The Agreement for the Suppression of the Circulation of Obscene Publications is a multilateral anti-pornography treaty that was initially negotiated and concluded in Paris in 1910. It was amended by a 1949 Protocol. As of 2013, the treaty has 57 state parties.

The treaty was concluded on 4 May 1910 in Paris and was initially entitled the Agreement for the Repression of Obscene Publications. The treaty was initially agreed to by a number of states, including France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Great Britain. Through the treaty, the states agreed to designate a government authority tasked with sharing with the other states information regarding obscenity offences "where the various acts constituting the offence have taken place in different countries". The treaty applied to "obscene writings, designs, pictures or objects". In 1923, states agreed to criminalise the creation, distribution, and trade of obscene works via the Convention for the Suppression of the Circulation of and Traffic in Obscene Publications.

In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly agreed to a Protocol which would amend the 1910 treaty. On 4 May 1949 at Lake Success, New York, the Protocol was signed by a number of states. Ultimately, the Protocol was ratified by 35 states, which caused the revised treaty to come into force on 1 March 1950. One of the changes made by the Protocol was the name of the treaty. As of 2013, the 1949 version of the treaty remains in force and has 57 state parties.

Signatures and ratifications of the 1910 treaty

The following states ratified the 1910 treaty:

State	Date signed	Date ratified, acceded or succeeded	Notes
Principality of Albania	–
Austria-Hungary	1910	1910
Belgium	1910	1910
Brazil	1910	1910
Kingdom of Bulgaria	–
Republic of China	–
Czechoslovakia	–
Czech Republic	–	1993
Denmark	1910	1910
Kingdom of Egypt	–
Estonia	–
Fiji	–	1971
Finland	–
French Republic	1910	1910
German Empire	1910	1910
Irish Free State	–
Kingdom of Italy	1910	1910
Latvia	–
Liberia	–	2005
Luxembourg	–
Monaco	–
Netherlands	1910	1910
Norway	–
Poland	–
Kingdom of Portugal	1910	1910
Kingdom of Romania	–
San Marino	–
Slovakia	–	1993
Spain	1910	1910
Switzerland	1910	1910
Thailand	–
United Kingdom	1910	1910
Zimbabwe	–	1998

Ratifications of the 1949 treaty

State	Date ratified, acceded or succeeded	Notes
Australia	1949
Austria	1950
Belarus	1998
Belgium	1952
Burma	1949
Cambodia	1959
Canada	1949
Republic of China	1949	This ratification is currently in force for the People's Republic of China. Upon resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997, the China declared that the agreement would continue to be in force in Hong Kong.
Cuba	1983
Cyprus	1963
Czechoslovakia	1951
Czech Republic	1993
Democratic Republic of the Congo	1962	Ratified as "Republic of the Congo".
Denmark	1950
Kingdom of Egypt	1949
Fiji	1971
Finland	1949
France	1949
Ghana	1958
Haiti	1953
Iceland	1950
India	1949
Iran	1959
Iraq	1950
Ireland	1952
Italy	1952
Jamaica	1964
Jordan	1959
Lesotho	1975
Liberia	2005
Luxembourg	1955
Madagascar	1963
Malawi	1965
Ireland	1952
Federation of Malaya	1957	This ratification is currently in force for Malaysia.
Malta	1967
Mauritius	1969
Mexico	1952
Montenegro	2006
Netherlands	1950
New Zealand	1950
Nigeria	1961
Norway	1949
Pakistan	1951
Romania	1950
Serbia and Montenegro	2001	Ratified as the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia". This ratification is currently in force for Serbia.
Sierra Leone	1962
Slovakia	1993
Solomon Islands	1981
South Africa	1950
Soviet Union	1949	This ratification is currently in force for the Russian Federation.
Sri Lanka	1949	Ratified as "Ceylon".
Switzerland	1949
Tanganyika	1962	This ratification is currently in force for Tanzania.
Trinidad and Tobago	1966
Turkey	1950
United Kingdom	1949
Yugoslavia	1953
Zambia	1974

Further reading

• Perry, Stuart. The Indecent Publication Tribunal: A Social Experiment. With Text of the Legislation Since 1910 and Classifications of the Tribunal (Whicombe and Tombs, 1965).

External links

• Ratifications of initial 1910 treaty.
• Signatories and ratifications of the 1949 amending Protocol.
• Ratifications of amended 1949 treaty.