If you’re looking for a copy of “Fifty Shades of Grey” in Germany, you have to wait until 10 in the evening to get your erotic fiction fix.
Booksellers in the country are prohibited from selling erotic books before 10 p.m.; otherwise, they will be fined USD 56,000. The regulation was enforced due to a legal complaint over a transgender memoir called “Schlauchgelüste”—“Pantyhose Cravings” as translated by Google Translate—that was easily accessible online.
Germany’s Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons has amended a 2002 Deutschland regulation to include the erotic book ban. Previously, the law only restricted adult films to be shown in cinemas between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
The move has raised some eyebrows.
Digital media blogger Nate Hoffelder is among those who have expressed skepticism.
“Do (German regulators) really believe that the adult Internet, including porn sites, pirate sites, video sites, etc., is going to be turned off for 16 hours a day?”
So is Jessica Sanger, a legal team member of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association.
“A time lock doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to us, as kids can find ways to circumvent that. A system that requires proof of age is harder to circumvent, and that is the way we see things going.” She adds, “We are currently working together with Germany’s youth protection authorities on the precise details of a possible solution.”
Hello,
I am the writer of tis german transgender-book “SCHLAUCHGELÜSTE (under pseudonym Jacob Winter) It was already taken from bookmarket in september 2013 for renewing and new title and in june 2015 suddenly published in the index-list. After 2 years ! ! ! And also used as reason for this ebook-“selling in the night”-.nonsense. So what !”. Since june 2014 the renewed book is n bookmarket with nearly same contents and with title ERREGUNGEN Champagner für die transfrau. With big succes.
P:S:: But PANTYHOSE CRAVINGS was also a very funny title