The CSA, the agency responsible for regulating the audiovisual media in France, this week launched a determination which prohibits the words "Twitter" and "Facebook" is told in the lineup of televisions or radios in the country, except in instances in which companies are being target of any matter.
In the opinion of the court, the reference to companies in advertising schedules would be hidden, a practice that goes against a decree of 1992 which regulates advertising in the land of Napoleon. In practice, this will cause the presenters replace phrases like "In the follow on Twitter" or "In the short on Facebook" for something like "Follow us on social networks."
"The promotion of a social network that generates billions in revenue, such as Facebook rather than smaller firms that are fighting for a place in the sun is unfair. There are MySpace, Bebo, skyblog (...) give preference to a network is a distortion of competition, "said Christine Kelly, an adviser to the agency AFP.
Anyway, Kelly says the situation is just a misunderstanding: "We recommend using the term 'social networking', but there is no prohibition to the terms," he said. Already an unidentified representative of media companies in the country replies: "The CSA has determined that say 'Facebook' or 'twitter' is illegal, and we must enforce the law," he said.
"The CSA does not understand that although they are trademarks, Twitter and Facebook are public spaces where more than 25% of French people discuss and exchange information daily, millions of" said journalist Raphael Nenoit the newspaper L'Express.
As pointed out by the newspaper, advertising is highly regulated in France and during the ASC meeting a representative of the organ would have argued that "if we right that Facebook and Twitter are cited, we will open a Pandora's box, and all other brands will also want to have the same right. "
