Canal+ condemned for not blurring tobacco brands in F1
The court rendered its decision on Thursday, February 9th, and sentenced the Canal+ group to €25,000 in damages to the National Committee against Smoking.
In 2021, Canal+ had broadcasted live and replayed images of the logos of the brands Vuse, MissionWinNow, and Marlboro. As a result, the channel was sued by the National Committee Against Smoking, an anti-tobacco association.
Tobacco brands have indeed often been partners of F1 teams. Marlboro, for example, appeared in archival footage of the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix used by Canal + in one of its shows, with the brand’s logo displayed on Ayrton Senna’s race car.
The Mission WinNow brand was visible on the Ferrari wings and on the attire of the Italian team drivers until 2021.
This violation of the Evin Law was perceived by the justice system as indirect advertising for tobacco. Canal+ was therefore ordered to pay €25,000 in damages to the National Committee Against Smoking and €10,000 for lawyer fees. It also received a suspended fine of €30,000. However, the court only judged Canal+ for the period of December 2021, taking into account the efforts made by the channel to no longer display cigarette brand logos.
The network’s position remains uncomfortable as it has no other choice but to retrieve the images from the official F1 broadcaster.
