We had a fairly famous person in Germany get his copy of [invalid URL removed]XANA AND DAX snatched up be German customs; pretty fucking funny when you consider what's on the X&D disc compared to what you can buy at any German smut shop.
It's very simple, Germany has tough laws to protect minors, so they prohibit mailorder sales since they do not agree that possessing a creditcard is proof of age (which is true, over here at least minors can get a creditcard if the parents sign the contract). In a shop they can ask for an ID (and carrying an ID with you is mandatory in Germany) if they don't believe you're an adult. For websites they have developed a system where you can get an accescode after entering your passport number, which is then checked in some central database. You would think this could work for online shopping too, but I guess they are afraid a minor might find your porn in the mail.
No, I don't think that the German government is that clever to protect the local distributors. I think they don't even know by theirself why they prohibite these things.
O.K. But shouldn't I have the rights as an adult to buy and order whatever I want, as long it is legal stuff and I'm only using it for myself ? I mean it's a very hard restriction to your freedom. And we all know that we heard a lot of this freedom gossip in the past few years. In this case I don't see it.
As long as you go in person to a sexshop you can buy whatever you want and is legal. It's the same in the UK, no mailorder, but you can go to a sexshop. All to protect the children!
One man's trash can be the next man's treasure. 1187 Posts 1/04
Posted - Sep 30 2006 : 8:27PM
My guess is that taxation enters the picture somewhere. Internet sales bypass sales taxes and import duties too and, as we all know, a government bureaucrat cares about little else except money and power.
1. You can always buy online from an inner-community retailer based in another country, which allows online ordering (Netherlands, Austria etc.) 2. Order only from outside-EU retailers, if the vendor "camouflages" the parcel. Many "mainstream" DVD online shops based in Australia and Hong Kong do it by default. Of course you have to pay a customs fee, if a parcel has "amazon.com, USA" or something like that plasrered all over it. It is not unusual that German DVD-philiacs have to go the customs bureau to "free" their DVDs.
Children should be protected in every possible way.
But do you really think these are the reasons ? I have read of many people who had problems with the customs, even though it was obvious the people who ordered the stuff would use it for themself.
It's ridiculous because neither the customs nor the government can explain this procedure. And no one will always get every movie he wants in a sexshop.
If you think this is crazy then check this out ...
In several countries there are these "Group of people" that rate movies. Guess what happened to a lot of fans of original language movies from US and the UK. Since those movies have not been rated by the local authorities they get seized by customs. In other words you can not even buy "bambi" from the staates without having to fear it will get seized due to not having this FSK bullshit printed on it
Freedom only exists in our minds . Everything else is a fraud
It's the stated reason, they have made mailordering adult movies illegal to protect the children. So if you order an adult movie from abroad, you are breaking the law, ergo customs will be nasty to you. Of course you have the old problem, when is a movie an adult movie, not always as clear cut.
This is indeed a strange thing that happens in Germany and it might actually be illegal:
THE COURT ( FOURTH CHAMBER ),
IN ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS SUBMITTED TO IT BY THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE BY ORDER OF 30 NOVEMBER 1984 , HEREBY RULES :
( 1 ) A MEMBER STATE MAY NOT RELY ON GROUNDS OF PUBLIC MORALITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF ARTICLE 36 OF THE TREATY IN ORDER TO PROHIBIT THE IMPORTATION OF CERTAIN GOODS ON THE GROUND THAT THEY ARE INDECENT OR OBSCENE , WHERE THE SAME GOODS MAY BE MANUFACTURED FREELY IN ITS TERRITORY AND MARKETED IN THAT TERRITORY SUBJECT ONLY TO AN ABSOLUTE PROHIBITION ON THEIR TRANSMISSION BY POST , A RESTRICTION ON THEIR PUBLIC DISPLAY AND , IN CERTAIN REGIONS , A SYSTEM OF LICENSING OF PREMISES FOR THE SALE OF THOSE GOODS TO CUSTOMERS AGED 18 YEARS AND OVER .
SUBJECT ONLY TO AN ABSOLUTE PROHIBITION ON THEIR TRANSMISSION BY POST is the key sentence here, a German sexshop is also not allowed to send movies by mail.
The"no-mailorder law" was in place long before the Internet was invented. So here you go with your theory.
BTW, I am German and I use to order porn from the US and therefore I have got orders confiscated because I violated this law. I still support it because it protects minors!
Why don't you ask the dealer to order for you! A good shop is able to get nearly any dvd you want (except too exotic stuff) The only problem is the price. A RedLightDistrict DVD is between 29.99€ and 34,99€ in an average sex shop in Germany.
Hmm...could be a way. About the price, it's very depressing looking on US-DVD sites on the internet, seeing prices like 4,95$ for some DVDs. And it's not even bad stuff !
Edited by - *KaylanNicole fan* on 10/5/2006 11:06:32 AM
Posted - Sep 30 2006 : 1:46PM
