United States obscenity law
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US courts have ruled that the First Amendment protects "indecent" pornography from regulation, but not "obscene" pornography. People convicted of distributing obscene pornography face long prison terms and asset forfeiture.
The differentiation between indecent and obscene material, however, is a particularly difficult one, and a contentious First Amendment issue that has not fully been settled. Similarly, the level of offense (if any) generated by a profane word or phrase depends on region, context, and audience.
There have been two recent cases of obscenity trials in the American arts world: The Perfect Moment exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe and the lesser known Mike Diana case.
See also
- Communications Decency Act
- Attorney General's Commission on Pornography
- List of films condemned by the Legion of Decency
- Catholic Legion of Decency
- Anthony Comstock
- Lady Chatterley's Lover
- Anti-pornography movement
- Earl Kemp
- Mike Diana
- William Hamling (publisher)
- Brandon House
- Parliament News
- Redrup v. New York
- Miller v. California
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