Nudity and profanity on all titles in LOVEFiLM’s Watch Online service will be censored from 1st June 2010, due to European Commission fears over policing and certitification of video-on-demand streaming.
As the leading UK proponents of digital streaming, LOVEFiLM has been identified by the EU to fall under the same draconian standards levied across mainland Europe, which place 18-rated and some 15 certificate movies in the same bracket as hardcore adult titles.
EU Commissioners have also instituted a pay-per-profanity charge. Rejecting claims that this is effectively a swear-box tax in reverse, Prof. Lydia Sola said: “Online content with strong language will still be available to those who want it, but the surcharges will help protect those who do not.”
We are framing a legal protest to this unilateral and heavy-handed approach. In addition, we intend to highlight the foolishness of the entire system by replacing default censorship graphics with images of satirical value – puppies on breasts, for example, or cucumbers to conceal male members – and dubbing over the more extreme profanities with words like chuff and foo-foo.
You can, of course, continue to watch 15 and 18 certificate films unmolested by renting DVD and Blu-ray versions of these titles, as these fall under normal UK licencing.
