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FAQ: Buying Adult Films |
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What is Legal? At about the time when hardcore was legalised, the law enforcement agencies got together and agreed that they would all adhere to the BBFC guidelines for R18 videos:
The following content is not acceptable:
- any material which is in breach of the criminal law
- material likely to encourage an interest in abusive
- sexual activity (eg paedophilia, incest) which may include depictions involving adults role-playing as non-adults
- the portrayal of any sexual activity, whether real or simulated, which involves lack of consent
- the infliction of pain or physical harm, real or (in a sexual context) simulated. Some allowance may be made for mild consensual activity
- any sexual threats or humiliation which do not form part of a clearly consenting role-playing game
- the use of any form of physical restraint which prevents participants from withdrawing consent, for example, ball gags
- penetration by any object likely to cause actual harm or associated with violence
- activity which is degrading or dehumanising (examples include the portrayal of bestiality, necrophilia, defecation, urolagnia)
The following content, subject to the above, may be permitted:
- aroused genitalia
- masturbation
- oral-genital contact including kissing, licking and sucking
- penetration by finger, penis, tongue, vibrator or dildo
- non-harmful fetish material
- group sexual activity
- ejaculation and semen
These guidelines make no distinction between heterosexual and homosexual activity.
What is not legal?
Updated July 2010
The basic legal restrictions on possession of hardcore pornography is that the material should be adult and consensual. Some extreme material such as scat, golden showers and fisting is also currently legal.
However Section 63 of the Criminal Justice & Immigration Act passed in 2008 bans the possession of an extreme pornographic image. An image falls within this subsection if it is pornographic and portrays, in an explicit and realistic way, any of the following
- an act which threatens a person's life
- an act which results, or is likely to result, in serious injury to a person's anus, breasts or genitals
- an act which involves sexual interference with a human corpse
- a person performing an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal (whether dead or alive), and a reasonable person looking at the image would think that any such person or animal was real.
See further details
Where Can I buy Hardcore Videos & DVDs? Hardcore videos may now be legally bought from:
- Any licensed sex shop in the UK
- Any unlicensed shop in the UK (*)
- Any UK based online sex shop (*)
- Any overseas based online sex shop.
- Any mail order company in the UK (*)
- Any mail order company based overseas
(*) Note that although it is legal to buy, the seller may be liable to prosecution. In fact no UK company can legally sell unclassified DVDs or R18 DVDs via mail order. This has been confirmed by the High Court but is waiting further examination by the European Court. Note that companies are considered to be British if they are being controlled by people from Britain. The location of the web server for an internet site has no bearing on the issue.
See also: Is it legal to import hardcore?
Where Can I buy Hardcore Magazines? Hardcore magazines may be bought from any UK shop. The restrictions on selling videos in licensed shops are limited to video material and do not apply to books and magazines. In fact even any 18 age restrictions are a matter of convention rather than law.
- Any high street newsagent
- Any licensed sex shop in the UK
- Any unlicensed shop in the UK
- Any UK based online sex shop
- Any overseas based online sex shop.
- Any mail order company in the UK
- Any mail order company based overseas
Is it legal to download hardcore from the Internet? Material that is legal to possess as specified above may also be downloaded via the internet.
Is it legal to publish hardcore on the Internet?
There is now a unified approach to all media amongst the enforcement agencies, eg police, CPS, Customs, Trading Standards etc. The BBFC R18 guidelines are used to define what is legal to publish over the Internet. So now it is perfectly legal to publish hardcore in the UK. And in fact UK publishers can legally provide streaming or downloadable video without the need for a sex shop licence.
However the Obscene Publications Act still applies to internet publishing. It is currently considered illegal to publish extreme pornography such as scat, bestiality, fisting and pissing. Theoretically it is up to a jury whether such material is actually considered obscene, but in reality, the prosecutors have stitched up the law to maintain their view of what they consider obscene.
What do the BBFC Certificates Mean?
Issued by the BBFC to indicate that a video/DVD maybe legally sold in a licensed sex shop. All R18 videos classified since August 2000 contain hardcore material. The majority of R18 videos are the same versions as sold in the US or Europe. The only common prohibition not made clear in the guidelines is that the BBFC do not like 'rough sex'. Spitting, hair pulling and partial asphyxiation are all routinely cut.
18 rated videos may be sold in any shop in the UK and are softcore. There a few exceptions for 'worthy' films and sex education videos where 18 videos may contain some hardcore scenes. No Certificate
There are no legal problems in buying uncertificated videos from abroad or from foreign websites as long as they are with in the BBFC R18 guidelines detailed above. Videos featuring pissing or fisting are considered outside of the BBFC R18 guidelines and are liable to confiscation. One can also purchase uncertificated videos from UK shops, UK websites or via UK mail order companies. The seller is liable to prosecution but the buyer is not breaking any laws.
Any Suggestions For Good Shops? Sex Shops
- I maintain a list of UK & Ireland sex shops many of which have reviews submitted by readers
Online Shops
- I maintain a list of online shops selling DVDs
Video on Demand
- I maintain a list of web sites for video on demand
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