Guidelines for submitting Title-only requests

An amendment to the VRA in 1993 allowed the BBFC to provide Certificates of Evidence on the basis of title alone by comparing the title of the seized work with the title recorded in the Board’s database of classified video works. Certificates of Evidence to this effect state that on the date specified (i.e the date of seizure) ‘no classification certificate had been issued in respect of a video work having a particular title’.

The Act provides that the title of a work will have a meaning in law and since several works may share the same title the Board is empowered to distinguish between different works by reference to the BBFC Registration number which is allocated to the work when classified. In line with this the VRA (Labelling) Regulations were amended in 1995 so as to require all recordings published, subsequently after 1 May 1996, to display the unique title (i.e. title of the work and Registration number) on the cassette label.

Where such evidence is required a request must be made using a Title-only request form and the following guidelines followed:

• All contact details and information relating to the case must be filled out on the form.
• The enquiry title must be taken from the title on screen.
• Where a recording is a compilation of various titles that may have been classified separately (e.g. cartoons, TV programmes) the individual titles should be provided.
• Every form containing a list of titles must carry an exhibit label number for the list itself. There is no need to number the individual titles on the list.
• Titles which are the subject of different offences should by grouped on different lists.
• We can accept a maximum of 200 titles per title-only case.

Request can be sent by email to evidence@bbfc.co.uk or by post to VRA certificates of evidence, BBFC, 3 Soho Square, London, W1D 3HD.