PARIS — When it comes to advertising in France, American companies may no longer be able to “just do it.”
French culture minister Jacques Toubon is sponsoring a bill of law, called the Loi Toubon, that would prohibit the use of a foreign language in advertising, product information or instruction leaflets, work contracts, and on radio or TV.
The law does not apply to the name of a product, such as Calvin Klein’s Obsession or Davidoff Cool Water. The idea is that French words must be used where French equivalents exist. An amendment passed last week by the Assemblee Nationale, France’s congress, applies the law to slogans or “messages” that accompany trademarked names, even if that phrase has already been registered in France. This is currently enforced in TV ads, but has not been applied to print.
Generally, new French laws are not retroactive. In this case, however, previously registered slogans will no longer be permitted, according to Yves Marek, a counselor to Toubon.
Companies like Nike, which have registered “Just Do It” in France, will not be able to use that phrase if the law is put into action, explained Brigitte Peyrou, of the Delegation Generale ê la Langue Francaise, an inter-ministerial branch of the government responsible for the proper use of French. Violation of the Loi Toubon could be punishable by fines and/or short prison sentences.
“This law is idiotic,” said Maurice Levy, chairman of Publicis, one of France’s largest ad agencies. “A language becomes richer through association with other languages.” Those that didn’t, such as Latin, are no longer spoken, he added.