[1] The 17th century saw a rise in interest in and production of pornographic literature in the Republic of the Netherlands, including the publication of 'The glorious deeds of John Shit, dedicated to the kackhuys' (De doorluchtige daden van Jan Stront, opgedragen aan het kackhuys) in 1684.
The Supreme Court ruled that while the broadcast was illicit, it was not 'offensive to decency', and the movie was permitted to be screened to persons aged 18 or over in theaters that could seat up to 50 people.
[5] On February 18, 1977, Cinema Parisien in Amsterdam aired the film in a theater that could seat more than 50 people in order to provoke a test case.
The first law to legalise pornography in the Netherlands was drafted in 1979, which included a lift on the ban on making, spreading or owning pornographic text, images and items.
The law took until 1984 to be accepted by the Dutch Parliament, being edited several times in the process, including the last change in 1984 which stated that the ban for child pornographic images would not be lifted.
[6] In 2006, the Party for Neighbourly Love, Freedom and Diversity sought to legalise the possession of child pornography, under the condition that it would be approved when the children involved participated voluntarily and were not exploited.
[9] Owning material showing 'nudity in a family setting' is not illegal, neither are depictions of cherubs, as the addition of wings deem the images unrealistic.