Mattsson flouted Norway's insistence on putting black censorship bars over images of 'genitalia in action that may offend' by printing up an uncensored but far from sensational magazine called Frie Aktuell Rapport. He not only gave it away, he sent a copy to every Member of Parliament and waited for trouble.

The long legal process that resulted nearly broke Mattsson. After first being acquitted, prosecutors appealed the verdict and an appeals court found Mattsson guilty. Mattsson took the case to the Supreme Court, but having lost his job, offered to pay his fine in order to put an end to the matter.

"After a collective assessment I have concluded that the threshold for what today is deemed to be offensive - and therefore punishable - cannot be said to have been transgressed," is how first-voting Supreme Court judge Ole Bjørn Støle ruled, and the decision was unanimous.

Mattson said the ruling finally upheld his view that he had done nothing wrong by showing 'regular sex', uncovered, and he sent his thanks to Socialist Left Party politician and porn hater Lena Jensen, for bringing the original complaint against him.

"We are waiting to push the button, first we just have to make sure exactly what is legal," said Finn Engnes, manager of Erotic Wholesales, who has so far specialized in importing sex toys, oils and lingerie. Engnes said he expects a green light and is already lining up producers from Europe and the USA.

"We interpret the ruling to apply to the printed medium and not film. We conduct ourselves according to Norwegian law and so will not be changing our programming offering because of this ruling," said Canal + managing director Bjørn Stangjordet.

Meanwhile, politicians are ready to respond by introducing new and more specific legislation to keep porn at bay. Parliamentary members of the governing coalition signaled that they would push for a new examination of censorship legislation, and they can expect the enthusiastic support of the Christian Democrats.

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