Fiona Cooper and Certification
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NewAgent69
Fiona Cooper and Certification
Anyone know how Phil Sutcliffe aka Fiona Cooper gets away with selling uncertificated videos? He's been selling them for years and some of them should have been classified as the old R18 at the very least. Is there a loop-hole in the law or does he have friends in high places???
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joey
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
My guess (and only a guess) is that it's some version
(probably more complicated) of:
Company a (in yorkshire) produces the videos, sells them
to company b, registered in a foreign country. Company b
then sell them to uk customers. The clever part would be
that as the videos are produced in the uk and distributed
in the uk, they never actually need to go past customs,
even though the "vendor" is registered abroad.
There is a post elsewhere on here from someone who has
apparently investigated FC quite thoroughly. To find it
search for "passdata" from the search for the forum at
the top of the page (not the one on the left.) That post
would seem to contradict my idea of how it works, but
doesn't explain why FC should run a Stockholme address,
as well as a UK one. Also I think I've seen an American
address on some of the titles..
The puzzling thing is that the Fiona Cooper company is
very visible, if you look at the market at all, and is
not hidden behind any doors that a police investigation
could not open. They've been operating from the same
address for many years. Perhaps the plods assumed the
content sold was the same as the many tame 18-rated
offerings they produced during the early 90s. Or maybe
they just didn't reckon their chances of getting a
conviction.
(probably more complicated) of:
Company a (in yorkshire) produces the videos, sells them
to company b, registered in a foreign country. Company b
then sell them to uk customers. The clever part would be
that as the videos are produced in the uk and distributed
in the uk, they never actually need to go past customs,
even though the "vendor" is registered abroad.
There is a post elsewhere on here from someone who has
apparently investigated FC quite thoroughly. To find it
search for "passdata" from the search for the forum at
the top of the page (not the one on the left.) That post
would seem to contradict my idea of how it works, but
doesn't explain why FC should run a Stockholme address,
as well as a UK one. Also I think I've seen an American
address on some of the titles..
The puzzling thing is that the Fiona Cooper company is
very visible, if you look at the market at all, and is
not hidden behind any doors that a police investigation
could not open. They've been operating from the same
address for many years. Perhaps the plods assumed the
content sold was the same as the many tame 18-rated
offerings they produced during the early 90s. Or maybe
they just didn't reckon their chances of getting a
conviction.
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Anthony
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
Hi
I wrote back in the past regarding Fiona Cooper. Please see below transcript of it.
Anthony
Hi all
I have just seen a couple of postings on alt.fan.televisionx, that has me wondering. I seem to remember some postings on this site about who actually owns or runs "Fiona Cooper" and they were asking whether Phil Sutcliffe owns/runs it.
Well I did a check on companies house website and the name of the company (Fiona Cooper Audio Visual Ltd) on end of older tapes is listed at www.companieshouse.gov.uk/info/ and Fiona Cooper Audio Visual Ltd come up with an address:
FIONA COOPER AUDIO VISUAL LIMITED
THE COTTON MILL
SADDLEWORTH ROAD
ELLAND
WEST YORKSHIRE HX5 0AS
It so happens that you can check the PO Box Fiona Cooper uses. PO Box 16 Halifax West Yorkshire HX1 1EU, I seem to remember it is registered to above address in Elland.
Unfortunately it does not list company directors unless you pay for the company search. But I suspect Phil Sutcliffe will come up. I also checked to see if the name of "Fiona Cooper" is registered as a director of any company in the UK and nothing come up. If you check the BBFC site it also lists Phil Sutcliffe as director on many tapes from the past.
I did also manage to get hold of this companies telephone number and when I rang and asked for Phil Sutcliffe, I was told to hold a moment and then asked what it was regarding. I said it was personal. I then got through to a man who would not identify himself but asked where I got the telephone number from. I ended the call saying I was checking on an order.
TRANSCRIPT FROM gcollin@shrub.u-net.com on alt.fan.televisionx
"Well, I managed to talk to my "friend" (who's appeared in an FC video)
last night, and asked the question, as to Fiona's existance. The
company is, indeed, run by a chap by the name of Phil Sutcliffe, and
my "friend" isn't actually aware of the existance of a Fiona Cooper,
per se (but that's not to say that she doesn't actually exist). As to
whether or not he is the brother of Peter Sutcliffe, her response was
"well, that's the rumour".
Graeme.
So is she real or not??? Only if Fiona Cooper can right back and verify all this, until that time no one will properly know.
I can remember though in the late 1970s to early 1980s that Fiona Cooper did model in Fiesta, Knave magazines. The company also advertised in the back of these publications for a long while.
Also why do people keep knocking "Fiona Cooper" as a company?
When I bought tapes from this company, I always got what I asked for and delivery took no more than a few days. When I was delivered a duff tape I wrote and told them so, they said no bother and sent a replacement with no quibbles. A lot of other companies that advertise on this site should take notice of the level of customer service/excellence that "Fiona Cooper" the company have to offer. I doubt that these other companies were around in the early 1980s and a lot of them have gone to the wall in the past because of their level of service.
There has been a lot of postings recently saying so and so company ripped me off etc, but has anyone ever been ripped off by "Fiona Cooper" the company?
Does it really matter who runs it as long as you get what you ask for and on time??
I am in no way linked to this company I am just going by experience.
Anthony
I wrote back in the past regarding Fiona Cooper. Please see below transcript of it.
Anthony
Hi all
I have just seen a couple of postings on alt.fan.televisionx, that has me wondering. I seem to remember some postings on this site about who actually owns or runs "Fiona Cooper" and they were asking whether Phil Sutcliffe owns/runs it.
Well I did a check on companies house website and the name of the company (Fiona Cooper Audio Visual Ltd) on end of older tapes is listed at www.companieshouse.gov.uk/info/ and Fiona Cooper Audio Visual Ltd come up with an address:
FIONA COOPER AUDIO VISUAL LIMITED
THE COTTON MILL
SADDLEWORTH ROAD
ELLAND
WEST YORKSHIRE HX5 0AS
It so happens that you can check the PO Box Fiona Cooper uses. PO Box 16 Halifax West Yorkshire HX1 1EU, I seem to remember it is registered to above address in Elland.
Unfortunately it does not list company directors unless you pay for the company search. But I suspect Phil Sutcliffe will come up. I also checked to see if the name of "Fiona Cooper" is registered as a director of any company in the UK and nothing come up. If you check the BBFC site it also lists Phil Sutcliffe as director on many tapes from the past.
I did also manage to get hold of this companies telephone number and when I rang and asked for Phil Sutcliffe, I was told to hold a moment and then asked what it was regarding. I said it was personal. I then got through to a man who would not identify himself but asked where I got the telephone number from. I ended the call saying I was checking on an order.
TRANSCRIPT FROM gcollin@shrub.u-net.com on alt.fan.televisionx
"Well, I managed to talk to my "friend" (who's appeared in an FC video)
last night, and asked the question, as to Fiona's existance. The
company is, indeed, run by a chap by the name of Phil Sutcliffe, and
my "friend" isn't actually aware of the existance of a Fiona Cooper,
per se (but that's not to say that she doesn't actually exist). As to
whether or not he is the brother of Peter Sutcliffe, her response was
"well, that's the rumour".
Graeme.
So is she real or not??? Only if Fiona Cooper can right back and verify all this, until that time no one will properly know.
I can remember though in the late 1970s to early 1980s that Fiona Cooper did model in Fiesta, Knave magazines. The company also advertised in the back of these publications for a long while.
Also why do people keep knocking "Fiona Cooper" as a company?
When I bought tapes from this company, I always got what I asked for and delivery took no more than a few days. When I was delivered a duff tape I wrote and told them so, they said no bother and sent a replacement with no quibbles. A lot of other companies that advertise on this site should take notice of the level of customer service/excellence that "Fiona Cooper" the company have to offer. I doubt that these other companies were around in the early 1980s and a lot of them have gone to the wall in the past because of their level of service.
There has been a lot of postings recently saying so and so company ripped me off etc, but has anyone ever been ripped off by "Fiona Cooper" the company?
Does it really matter who runs it as long as you get what you ask for and on time??
I am in no way linked to this company I am just going by experience.
Anthony
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Pasta
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
joey wrote:
>
> My guess (and only a guess) is that it's some version
> (probably more complicated) of:
>
> Company a (in yorkshire) produces the videos, sells them
> to company b, registered in a foreign country. Company b
> then sell them to uk customers. The clever part would be
> that as the videos are produced in the uk and distributed
> in the uk, they never actually need to go past customs,
> even though the "vendor" is registered abroad.
>
> There is a post elsewhere on here from someone who has
> apparently investigated FC quite thoroughly. To find it
> search for "passdata" from the search for the forum at
> the top of the page (not the one on the left.) That post
> would seem to contradict my idea of how it works, but
> doesn't explain why FC should run a Stockholme address,
> as well as a UK one. Also I think I've seen an American
> address on some of the titles..
>
that's right, they have been advertising regularly in US mags and have recently started using very explicit ads showing girls with their "toys" as FC so charmingly put it.
> The puzzling thing is that the Fiona Cooper company is
> very visible, if you look at the market at all, and is
> not hidden behind any doors that a police investigation
> could not open. They've been operating from the same
> address for many years. Perhaps the plods assumed the
> content sold was the same as the many tame 18-rated
> offerings they produced during the early 90s. Or maybe
> they just didn't reckon their chances of getting a
> conviction.
It is interesting, they would surely be being raided by Trading Standards and Police all the time seeing as they are so open about their business. A few local shopkeepers I know of who supply under the counter porn (copies) are often done over by Trading Standards for selling uncertificated tapes. How do FC get away with it?
>
> My guess (and only a guess) is that it's some version
> (probably more complicated) of:
>
> Company a (in yorkshire) produces the videos, sells them
> to company b, registered in a foreign country. Company b
> then sell them to uk customers. The clever part would be
> that as the videos are produced in the uk and distributed
> in the uk, they never actually need to go past customs,
> even though the "vendor" is registered abroad.
>
> There is a post elsewhere on here from someone who has
> apparently investigated FC quite thoroughly. To find it
> search for "passdata" from the search for the forum at
> the top of the page (not the one on the left.) That post
> would seem to contradict my idea of how it works, but
> doesn't explain why FC should run a Stockholme address,
> as well as a UK one. Also I think I've seen an American
> address on some of the titles..
>
that's right, they have been advertising regularly in US mags and have recently started using very explicit ads showing girls with their "toys" as FC so charmingly put it.
> The puzzling thing is that the Fiona Cooper company is
> very visible, if you look at the market at all, and is
> not hidden behind any doors that a police investigation
> could not open. They've been operating from the same
> address for many years. Perhaps the plods assumed the
> content sold was the same as the many tame 18-rated
> offerings they produced during the early 90s. Or maybe
> they just didn't reckon their chances of getting a
> conviction.
It is interesting, they would surely be being raided by Trading Standards and Police all the time seeing as they are so open about their business. A few local shopkeepers I know of who supply under the counter porn (copies) are often done over by Trading Standards for selling uncertificated tapes. How do FC get away with it?
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joey
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
> A few local shopkeepers I know of who supply under
> the counter porn (copies) are often done over by Trading
> Standards for selling uncertificated tapes.
In fact I've even heard that one such shop has been done over by Trading Standards for selling copies of Fiona Cooper tapes on grounds of copyright infringement - or such was the story by the time I heard it, anyway.
> the counter porn (copies) are often done over by Trading
> Standards for selling uncertificated tapes.
In fact I've even heard that one such shop has been done over by Trading Standards for selling copies of Fiona Cooper tapes on grounds of copyright infringement - or such was the story by the time I heard it, anyway.
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nidgie
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
Maybe I'm being naive / stupid (take your pick!), but a search of the BBFC database shows lots of FC videos as certificated.
That being the case, there's no offence being committed(?)
N
That being the case, there's no offence being committed(?)
N
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joey
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
> a search of the BBFC database shows lots of
> FC videos as certificated.
Which is, of course, because the bbfc site only shows the
certificated ones.
But those aren't the same as the ones they sell from their catalogue (or from )
Look at the dates on the ones on the bbfc search results.
FC have been making hardcore videos (ie with insertion) for a long time. The earliest one, judging by the numbers, that I am aware of is V162, Michaela (Tiffany Walker) which I have seen an excerpt from, and which had a dildo scene.
The uncertificated Fiona Cooper videos arrive in plain white cardboard holders with handwritten catalogue numbers, and a red-on-white label on the cassette, giving the address: Box 567 11479 Stockholm Sweden. There is no 18 or R18 graphic anywhere in evidence.
However you can also occasionally pick up 18 rated Fiona Cooper videos in the mainstream second-hand video market. These tend to be very tame - so much so that you sometiimes catch no more than a brief glimps of pubes, in contrast to the mail-order product which are (mostly) guaranteed to be quite a bit beyond what would be permissable under an 18 certificate.
Except some (few) of the earlier (apparently uncertificated) V series, mostly before V600 or so, are probably re-issues of the certificated material.
There's almost nothing in the current uncertificated product that doesn't meet R18 standards, however, so maybe the company will change its distribution channels.
But as the existing setup (whatever it is!) seems successful (and mysteriously free from interference, for whatever reason... ) I don't really expect this.
Perhaps they will do a couple of experimental R18 releases...
(II am pretty sure that most, if not all, of the Fiona Cooper videos mentioned on this site (bgafd) are uncertificated, BTW.
The uncertificated ones have catalogue numbers like V162, X113, A412. There is a whole taxonomy of Fiona Cooper catalogue numbers which should be written up someday...
> FC videos as certificated.
Which is, of course, because the bbfc site only shows the
certificated ones.
But those aren't the same as the ones they sell from their catalogue (or from )
Look at the dates on the ones on the bbfc search results.
FC have been making hardcore videos (ie with insertion) for a long time. The earliest one, judging by the numbers, that I am aware of is V162, Michaela (Tiffany Walker) which I have seen an excerpt from, and which had a dildo scene.
The uncertificated Fiona Cooper videos arrive in plain white cardboard holders with handwritten catalogue numbers, and a red-on-white label on the cassette, giving the address: Box 567 11479 Stockholm Sweden. There is no 18 or R18 graphic anywhere in evidence.
However you can also occasionally pick up 18 rated Fiona Cooper videos in the mainstream second-hand video market. These tend to be very tame - so much so that you sometiimes catch no more than a brief glimps of pubes, in contrast to the mail-order product which are (mostly) guaranteed to be quite a bit beyond what would be permissable under an 18 certificate.
Except some (few) of the earlier (apparently uncertificated) V series, mostly before V600 or so, are probably re-issues of the certificated material.
There's almost nothing in the current uncertificated product that doesn't meet R18 standards, however, so maybe the company will change its distribution channels.
But as the existing setup (whatever it is!) seems successful (and mysteriously free from interference, for whatever reason... ) I don't really expect this.
Perhaps they will do a couple of experimental R18 releases...
(II am pretty sure that most, if not all, of the Fiona Cooper videos mentioned on this site (bgafd) are uncertificated, BTW.
The uncertificated ones have catalogue numbers like V162, X113, A412. There is a whole taxonomy of Fiona Cooper catalogue numbers which should be written up someday...
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John
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
Joey wrote:
There is a whole taxonomy of Fiona Cooper catalogue numbers which should be written up someday...
After having got out his dictionary to look up what taxonomy meant......
I agree and this has been discussed with Phil although if it ever comes off it's a long way down the list of priorities.
I have asked before if there was enough interest in this Forum to create an offshoot Forum dedicated purely to FC stuff. Nobody followed up on it.
I have a database of FC's work which presently runs to somewhere around 1230 video's. This includes FC name, video number and other similar type of information as given by FC together with more commonly known names i.e. those on BGAFD and/or modeling names as and when these have been discovered.
There is a whole taxonomy of Fiona Cooper catalogue numbers which should be written up someday...
After having got out his dictionary to look up what taxonomy meant......
I agree and this has been discussed with Phil although if it ever comes off it's a long way down the list of priorities.
I have asked before if there was enough interest in this Forum to create an offshoot Forum dedicated purely to FC stuff. Nobody followed up on it.
I have a database of FC's work which presently runs to somewhere around 1230 video's. This includes FC name, video number and other similar type of information as given by FC together with more commonly known names i.e. those on BGAFD and/or modeling names as and when these have been discovered.
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PaulE
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
I'm sure some of the very early Fiona Cooper videos - long before Michaela/Tiffany Walker - featured insertion. There was a blonde girl back in the early days - can't remember her name - who did a couple of scenes with a vibrator.
Then there was the "sherry bottle era" - the first I remember of those was a young dark-haied girl called Vicky - where several videos featured girls finding a new way of advertising Harvey's Bristol Cream!
I also seem to recollect some of the mail order videos having an '18' certificate marking on the label - and some were actually marketed for a short period of time through sex shops.
Then there was the "sherry bottle era" - the first I remember of those was a young dark-haied girl called Vicky - where several videos featured girls finding a new way of advertising Harvey's Bristol Cream!
I also seem to recollect some of the mail order videos having an '18' certificate marking on the label - and some were actually marketed for a short period of time through sex shops.
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Pasta
Re: Fiona Cooper and Certification
joey wrote:
> [snip]
> There's almost nothing in the current uncertificated product
> that doesn't meet R18 standards, however, so maybe the
> company will change its distribution channels.
>
> But as the existing setup (whatever it is!) seems successful
> (and mysteriously free from interference, for whatever
> reason... ) I don't really expect
> this.
>
> Perhaps they will do a couple of experimental R18 releases...
I should't think they will bother if things are working OK as they are. The BBFC charge an exorbitant sum of money per minute (you can check the exact rates at their site) to view a movie for certification. So why incur this extra expense when it appears unnecessary? It would add to the cost of what appear (and this is so rare in porn) to be a modestly good value for money product.
> [snip]
> There's almost nothing in the current uncertificated product
> that doesn't meet R18 standards, however, so maybe the
> company will change its distribution channels.
>
> But as the existing setup (whatever it is!) seems successful
> (and mysteriously free from interference, for whatever
> reason... ) I don't really expect
> this.
>
> Perhaps they will do a couple of experimental R18 releases...
I should't think they will bother if things are working OK as they are. The BBFC charge an exorbitant sum of money per minute (you can check the exact rates at their site) to view a movie for certification. So why incur this extra expense when it appears unnecessary? It would add to the cost of what appear (and this is so rare in porn) to be a modestly good value for money product.