Estonia

[EE] Advertising Act Enters into Force

IRIS 1998-3:1/13

Andrei Richter

Comenius University (Bratislava)

On 1 January 1998, the Advertising Act entered into force in Estonia. The Act consists of four chapters and 27 Articles. Under "advertising" the Act understands information "intended to increase the sales of products or services, to promote an event or idea, or to achieve a set objective in some other field, and which is distributed by a publisher of advertising for payment or upon other corresponding considerations". The "publisher of advertising" is a term that is explained as "the public performer of an advertisement, demonstrator to community, producer, mediator or signee of an advertisement (Article 2). The Act prohibits misleading advertising (Art. 4), indecent advertising (Art. 5), depreciative advertising (Art. 6), and concealed advertising (Art. 8). The Act prohibits the advertising of tobacco products entirely (Art. 10). As to alcoholic beverages, the Act prohibits advertising of strong drinks (with an alcohol percentage of between 3 and 22) in television from 7 am until 9 pm, in cinemas and theatres, on videotapes and in video games, on CDs or similar technical means of distribution, on the front or last pages of newspapers or magazines (Art. 12). The Act also imposes restrictions on the advertising of medecins, financial services, toxic or inflammable products, drugs, gambling, prostitution, weapons or ammunition (Art. 10-20).

Supervision of advertising activity shall be performed by a special body of the national government. The Act introduces administrative sanctions (fines) for violation of a number of Articles of the law.