Search results : 1521

The Regional Court of Paris delivered an interesting decision on 31 May 1996 on the use of Médiamétrie surveys in advertising. A radio station (NRJ) had published in a number of newspapers a series of advertisements including comparative tables of audience figures for three competitive stations; one of the advertisements included a picture of a ball rolling towards skittles bearing the marks of the other stations, to knock them down. The judge found the advertisements defamatory and outside the legal framework of comparative advertising, disallowed benefit of the provisions of Article L 121-8 of...

In IRIS 1996-5: 6 we reported on the publication of the European Commission's Green Paper on commercial communications in the Internal Market. On 27 November 1996, this Green Paper was discussed in the Economic and Social Committee, which adopted an Opinion on it, which was published on 3 March 1997. The Economic and Social Committee finds that the Green Paper makes constructive proposals to improve the functioning of the Internal Market. Furthermore, it welcomes the suggestion that the Member States should notify the Commission and other Member States of their legislative initiatives affecting...

The UK Government has now announced details of the formula for increases over the next five years in the licence fee which funds the BBC. The fee is payable annually by all users of television sets, irrespective of viewing habits, and permits the BBC to be free of the commercial pressures of advertising as no advertisements are carried on its services. The current figure for a colour television licence is £89.50 per year. In order to minimise governmental pressure which could occur if the funding were renegotiated each year, the new formula is linked to the annual inflation rate, determined by...

On 8 May 1996 the Ukrainian National Committee for Broadcasting Matters (NC) adopted a temporary regulation on the procedure of using broadcasting channels in cable and air-cable broadcasting systems based on the Ukrainian Broadcasting Act of 21.12.1993 as amended on 02.06.1995 ( see IRIS 1996-6:10 and IRIS 1995-10:10). Under this temporary regulation, the aim of which is to promote the development and distribution of programmes and organise the reception of subscription television, cable television companies using broadcasting channels will require a licence. On the basis of bilateral agreements,...

On 08.10.1996 the Austrian Constitutional Court (VfGH) repealed the previous total ban on advertising for cable television companies, based on Section 24, paragraph 2 of the Broadcasting Regulation. The judgment enables cable operators in Austria - some 270 in all - to accept advertising slots in their programmes from now on. The corresponding conditions were repealed by the VfGH on the grounds of being contrary to the Constitution, as the total ban on advertising constituted an extremely serious infringement of the freedom of expression of opinion and the freedom to exercise an economic activity....