Online and in printed material there are dozens of UK registered companies selling R18 porn mail order in direct violation of the BBFC guidelines and they *seem* to be getting away with it with no hassle from the boys in blue - is this just an case of a matter of time or have they genuinely relaxed on this kind of thing as long as the content is certified and thereby not deemed illegal and immoral?
Jason
Have the rozzers mellowed?
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
I thought R18 was legal in this country now ? I didn't know there was a law against mail order. Does that mean I am breaking the law if I order from them? And does the law apply to website companies? I have had hardcore material from Cathy Barry's site and also Vidshop.com.
NeilUK
NeilUK
http://www.celebritiesrus.com/blog
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
I had a run in recently with the Obscene Publications and it was made clear to me that R18 content is fine in there book. They said quite clearly that although it was technically illegal to sell by mail order that they simply didn't have the resources to go after people selling it.
I was told that they were concentrating on non R18 stuff like fisting, pissing and much stronger stuff like scat, bondage, SM you know the type of stuff.
Amercian porn although it passes the FBI sensors was still a no no as this still didn't have R18 certificates. This was still the case even if the content of the american film (or any film for that matter) would get an R18 certificate. It had to have one or else.
The long and the short of it was if it's got R18 then they said that they'd leave it alone. If it hasn't then they will be after you.
I was told that they were concentrating on non R18 stuff like fisting, pissing and much stronger stuff like scat, bondage, SM you know the type of stuff.
Amercian porn although it passes the FBI sensors was still a no no as this still didn't have R18 certificates. This was still the case even if the content of the american film (or any film for that matter) would get an R18 certificate. It had to have one or else.
The long and the short of it was if it's got R18 then they said that they'd leave it alone. If it hasn't then they will be after you.
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
It is my understanding that it is illegal in UK to suply R18 material from ANY place other that a licensed sex shop. There have been recent cases bought to the courts, including some big players in the industry, who have been charged with supplying videos - by mail order - from un-licensed premises - in most of these case the suppliers have been found guilty and have received heavy fines. Most of whom are taking the matter to the appeal courts.
There has been much publicity on this matter in recent issues of the Erotic Trade Review (Particularly issue 11)
More worrying is that the courts are interpreting the law 'place of supply' as being the site where the consumer first clicked on the link to be taken to the particular place of sale. So any person with a link on their site which goes to an unlicensed supplier could be arrested.
Big Brother is still watching!!!!!
Chris
There has been much publicity on this matter in recent issues of the Erotic Trade Review (Particularly issue 11)
More worrying is that the courts are interpreting the law 'place of supply' as being the site where the consumer first clicked on the link to be taken to the particular place of sale. So any person with a link on their site which goes to an unlicensed supplier could be arrested.
Big Brother is still watching!!!!!
Chris
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
Wasn't it Trading Standards officers who brought those recent cases, egged on by some licenced sex shops.
I get the impression from other postings that there doesn't seem to be a major problem about getting hardcore non R18 material by mail from overseas.
Mart
I get the impression from other postings that there doesn't seem to be a major problem about getting hardcore non R18 material by mail from overseas.
Mart
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
I think the problem with the law in this country is that it's contradictory.
The obscene publications made it clear to me that R18's weren't something that they were bothered with, whether they were sold in licensed sex shops or not. They said that they had to pool there resources as they didn't have a bottomless pit of money. They made it quite clear that they knew that it was against the law to mail them out but they were only interested in Non R18 stuff and stronger, more harmfull areas of the Obs Publ Act to deal with which were there priority.
They came for after me because I was importing american hetero Dvd's which hadn't been classified.
The problem is that things are not set in stone and they can come after you if they want to.
I don't know what the actual situation is now as it's been over 12 months since my last dealing with the old bill and I have stayed away from the porn biz since but I believe some of the people busted recently for mail order R18's were done by the Trading Standards and not the Obs Publications (or police) hence the contradiction.
I don't know if this is true as I said I have been away from this all for 12 months so I will bow to the people on here's superior and more informed knowledge of this.
The obscene publications made it clear to me that R18's weren't something that they were bothered with, whether they were sold in licensed sex shops or not. They said that they had to pool there resources as they didn't have a bottomless pit of money. They made it quite clear that they knew that it was against the law to mail them out but they were only interested in Non R18 stuff and stronger, more harmfull areas of the Obs Publ Act to deal with which were there priority.
They came for after me because I was importing american hetero Dvd's which hadn't been classified.
The problem is that things are not set in stone and they can come after you if they want to.
I don't know what the actual situation is now as it's been over 12 months since my last dealing with the old bill and I have stayed away from the porn biz since but I believe some of the people busted recently for mail order R18's were done by the Trading Standards and not the Obs Publications (or police) hence the contradiction.
I don't know if this is true as I said I have been away from this all for 12 months so I will bow to the people on here's superior and more informed knowledge of this.
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
Apolgies Mart I was writing out my thread as you posted so didn't mean to be repeat your point about the Trading Standards.
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
The law seems strange to me, I know its abit off the subject but I work with a guy who is on whatever the new term for YTS is. He is 16 and he virtually lives with his 17 year old girlfriend. They can legally perform almost any sex acts on each other they choose but are deemed too young to watch others do the same. Just seems odd that the age for legal sex is different to the legal age for watching it.
NeilUK
NeilUK
http://www.celebritiesrus.com/blog
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
Yes it was trading standards but they still have the power....The Old Bill are probably relaxing when it comes to porn matters but trading standards seem to have taken up the fight !!!
In many cases it now seems that Trading Standards, Public Health , Customs & Excise or any other department that interfere with our lives seem to have MORE power than the Old Bill!!
Chris
In many cases it now seems that Trading Standards, Public Health , Customs & Excise or any other department that interfere with our lives seem to have MORE power than the Old Bill!!
Chris
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Officer Dibble
- Posts: 2372
- Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2017 2:40 am
Re: Have the rozzers mellowed?
"Wasn't it Trading Standards officers who brought those recent cases, egged on by some licensed sex shops."
Good point mart - for a change. Yes, I had an interesting conversation with a major player in the R18 market 12 months ago. She seemed quite miffed that she was shelling out BBFC fees to classify American and Euro stuff for UK distribution, but the pesky British punters were just by passing her R18 stuff and purchasing the same movies (uncertificated) from the original American and European distributors! I said, "Hey chill out. That's the free market in action. Your problem is not the British punters and unlicensed distributors, it's the bullshit rules and regulations that stop you getting your wares into HMV, Virgin, newsagents and garage forecourts. You should be putting the boot in the government and bureaucrats, not Joe public, or the other unlicensed distributors that are giving the punters what they want." But she didn't take my point and muttered darkly about forcing Trading Standards to act against distributors who were peddling original US and euro movies to Brit punters.
Maybe she didn't realise it, but what she really wanted and expected was a closed shop. She wanted fuck film distribution to herself and a handful of other players. She though she was onto a good thing being one of the few big R18 distributors, and was totally dismayed when Joe punter simply bypassed all the wanky bureaucratic R18 bollocks and ordered what they wanted from international web stores. I say good on the punters and unlicensed distributors, fuck the system, don't let 'them' tell you what you can and can't buy, or when and where.
Officer Dibbs
Good point mart - for a change. Yes, I had an interesting conversation with a major player in the R18 market 12 months ago. She seemed quite miffed that she was shelling out BBFC fees to classify American and Euro stuff for UK distribution, but the pesky British punters were just by passing her R18 stuff and purchasing the same movies (uncertificated) from the original American and European distributors! I said, "Hey chill out. That's the free market in action. Your problem is not the British punters and unlicensed distributors, it's the bullshit rules and regulations that stop you getting your wares into HMV, Virgin, newsagents and garage forecourts. You should be putting the boot in the government and bureaucrats, not Joe public, or the other unlicensed distributors that are giving the punters what they want." But she didn't take my point and muttered darkly about forcing Trading Standards to act against distributors who were peddling original US and euro movies to Brit punters.
Maybe she didn't realise it, but what she really wanted and expected was a closed shop. She wanted fuck film distribution to herself and a handful of other players. She though she was onto a good thing being one of the few big R18 distributors, and was totally dismayed when Joe punter simply bypassed all the wanky bureaucratic R18 bollocks and ordered what they wanted from international web stores. I say good on the punters and unlicensed distributors, fuck the system, don't let 'them' tell you what you can and can't buy, or when and where.
Officer Dibbs