I tell Fonkelsrud that I don't believe this is really DHL's primary concern. Given that passing judgment on what is and is not pornographic is a fairly complex matter, I ask Fonkelsrud again why DHL interjects itself into the process at all. If you thought there might be a question about certain photographs, you could even alert customs, to show that you are cooperating with them, and ask them for their judgment. If they know we pre-screen, they don't scrutinize our shipments as closely as they would otherwise, and that saves customers cost and time. Since the shipment in question contained nude photography, it fell into this category.
Nudity equals pornography.
End of story. I explain to Fonkelsrud that neither current interpretation of American law nor current British customs policy equates nudity with pornography. He seems surprised to hear this and, I think doesn't believe me. Presumably, in this case, he means that nudity would be considered pornography by British customs. I explain in return that I also have a good deal of experience shipping erotic photographs to many countries around the world, including Britain, and that while the photographs involving bondage are more questionable, there is no country in Western Europe that considers nude photography to be inherently pornographic.