Pornography laws by region

The production and distribution of pornographic movies are economic activities of some importance. The exact size of the economy of pornography and the influence that it plays in political circles are matter of controversy.

North America

Main article: Pornography in the United States

In the United States, distribution of pornography changed radically after the 1980s, with videotape and cable television largely displacing X-rated theaters. Video distribution in turn is in the process of being replaced by DVD (and Internet distribution for niche markets). Distribution of pornography is a large industry that involves major entertainment companies such as Time Warner (which profits from pornography through its cable channels, and in-room movies provided by hotel chains).

The porn industry in Canada is mainly situated in Montreal, Quebec, the third largest porn producing city in the world after Los Angeles and Amsterdam. Canada has previously seen a major court case where pornographic writings involving children were deemed to be legal. Certain communities such as Medicine Hat, Alberta have seen divisive battles where restrictions have been placed on the sale of pornography. In Medicine Hat, Jim Ogston led an unsuccessful battle against the new restrictions for businesses to have the right to sell pornography.

Pornography generates billions of dollars in sales in the United States alone, and economists have suggested that it has now reached the point where the outlawing of the industry, which has been tried on many occasions, could have a major negative economic impact upon the country, and a prohibition-style legislated ban might spark a rise in organized crime much similar to that of the prohibition ban on alcohol did. An estimated 211 new pornographic films are made every week in the United States.

Japan

Main article: Pornography in Japan

The 1960s, in Japanese pornography, was the era of the independent Pink film. In the years since the end of World War II, eroticism had been gradually making its way into Japanese cinema. The first kiss to be seen in Japanese film-- discreetly half-hidden by an umbrella-- caused a national sensation in 1946. Nevertheless, until the early 1960s, graphic depictions of nudity and sex in Japanese film could only be seen in single-reel "stag films," made illegally by underground film producers such as those depicted in Imamura's film The Pornographers (1966). Nudity and sex would officially enter the Japanese cinema with the independent, low-budget softcore pornographic films which would come to dominate domestically-produced films in the 1960s and 1970s. These films were called eroductions during the early 1960s, but are now more commonly referred to as pink films. The first true pink film, and the first Japanese movie with nude scenes, was Satoru Kobayashi's controversial and popular independent production, Flesh Market (Nikutai no Ichiba, 1962), starring Tamaki Katori. Katori would go on to star in over 600 pink films throughout the 1960s, earning the nickname the "Pink Princess". In 1964 Tetsuji Takechi made the first big-budget, mainstream pink film, Daydream. Takechi would remake Daydream as Japan's first theatrical hardcore film in 1981, starring Kyoko Aizome.

Future "Nikkatsu Queens" Kazuko Shirakawa and Naomi Tani both made their debuts in 1967. Both actresses would appear in many pink films in the 1960s before beginning their work with Nikkatsu in the 1970s, for which they best known today. By the end of the 1960s, Naomi Tani was already known as the "Queen of Pink."

The 1970s was the era of big-studio softcore pornography in Japan. Mmmm boobies. Facing bankruptcy, Japan's major studios took over the pink film market. In 1971 Toei entered the sexploitation market with its "Pinky Violence" series, and Nikkatsu, Japan's oldest major film studio, started its Roman Porno line of pink films. As the popular star of Toei's sukeban (delinquent girl boss) series, Reiko Ike became one of the "icons of Pinky Violence." With its high production values, professional acting talent and talented directors like Tatsumi Kumashiro, Noboru Tanaka, Masaru Konuma and Koyu Ohara, Nikkatsu produced nothing but these often critically-acclaimed and award-winning softcore pornographic films for the next 17 years. This introduction of pornography into mainstream Japanese movie theaters has been credited with saving Nikkatsu from collapse at that time. Nikkatsu created a "Queen" ranking for its leading Roman Porno actresses. Kazuko Shirakawa, Junko Miyashita, and Naomi Tani were the leading Nikkatsu queens of the 1970s.

The 1980s were a period of transition in adult entertainment in Japan. With the widespread private ownership of VCRs, theatrical pornographic films had a new competitor for adult audiences in the form of the Adult Video (AV). By 1982 the AVs had already attained an approximately equal share of the adult entertainment market with theatrical erotic films. Early AV performers were often struggling actresses who could not find work in the theatrical Roman Porno films and girls from the soaplands. By the late 1980s, prominent AV actresses like Hitomi Kobayashi and Kaoru Kuroki were becoming multi-media stars, and creating a mainstream image for AVs and pornographic actresses. Though traditionally not partial to large breasts, in the mid-1980s busty models suddenly become popular in Japan. In 1989, the "Big Bust Boom" (巨乳ブーム - "Kyonyu Buumu") was set "on fire" with the AV debut of Kimiko Matsuzaka, leading to a "Big Bust" genre in Japanese adult entertainment.

India

Main article: Pornography in India

Pornography in India is illegal and attracts several penal provisions. However, enforcement is extremely lax and pornographic materials are easily available. The law also states that only the distribution of pornography is illegal, while its creation and accessing is not. Therefore, it is legal to access a pornographic site hosted on non-Indian servers. Pornographic films in India are referred to as Blue Films and are available virtually anywhere; especially in areas where pirated material is already being sold.

Latin America

In Latin America, the pornography industry production is somewhat limited. Yet pornography is abundant, especially pirate DVDs from the USA and Europe, which are present in the streets of most capitals in Latin America. Brazil is perhaps the only country that openly produces porn movies, but with mandatory use of condoms. In addition, in the last 10-15 years numerous American and European actors such as Rocco Siffredi, Nacho Vidal and John Stagliano among others have visited Brazil to produce movies there. Brazil is also a well known market for gay and transsexual pornography. Allegedly, African American actor Darren James contracted H.I.V. after shooting a scene in Brazil with actress Bianca Biaggi. Most American productions are shot without condoms. While Brazil continues to be one of the preferred places to shoot transsexual porn, Argentina is emerging as another source, with several titles already produced by major American companies (like Anabolic). Argentina is also widely used to shoot pornographic clips straight for the Internet, as well as photoshoots. These include transsexual and heterosexual pornography, and performers usually use condoms.

Other countries commonly visited by American companies involve Colombia and Mexico. Several other movies were produced by the European company Private in Costa Rica in the 1990’s. The American companies Anabolic and Diabolic produced several Latin based series such as Panochitas which included trips to places such as the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and even Chile.

Europe

Main article: European pornography

European hardcore pornography is dominated by a few pan-European producers and distributors, the most notable of which is the Private Media Group. Most European countries also have local pornography producers, from Portugal (e.g. Naturalvideo) to Romania (e.g. Floyd-Agency), with varying potentials of competition with international producers.

Women in European pornography typically have a so-called "more natural" look than in American pornography, with less emphasis on breast implants. The once popular style of Euro-chic pornography represented by directors Lasse Braun, Joe d'Amato, and Michel Gentil has lost ground and the Pierre Woodman style of video porn now attracts a larger audience. A few directors like Luca Damiano, Mario Salieri, and Alain Payet continue with the "older" cinematographic and dramatic styles that often distinguish European pornography from those of other cultures.

Throughout Europe, ostensibly private "stolen" videos featuring celebrities (mostly TV and music stars) having sex are very popular on the Internet and in the black market. It is debatable whether these videos were truly released without their participants' permission, or whether they constitute a type of publicity stunt planned by stars themselves. In recent years, starting with the Severina Vučković "incident" in 2004, the Croatian public has seen a great number of these videos being released, causing a phenomenon of imitation by teenagers.

Many U.S.-centric pornography websites distribute or focus on content shot in Europe or featuring actresses from European (particularly Eastern European) countries. These actresses (often advertised as "Eurobabes") may conform more to a look usually identified with U.S. actresses than European ones, although they may still be considered to look "more natural".

Soviet Union

Main article: Pornography in the Soviet Union

East Asia

The three main producers of pornography in Asia are Japan, Hong Kong, and Thailand. Japan has a large pornography industry (see Pornography in Japan) which features more natural looking women usually wearing little makeup servicing multiple men who tend to be anonymous. Women in some Asian pornography often act as if the sexual act were painful. In Japan, fetish pornography has a great variety, ranging from well-known bukkake to tamakeri. Hong Kong and Thailand produces much print pornography but less video. The men in Thai pornography tend to be younger than in Japanese or American pornography.

In 2004 and 2005, Malaysia was shocked with a few exposures of budding wannabe pornographers - couples having sex for the camera. While a few show the performers willingly doing it for the camera, others seem to have been captured secretly (voyeurism). VCD copies of pirated films can be easily found in the blackmarket(which is mostly in shopping centres)and is still rampant even though, actions are taken.

Middle East

Turkey, with its deeply rooted secular attitudes towards Islam, is an exception for pornography production in the Islamic World. After a long period of producing Italian-inspired softcore comedies in 1970s, the first hardcore film Öyle Bir Kadın Ki was legally distributed in 1979, followed by many more until the 1980 coup d'état, which strictly prohibited graphic sex in cinema. In the late 1990s, Turkish pornography lived a relatively humble revival, producing cheap material of much lower quality. Contemporary producers of Turkish porn (e.g. Trimax) are centred in Germany, although they still recruit their performers from Turkey, Sibel Kekilli and Şahin K being the most famous. Sibel Kekilli's life inspired the Golden Bear winning film Head-On.

In Azerbaijan in accordance with article 3 of the Media Act of December 7, 1999, the "pornographic materials" are defined as works of art, photographic reproductions of paintings, information and other materials the main content of which is the crude and undignified depiction of the anatomical and physiological aspects of sexual relations. Pornography in Azerbaijan is easily and cheaply obtainable in Baku, although not in most other places. Pornographic images, either printed or recorded may cause problems when crossing the border. Taking the soft-core materials should have no problems, but Azeri borders guards can require a few extra euros. Meanwhile the legal activity to combat child pornography is governed by 1998 Rights of the Child Act, 1999 Media Act, the Plan of Measures to Solve the Problem of Homeless and Street Children and the National Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

In Israel, pornographic films began to be produced in the 1990s, However most of the films were shot in the 2000s . Israeli pornography may be considered nascent but has gone a long way since its beginnings. Today, the biggest pornography company is SexStyle that produces films for the Israeli public. In 2003, the first pornographic film featuring Arab performers, produced by this company, caused a public uproar among Israeli Arab community.

In Lebanon pornographic films started to pop up with the hight of arab pop music and the start of serculasim in lebanon. It is illegal to produce and advertise any sort of pornographic filming, but the law is laxed to the extent that many arabs from other parts of the middle east come to purchase and buy porn films starring lebanese and other arab porn stars. Many pornographic movies in lebanon endorse images of arab popstars, with promises of the stars being featured in the movie

See also

• List of pornography laws by country