Cyberspace Obscenity, Pornography and Sexually Explicit Materials Pornography is a generic term for sexually explicit materials.
Some pornography is protected by the free speech provisions of the First Amendment.
Obscenity is a subset of pornography that does not enjoy First Amendment protection. The line between what is obscene and what is not is hard to draw with any precision. Generally, obscenity and child pornography are illegal. Other sexually explicit materials are legal. Under both state and federal law, it is a crime to publish, sell, distribute, display, or, in some cases, merely to possess obscene materials or child pornography.