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Appeals Court Rules On Internet Obscenity Standards

dark_requiem writes "The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that online content can be judged by the standards of the strictest community that is able to access it. The court upheld the conviction of pornography producer Paul F. Little, aka Max Hardcore, for violating obscenity laws in Tampa, despite the fact that the 'obscene' material in question was produced and sold in California. From the article: 'The Atlanta-based court rejected arguments by Little's attorneys that applying a local community standard to the Internet violates the First Amendment because doing so means material can be judged according to the standards of the strictest communities. In other words, the materials might be legal where they were produced and almost everywhere else. But if they violate the standards of one community, they are illegal in that community and the producers may be convicted of a crime. ... Jurors in Little's trial were told to judge the materials on the basis of how "the average person of the community as a whole — the Middle District of Florida" — would view the material.'"

2 of 697 comments (clear)

  1. America is bullshit by Jackie_Chan_Fan · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    FACT.

    We failed at being Free. Humans just dont like real freedom. We're too selfish.

  2. Re:Can you say Supreme Court? Sure you can.... by PolyDwarf · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Have you met our Supreme Court recently?

    If this were anything else but porn (and especially the kind of porn it is), I'd be with you. But, I'm afraid of the right-wing judges on there, and what they'll say about this.