What 18 USC § 1462 - Importation or Transportation of Obscene Matters requires
18 USC § 1462 (originally enacted June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 768; amended numerous times including Pub. L. 104-208 to add 'interactive computer service' language) makes it a federal offence for any person to bring into the United States, or knowingly use any express company, common carrier, or interactive computer service (as defined in section 230(e)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934) for carriage in interstate or foreign commerce, of (a) any obscene, lewd, lascivious, or filthy book, pamphlet, picture, motion-picture film, paper, letter, writing, print, or other matter of indecent character; (b) any obscene sound recording or article producing sound; or (c) any drug, medicine, article, or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion, for any indecent or immoral use, or printed material giving information for unlawful uses; the penalty is fine and up to 5 years imprisonment first offence, increasing to 10 years for subsequent offences; § 1462 was Congress's foundational federal obscenity-importation statute and remains the primary tool for prosecuting cross-border obscenity smuggling and online obscenity hosting that crosses state or international lines.
Pillar: Adult Industry & Sexual Content Compliance · Authority: United States Congress (Act of June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 768; current text including 'interactive computer service' added by Communications Decency Act 1996, Pub. L. 104-104, title V, § 507, 110 Stat. 137, as confirmed by Pub. L. 104-208) · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:
Primary source: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1462
SHA-256 integrity: f9594738b597bdb06b924dbe1dd58259c78194b73f425ff1f28d8651848e08dc
Primary Citations — 5 traced to source
- 18 USC § 1462 OPENING CLAUSE: 'Whoever brings into the United States, or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof, or knowingly uses any express company or other common carrier or interactive computer service (as defined in section 230(e)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934), for carriage in interstate or foreign commerce -'
- 18 USC § 1462(a) PROHIBITED PRINTED AND VISUAL MATTER: 'any obscene, lewd, lascivious, or filthy book, pamphlet, picture, motion-picture film, paper, letter, writing, print, or other matter of indecent character; or'
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Access
- Discovery (free): /api/v1/nodes/us-18-usc-1462-importation-transportation-obscene.json — 6-field metadata
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- Canonical URL: https://bidda.com/intelligence/us-18-usc-1462-importation-transportation-obscene
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