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On iPhone, Searching For Kama Sutra = Porn

Posted by timothy on from the welcome-to-the-library-here-is-your-book dept.

heychris writes "Eucalyptus, an ebook app for iPhone, has been rejected from the App Store for 'objectionable content.' What's so objectionable? The Kama Sutra, available from Project Gutenberg, which is available on other ebook readers as well. Not only that, but the screenshot shows that you would have to search for Kama Sutra to get it; it's not built in to Eucalyptus. The author is reasonable but frustrated, while Herr Gruber is more succinct." I wonder how good the now-cheap Nokia 810 is as an e-book reader.

18 of 283 comments (clear)

  1. The Kama Sutra isn't porn by Daimanta · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now excuse me, I'm going to read some find articles in the Playboy.

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power lost.
    1. Re:The Kama Sutra isn't porn by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 5, Informative
      It's actually not. Most of it is about relationships and marriage. Yes part of it has advice about sex but it's descriptive rather than erotic. Plus it's translated from Sanskrit so it's hardly readable. Here's a sample:

      On the occasion of a 'high congress' the Mrigi (Deer) woman should lie down in such a way as to widen her yoni, while in a 'low congress' the Hastini (Elephant) woman should lie down so as to contract hers. But in an 'equal congress' they should lie down in the natural position. What is said above concerning the Mrigi and the Hastini applies also to the Vadawa (Mare) woman. In a 'low congress the woman should particularly make use of medicine, to cause her desires to be satisfied quickly.

      Plus the famous pictures were only added later and aren't part of the actual work.

    2. Re:The Kama Sutra isn't porn by need4mospd · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...woman should lie down in such a way as to widen her yoni,

      I love it when a woman widens her yoni.

    3. Re:The Kama Sutra isn't porn by emag · · Score: 5, Funny

      Stop that, I'm (still) at work, and that's getting me hot...

      --
      "The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." --H.L. Mencken
    4. Re:The Kama Sutra isn't porn by beadfulthings · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Yes, it's a 5,000 year old marriage manual with religious overtones. But the good folks at Apple can't allow us to be distracted from their bestsellers--immortal classics like "Pee Monkey" and "Urinal Test..." (or whatever the hell it's called).

      --
      "Here's what's happening. You're starting to drive like your Dad..." - Red Green
    5. Re:The Kama Sutra isn't porn by sexconker · · Score: 5, Funny

      You've mastered a dead tongue. But can ya handle a live one?

    6. Re:The Kama Sutra isn't porn by noidentity · · Score: 5, Funny

      On the occasion of a 'high congress' the Mrigi (Deer) woman should lie down in such a way as to widen her yoni[...]

      I love it when a woman widens her yoni.

      Unfortunately, having the high congress present kills he mood pretty quickly.

  2. They should pull a Trent Reznor by lothos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They should pull a Trent Reznor and re-submit the app. It sounds like approval is very subjective based on the reviewer. Chances are it might get approved the second time around.

    --
    Hosting and Domain name coupons
    1. Re:They should pull a Trent Reznor by AmazingRuss · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've heard of several instances where people re-submitted unchanged apps and had them accepted. I'm guessing apple has a sweatshop somewhere in Asia stocked with marginal english speakers evaluating apps.

    2. Re:They should pull a Trent Reznor by harryandthehenderson · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If "it allows people looking for porn to find porn" is a valid criteria for rejecting an app, I suspect Apple is going to have to reject a lot more apps.

      And they would have to retroactively reject their own web browser.

  3. Here's a suggestion: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you are so opposed to Apple's censorship, STOP BUYING AND HYPING THEIR PRODUCTS.

    Until techy geeks stop hyping everything Apple does as the "next big thing" and start paying attention to the shady shit that Apple pulls every day, the situation will never get better.

    1. Re:Here's a suggestion: by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Of course it's censorship. It's just not government censorship. That means it isn't illegal, it's just moronic, stupid, vile, idiotic, repugnant and pathetic.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    2. Re:Here's a suggestion: by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem is theres really no other alternative.

      You're shitting me.

      Please don't pretend that it's all about the "A)..multi-touch enabled captive touchscreen".

      Why are people so resistant to simply admitting it's a fashion accessory? There's no shame in wanting something for status' sake. You don't have to make up rationalizations.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    3. Re:Here's a suggestion: by nausea_malvarma · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Because it's not. We use it because it has good features and is easy to use, plus a million others reasons.

      Why are people so resistant to admitted that it's not just a fashion accessory but is actually a great, intuitive piece of technology.

      CAR ANALOGY:

      A Porsche has good features, and it's easy to use. Infact, Porsches are good cars, and great pieces of technology. But that doesn't mean everyone needs a Porsche, or that all Porsche purchases are motivated by the car's attractive specs.

      Infact, most people buy Porsches because they are a trendy status symbol, and owning one makes you look cool and important. Like the iphone.

  4. Karma Sutra is misunderstood... by Manip · · Score: 5, Informative

    A lot of people have the mistaken impression that the Karma Sutra is a sex guide when in reality it is a guide to having and maintaining a strong relationship.

    For example it talks about marriage, how to meet women, and other things that you might expect from any modern relationship guide. It has a few sections about sex, kissing, and such but isn't the "sexual positions" guide that people think it is (often mis-referenced as such).

    It is no more porn than any modern relationship book (e.g. "Women are from venus men are from mars").

  5. The Author's Blog response by heychris · · Score: 5, Informative
    Hi folks,

    Original submitter here. It seems the root link to the the author's blog is gone, though it's in the firehose submission:

    http://www.blog.montgomerie.net/whither-eucalyptus

    He's posting his entire dealings with Apple, mostly of the form letter variety. Hope this app nonsense gets cleared up soon.

    CC

  6. Kama Sutra is not porn by bzzfzz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It is difficult to imagine how the text-only English translation of the Kama Sutra could be considered porn by anyone who has not spent the last 20 years in a Skinner box. Today, it is probably best understood as an interesting piece of history, since its contents are neither especially informative or titillating.

    Of course, if some of the reviewers at Apple have spent the last 20 years in a Skinner box, that would explain a number of the bogus rejections.

  7. Jesus Christ by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I agree with the more "succinct" blog commenter that is linked in the summary; this is a truly execrable move on Apple's part. The point isn't just that the Kama Sutra can be found elsewhere or that it doesn't meet the definition of pornography. I'm sorry, but the Kama Sutra is one of the world's great religious texts, and is a great literary work in its own right. That Apple would put itself on the side of prohibiting access to it on some sort of moral grounds is completely outrageous. Apple should issue a public apology and fire the person who made this decision. Better yet, they should make the app store approval process more content-neutral, but we know that's not going to happen.