June 23, 2005 | Sex & Society

2257 goes into effect

Federal regulations mandating strict proof of age record keeping requirements by adult businesses go into effect today.

The unweildly - and most likely unconstitutional - requirements defined by Regulation 2257, Title 18 (pdf) of the US Criminal Code require that any publisher - including a website - that  purchases, leases or borrows content created by a primary producer (which, by the way, already has appropriate proof of age records on file) must also keep proof of age records on their premises - and that these records be available for inspection by federal authorities with no notice. Violators are subject to fines and imprisonment.

However the adult industry lobby group Free Speech Coalition (FSC) announced that it has brokered a deal with the U.S. government that precludes enforcement of the regulations against its members until a federal district court rules on the FSC�s request for a preliminary injunction in August. (Non- FSC companies can still be prosecuted.)  The move by the Coalition is the first in what is expected to be a drawn-out legal battle between the American porn industry and the U.S. Department of Justice. 

• Blue law makes webmasters see red [Wired]
• New policy threatens adult web content [Gay.com]
• 2257: The battle is joined [AVN Online]
• FSC deal: No 2257 prosecutions for members before August [AVN]