UK - Porn to be Wild......

An administrative blunder under the Thatcher government that has only just come to light has opened the door for retailers to sell unauthorised DVDs and video games, including banned films and pornography, to anyone, including under-age children without legal threat.

The Crown Prosecution Service has been told to drop cases relating to offences under the Video Recordings Act, which imposes statutory requirements for videos, DVDs and some video games to be classified and age-rated by the British Board of Film Classification.

The Conservative government’s apparent failure to notify the European Union of the existence of the VRA in 1984 means that the legislation is no longer enforceable in the UK.

“As 25 years ago the then British government did not notify the European Commission of the VRA’s classification and labelling requirements, they cannot now be enforced against individuals in the UK courts,” said a letter from Barbara Follett, parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

The DCMS discovered the error during preparatory work for the digital economy bill, which is going to make “Pegi”, Europe’s current voluntary video games rating system, legally enforceable. The department received legal advice from government lawyers on Friday.