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At its plenary assembly on 11 April 2018, the French national audiovisual regulatory authority (Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel - CSA) issued formal notice to France Télévisions to abide by the provisions of its contractual specifications with regard to the particular attention required when broadcasting news in connection with ongoing criminal proceedings. Referral had been made to the CSA following the broadcasting during the Envoyé Spécial programme last December of an item on women who had brought a complaint after being raped or sexually assaulted by their hierarchical superior. The larger...

The Tribunal de Grande Instance (regional court) in Paris was asked to decide whether a film portraying the director’s family history could constitute an infringement of the copyright relating to an autobiography written by his father a few years earlier. In 2007, the plaintiff published an autobiography Téhéran-Paris, which tells the story of an Iranian man, describing his childhood, his activities as a political opponent of the Shah and Mullah regimes, his escape from Iran with his wife and son, and his arrival in France. After the author’s son, a comedian and actor, wrote and directed the film...

On 19 April 2018 the Conseil d’Etat made public its opinion on the proposed legislation to combat fake news that is to be examined by Parliament in the next few weeks. Since the 2008 revision of the Constitution, the leader of either of the Assemblies may submit proposed legislation to the Conseil d’État for its opinion, and 2015 saw the end of the tradition of secrecy regarding such opinions. The Conseil d’Etat observed firstly that “French law already contains a number of provisions aimed, in substance, at combating the circulation of fake news, following various separate paths of logic”. Thus,...

Legislation enacted on 20 December 2016 abolished commercial advertising during children’s programmes on public-sector television channels. In application of this legislation, a Decree adopted on 22 December 2017 added Article 27‑1 to France Televisions’ contractual specifications. It is worded as follows: “Advertising spots in programmes primarily intended for viewing by children under the age of 12. The following may not include any advertising other than generic advertisements for goods and services in respect of the health and development of children: 1. Programmes primarily intended for viewing...

As announced by the President of the Republic at the start of the year, a bill on the fight against false information was submitted to the National Assembly on 21 March, along with a draft implementing act ensuring that the bill will apply during the presidential election campaign. According to its explanatory memorandum, the bill “aims to counteract any attempts at destabilisation that could emerge during the forthcoming elections”. Three areas of reform are planned, the first of which involves the introduction of new tools aimed at combating the spread of such information. During pre-election...