stevens of virginia. though he characterized them as educational, he received a 37-month sentence for selling them. he tells cnn the court's decision is exactly what he was hoping for. his lawyer condemns animal mistreatment but says video is a tool to stop it. how is it we learn about problems of animal cruelty? how do we learn about baby seals being clubbed? we see pictures, pictures galvanize us to action. >> reporter: the humane society of the united states has used undercover video to improve the treatment of cattle and inspection of meat. but the group says that for-profit videos of animals being tortured and killed is a different matter. >> if you sexually abuse a child in your basement, if you're not caught, should you be able to sell the video? of course not. that's child pornography. that's forbidden. the court says that's not protected speech. and the same principal who asupply to crush videos and