Paris court bans brewer adverts

A Paris court yesterday ordered Dutch brewer Heineken to remove some advertising linked to the Rugby World Cup tournament from streets in France.

Heineken is one of the tournament's main sponsors of the tournament which began on September 7th and continues until October 20th.

Responding to a complaint from ANPAA, a French association that campaigns against alcohol abuse, the court found some of the company's adverts contravened France's 1991 Loi Evin, which tightly restricts the way alcoholic drinks can be portrayed.

The judge ordered Heineken to remove adverts which include its brand name but rejected a request by ANPAA to also block adverts that just feature its trademark green colour and red star.

The presence of Heineken's name on the official Rugby World Cup internet site is also not affected by the decision. The judge ruled that Heineken's French subsidiary, the target of ANPAA's action, had nothing to do with the site.

The court gave Heineken 48 hours to take action or face fines of € 5,000 per offence.

Heineken can appeal against the decision. A spokeswoman for the brewer in Amsterdam said the company was waiting for full details of the ruling before deciding whether to take action.

She said the judgment would affect 250 banners displayed over outlets, like bars, in Paris.

"They are not our property but we will ask for them to be taken down," she said.