France

[FR] New Rules for the Use of French Language

IRIS 1995-1:1/19

Ad van Loon

European Audiovisual Observatory

The Act of 4 August 1994 sets strict rules for the use of the French language in the audiovisual media in France. Article 12 of the Act makes the use of French compulsory in commercial messages. If the message is not in French, it should also be readable, audible or understandable by some form of translation. If a song is used in a commercial, a translation of the text is required if the song contains a "commercial argumentation".