The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was the set of industry censorship guidelines governing the production of United States motion pictures. The Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association (MPPDA), which later became the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), adopted the code in 1930, began effectively enforcing it in 1934, and abandoned it in 1968 in favor of the subsequent MPAA film rating system. The Production Code spelled out what was morally acceptable and morally unacceptable content for motion pictures produced for a public audience in the U.S.A.