Quote:
Originally Posted by Redcard
Plus, Steve, you're an author. Pretend for a moment that your books were banned here based on content descriptors. Would you pay a fine from this state for distribution of your books here against the law?
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No.
I sell my novels from the state of Maryland, USA, which has no such laws banning my content. They are available all over the world, through the internet. I provide descriptors for my books, so no one has the excuse of not knowing in advance what they are buying. According to American law, if someone purchases one of my books (and presumably reads it) in an area where my books were banned, the fault would be theirs, not mine.
Obviously, a resident of Tennessee should be aware of their state laws concerning controlled materials. If my books (or any others) were banned, it would be the responsibility of the resident of TN not to buy said material. It is not legally my responsibility to restrict literature sold over the internet, whether it be to Tennessee or China. And if the resident disagrees with the state law, it is their responsibility either to obey the law, to attempt to legally have it changed, or to relocate to another state (admittedly, not everyone has the same options there).
Keep in mind, though: A descriptor only highlights the material that is already there... in other words, with or without the descriptor, if the words are illegal, they are illegal. If you are hoping your government just won't find the illegal material without a descriptor, you're probably in for an unwelcome surprise.