection chief Howard Beales in a statement.

“If you sign consumers up for an ongoing plan without their permission, we’ll do our best to unwind the transaction,” Beales added.

Mantra said it was disappointed by the FTC’s decision to file suit and believed the company acted in compliance with all laws and regulations.

“We are continuing our discussions with the FTC and are hopeful that we will be able to reach an amicable resolution,” the company said in a statement.