French court rules online alcohol ads illegal
PARIS (AFP) — A French court on Thursday ruled it illegal to advertise alcoholic drinks on the Internet, giving the Dutch brewer Heineken three weeks to take down beer ads from its French website.
Confirming a lower court decision, the Paris court of appeal upheld a plea from a French anti-alcoholism body that Heineken was in breach of the so-called Evin Law, which outlawed alcohol adverts on television in 1991.
Under the law, alcohol adverts are only allowed in the print media, on the radio and in sales outlets.
Heineken had argued that the telephone -- and by extension the Internet -- was not covered by the ban.
But the court agreed with the National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction (ANPAA) that alcohol ads on the Internet -- since not explicitly allowed under the law -- were illegal.
During the Rugby World Cup last year, Heineken was ordered to remove branded banners displayed outside Paris bars and cafes because they infringed the Evin Law, which also bans advertising alcohol via an association with sports.
