http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/05/24/ad...s_no_mailorder/

UK court bans online porn sales
By John Oates

Pornmongers in the UK can no longer send videos or DVDs through the post or sell them online.

Sex shops in the UK cannot sell adult material except to people who visit their premises. The High Court ruled yesterday that such restrictions are legal because they help prevent pornography being bought by children.

Two UK companies brought the appeal after being fined by Trading Standards for selling restricted material by post. They argued that the ban was unfair because companies outside the UK would ignore it and damage British businesses.

But the judgement said the restrictions are lawful. The main reason for ensuring a face-to-face meeting between seller and buyer was to make sure the buyer was old enough.

.........

R18 movies, to my knowledge, were alway supposed to be sold in person.

All this is going to do is ensure that more of the UKs 'adult' interests are taken offsore to places like the Nethelands (where 90% of R18 movies are mailed from anyway).

Not really surprised by this considering how tight arsed our porn laws are here in the UK. <_<

it is just enforcing the way in which a physcial product that until recently couldn't be sold even in a real shop is sold. It is like requiring ID to buy a gun. The best I can tell it doesn't do anything for a website streaming a video..but rather you can't order a physical video that arives in the mail.

Certainly an interesting restriction.