New Obscenity Charges Raise Questions in Internet Age

A long-standing court test using community standards to determine whether adult content is criminally obscene has been a potential problem area for the U.S. pornography industry. But a debate that's been largely abstract for years has recently changed as the U.S. Department of Justice successfully prosecuted two Web site operators for obscenity.

Last Friday, Paul F. Little -- also known as Max Hardcore -- was sentenced to 46 months in prison, as well as a US$7,500 fine for distributing adult videos online and through the mail. The Florida judge also fined Little's company, MaxWorld Entertainment, $75,000 and shut down his Web site.

Read more....