Rule library

Directive 2010/13/EU (AVMSD) art. 9(1)(d), tobacco advertising prohibited

Directive 2010/13/EU (AVMSD) art. 9(1)(e) and art. 22

Loi Evin, Code de la sante publique art. L3323-2

General Authority for Media Regulation (GAM, formerly the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, GCAM) Media Content Standards: advertising content may not depict or promote alcohol

Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 (ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in print, outdoor and online media); broadcast tobacco advertising has been prohibited since the Television Act 1964, now given effect through the Communications Act 2003 licensing framework and the Ofcom Broadcasting Code

Lei 9.294/1996, art. 3 (near-total ban on tobacco advertising in any communication medium, limited to point-of-sale display)

Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (federal), S.C. 1997, c. 13, as amended: near-total ban on tobacco and vaping product advertising and promotion

Gesetz ueber Tabakerzeugnisse und verwandte Erzeugnisse (Tabakerzeugnisgesetz, TabakerzG), as amended in 2021, extending the tobacco advertising ban to print, cinema, outdoor media and e-cigarettes

Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement...) Act, 2003 (COTPA), Section 5 (prohibition of advertisement, sponsorship and promotion of tobacco products), with point-of-sale advertising also barred per Supreme Court directions

National Tobacco Control Act, 2015, comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship

Tobacco Products Control Act B.E. 2560 (2017), comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and promotion

Law No. 6112 (RTUK Law, on the Establishment and Broadcasting Services of Radio and Televisions) art. 11 (alcoholic beverages and tobacco products may not be the subject of commercial communication in any way); art. 8 sets the general broadcasting principle that content must not encourage the use of alcohol, tobacco or addictive substances

Law No. 4207 (Tutun Urunlerinin Zararlarinin Onlenmesi ve Kontrolu Hakkinda Kanun, tobacco control law), comprehensive tobacco advertising ban; Law No. 6112 art. 11 additionally bars tobacco commercial communication in broadcast media

Loi Evin, Code de la sante publique art. L3511-3 (ban on propaganda or advertising, direct or indirect, for tobacco and tobacco products)

Alcoholic Beverage Control Act B.E. 2551 (2008), Section 32 (advertising of alcoholic beverages may not show the product or its packaging or persuade consumption, directly or indirectly; permitted only to give information or social-creative-knowledge messaging without product imagery, except a symbol permitted by Ministerial Regulation); tightened by the Royal Decree amendment B.E. 2568 (2025), effective 8 November 2025, adding sections 32/1-32/5

Undang-Undang No. 32 Tahun 2002 tentang Penyiaran (Broadcasting Law), art. 46 (commercial advertisements may not promote the form of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or addictive substances); KPI Pedoman Perilaku Penyiaran dan Standar Program Siaran (P3SPS) Pasal 26 ayat 1 (broadcasts may not justify or normalize consumption of alcoholic beverages, tobacco or NAPZA as ordinary)

GAM Media Content Standards: advertising content may not depict or promote tobacco products

UAE Media Council content standards under Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023: alcohol depiction and promotion in advertising is restricted as contrary to public societal values; cited at the instrument level, no separately numbered alcohol-advertising article located

Regulation respecting promotion, advertising and educational programs relating to alcoholic beverages, CQLR c. P-9.1, r. 6 (a producer must obtain prior approval from the Regie des alcools, des courses et des jeux, RACJ, before circulating alcoholic-beverage advertising, and must submit an annual educational program; RACJ may suspend or revoke a permit or impose an administrative penalty for non-compliance)

Convenant inzake reclame voor en marketing van alcoholhoudende dranken (JEP alcohol convention)

Lei 9.294, de 15 de julho de 1996, art. 4 and art. 4 Section 1 (advertising restricted to 21:00-06:00 and content restrictions, applying to beverages above thirteen degrees Gay-Lussac); beer and wine below that threshold fall outside this specific restriction and remain the subject of ongoing legislative and judicial dispute over expanding its scope

Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, Rule 7 (Advertising Code): advertisements for wine, liquor or other intoxicants are not permitted in cable service; brand-extension surrogate advertising is separately addressed by the ASCI Guidelines for Qualification of Surrogate Advertisements (2021, self-regulatory)

Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice (administered by ARCON, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, successor to APCON), art. 39 (alcohol beverage advertising restricted to outside these daytime windows); previously enforced by APCON, including a 2013 ban on Guinness Nigeria television advertising for violating this restriction

BCAP Code (Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice) rules 18 and 19 on alcohol advertising, self-regulatory content standards administered by Clearcast and the ASA under a co-regulatory arrangement with Ofcom

Peraturan Pemerintah No. 109 Tahun 2012, art. 29 (tobacco product advertising on broadcast media restricted to 21:30-05:00 local time)

Jugendmedienschutz-Staatsvertrag (JMStV) Section 6 (Jugendschutz in der Werbung und im Teleshopping): advertising for alcoholic beverages may not be directed at children or adolescents, nor depict them consuming alcohol

Liquor industry self-regulatory advertising standards adopted by brewers' and distillers' associations under the framework the National Tax Agency oversees for liquor business operators

VRT beheersovereenkomst, public-service restrictions on alcohol advertising

ICC Advertising and Marketing Communications Code, art. 18 (children and teens)

Directive 2010/13/EU (AVMSD) art. 9(1)(g)

Consumer Protection Act (Quebec), CQLR c. P-40.1, ss. 248-249 (prohibition on commercial advertising directed at children under 13, in effect since 1978, applying to all media including online; upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada in Irwin Toy v Quebec)

Codigo de Defesa do Consumidor (CDC), Lei 8.078/90, art. 37 Section 2 (abusive advertising), as interpreted by Resolucao CONANDA no. 163/2014, which declares advertising or marketing communication directed at children abusive per se; the resolution's scope has faced advertiser pushback and litigation

Health and Care Act 2022 (Part 6) and the Advertising (Less Healthy Food and Drink) (Amendment etc.) Regulations 2025: 9pm TV watershed and a ban on paid-for online advertising of HFSS products, in force since 5 January 2026 (delayed from the original 1 October 2025 date) for advertisers with 250 or more employees

JEP code, regels inzake reclame gericht op kinderen

Advertising Law of the PRC, art. 40 (bans specified product categories, including alcohol, from mass media aimed at minors, and bans persons under 18 from serving as advertising spokespersons)

Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, Rule 7 (Advertising Code), children's-safety clause

KPI P3SPS child-protection broadcast-time provisions, issued under Undang-Undang No. 32 Tahun 2002 tentang Penyiaran

Nigeria Broadcasting Code (NBC, 6th Edition), family-viewing-period provisions restricting such content between 7:00pm and 10:00pm

Law No. 6112 art. 8 (general broadcasting service principles): content must not harm children's physical, mental or moral development, and commercial communication must comply with these principles

CAP Code section 5 (Children): rules on advertising directed at, or likely to appeal particularly to, children, self-regulatory and administered by the ASA

NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) broadcasting content standards for children's programming and advertising, self-regulatory guidance issued under NBTC's broadcasting oversight

CARU (Children's Advertising Review Unit, BBB National Programs) Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising

JARO (Japan Advertising Review Organization) Standards, general rule requiring advertisers to pay attention to advertising's influence on children; self-regulatory, JARO established 1974

VRT beheersovereenkomst, restrictions on advertising around youth content

ICC Advertising and Marketing Communications Code, art. 5 (substantiation)

Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China (2015, amended 2021), art. 9(3): advertisements shall not use terms such as 'national level' (guojiaji), 'highest level' (zuigaoji) or 'optimal/best' (zuijia)

Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations (Keihyohou), art. 5 item 1 (yuuryou gonin hyouji, misleading superiority representation)

FTC Act Sec. 5, 15 U.S.C. 45 (unfair or deceptive acts or practices); FTC Policy Statement on Advertising Substantiation (1984); 16 CFR Part 255 (Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising)

Competition Act (federal), R.S.C. 1985, c. C-34, s. 74.01 (reviewable conduct: materially misleading representations to the public, including unsubstantiated comparative performance claims)

Gesetz gegen den unlauteren Wettbewerb (UWG) Section 6 (vergleichende Werbung), setting the conditions under which comparative advertising is lawful

Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008, regulation 4 (conditions for lawful comparative advertising)

Codigo de Defesa do Consumidor, Lei 8.078/90, art. 37 caput and Section 1 (misleading advertising: any advertising, including comparative advertising, capable of inducing the consumer into error)

Code de la consommation art. L122-1 (conditions for lawful comparative advertising)

ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India) Code, Chapter III (Advertisements Shall Not Unfairly Denigrate, Attack or Discredit Other Products, Advertisers or Advertisements), self-regulatory

Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice (administered by ARCON), comparative-advertising provisions requiring substantiation and prohibiting denigration of a competitor

Ticari Reklam ve Haksiz Ticari Uygulamalar Yonetmeligi (Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices), issued under Law No. 6502 (Tuketicinin Korunmasi Hakkinda Kanun) art. 61-63, conditions for lawful comparative advertising, enforced by the Reklam Kurulu (Advertising Board)

DPG Media advertising acceptance policy, substantiation of claims

KUHP (Criminal Code) art. 303 (gambling is a criminal offense in Indonesia); advertising or facilitating access to gambling is a specific enforcement priority of Komdigi (formerly Kominfo) site-blocking actions

Advertising Law of the PRC and Criminal Law of the PRC: gambling is illegal in mainland China outside narrow state-run exceptions, and advertising of gambling products or services is prohibited, with criminal liability for severe violations

Gambling Act B.E. 2478 (1935): gambling is illegal in Thailand outside a narrow state-authorized framework (Government Lottery, licensed horse racing); advertising unlicensed gambling is enforced as promotion of an illegal activity

Law No. 7258 (Futbol ve Diger Spor Musabakalarinda Bahis ve Sans Oyunlari Duzenlenmesi Hakkinda Kanun) art. 5/c (advertising unlicensed betting punishable by one to three years imprisonment); Turkish Penal Code art. 228 (unauthorized gambling operation)

UAE Penal Code (Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021) prohibits unlicensed gambling; advertising of gambling or betting services is banned outside the narrow licensed framework of the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA), established in 2023

GAM Media Content Standards: advertising content may not depict or promote gambling services

Lei 14.790, de 29 de dezembro de 2023 (Lei das Apostas Esportivas): advertising rules protecting minors and prohibiting the framing of betting as a solution to financial hardship, with sector self-regulation implemented through CONAR Anexo X

Gluecksspielstaatsvertrag 2021 (GlueStV 2021) Section 5 Abs. 3 (advertising curfew of 06:00 to 21:00 for virtual slot machines, online poker and online casino games)

Gambling Act 2005 (licensing objective of protecting children and vulnerable persons) and the Gambling Commission Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), social responsibility provisions on marketing

National Lottery Act, 2005 and National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) regulations requiring age-restriction and responsible-gambling messaging in gambling and betting advertising

Loi n. 2010-476 du 12 mai 2010 relative a l'ouverture a la concurrence et a la regulation du secteur des jeux d'argent et de hasard en ligne, art. 29 and art. 34 (as amended by ordonnance n. 2019-1015), enforced by the ANJ

American Gaming Association Responsible Marketing Code for Sports Wagering (self-regulatory industry code)

ICC Framework for Responsible Food and Beverage Marketing Communications

Food and Drugs Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. F-27, s. 9(1) (false or misleading drug advertising prohibited) and Food and Drug Regulations C.01.044 (a Schedule F prescription drug advertised to the general public is restricted to name, price and quantity)

Advertising Law of the PRC, art. 16 (content and disclosure requirements for medical, pharmaceutical and health-food advertising, including the mandatory professional-use disclaimer for prescription drugs) and the related ban on endorsements or testimonials for healthcare food, medicine or medical devices

Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act (PMD Act), art. 66 (prohibition of false or exaggerated advertising) and art. 68 (prohibition of advertising unapproved pharmaceuticals or indications), enforceable against any person who advertises, not only the manufacturer

Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954, Section 3 and the Schedule (originally listing 54 diseases and conditions); a 2020 amendment bill proposing to expand the Schedule to 78 conditions and raise penalties has not been confirmed as brought into force

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 21 U.S.C. 352(n); 21 CFR 202.1 (fair-balance and brief-summary requirements for prescription drug advertising); FTC Act Sec. 5 substantiation doctrine applies to non-prescription health-efficacy claims

Heilmittelwerbegesetz (HWG) Section 3 (Irrefuehrungsverbot, ban on misleading advertising of remedies) and Section 10 Abs. 1 (advertising for prescription-only medicines directed at the general public is prohibited; permitted only toward professional circles)

ANVISA RDC no. 96, de 17 de dezembro de 2008: medicines requiring prescription may only be advertised to healthcare professionals; general-public advertising is restricted to non-prescription (MIP) medicines and must not be misleading, abusive or indirect

Code de la sante publique art. L5122-6 (advertising a medicine to the general public is conditional on it not being subject to medical prescription and not being reimbursable by compulsory health insurance)

SFDA advertising rules: health-product advertising requires SFDA pre-approval, and prescription-only medicines may be advertised only to healthcare professionals, not the general public

Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979), Sections 40-41 (false or deceptive food-quality or benefit claims prohibited; advertising a food's qualities, usefulness or indications requires prior submission to, and permission from, the Food and Drug Administration), most recently implemented by the FDA Notification Re: Criteria for Food Advertising B.E. 2569 (2026), effective 28 July 2026

JEP code, regels inzake de afbeelding van de mens

Medienstaatsvertrag (MStV) Section 8 (Werbegrundsaetze): advertising must not violate human dignity, must not discriminate on these protected grounds, and must not be misleading

Law No. 6112 art. 8: commercial communication must not contain or promote discrimination on these grounds

Codigo Brasileiro de Autorregulamentacao Publicitaria (CONAR), self-regulatory prohibition on advertising that is discriminatory or offensive toward any social group

ARPP Recommandation Image de la personne humaine (self-regulatory code)

No Quebec or federal statute specifically restricts gender-stereotyped advertising content; the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (Ad Standards, self-regulatory) offers guidance but is not a citable statutory provision

No specific numbered P3SPS article targets gender-role portrayal; it falls under KPI's general decency and social-norms mandate, applied at the regulator's discretion rather than through a separately citable provision

No specific ARCON-numbered provision targets gender-stereotyped portrayal; it falls under the Code's general decency mandate, applied at the regulator's discretion rather than through a separately citable clause

No specific numbered GAM rule targets gender-role portrayal; it falls under the general Media Content Standards expectation that content not challenge Saudi social norms, which GAM applies at its discretion rather than through a named, citable provision

No binding US federal rule restricts gender-stereotyped advertising content; documented reputational and consumer-backlash risk from widely reported ad-campaign controversies is the basis for flagging, not a statute or code

GAM Media Content Standards: media and advertising content may not contradict Islamic teachings or Sharia-based public values

Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 on the Regulation of Media, content standards requiring respect for Islamic beliefs and all other religions and faiths; this decree-law replaced Federal Decree-Law No. 15/1980 and took effect on 1 December 2023, after the National Media Council's functions passed through the Media Regulatory Office (2021) to the UAE Media Council (end of 2022)

KPI P3SPS religious-respect provisions issued under Undang-Undang No. 32 Tahun 2002 tentang Penyiaran; KUHP (Criminal Code) art. 156a (penodaan agama, religious blasphemy)

Cable Television Networks Rules, 1994, Rule 7(3-A) (no advertisement shall contain references which hurt religious sentiments; inserted by notification G.S.R. 710(E), dated 8 September 2000)

Criminal Code Sections 206-208 (insulting a religion or a place or object of worship punishable by one to seven years imprisonment or a fine); the Sangha Act B.E. 2505 (1962) additionally protects Buddhism and the Buddhist clergy from defamation or insult

Advertising Law of the PRC, art. 9(9): advertisements shall not contain content that constitutes ethnic, racial, religious or sex-based discrimination

Loi du 29 juillet 1881 sur la liberte de la presse, art. 24 (provocation to discrimination, hatred or violence against a person or group on grounds of religion)

Nigeria Broadcasting Code (NBC) provisions restricting religious-broadcast content likely to be divisive between Nigeria's Muslim and Christian communities; cited at the instrument level, no separately numbered advertising sub-clause independently verified

GAM Media Content Standards: media and advertising content must respect Islamic values and public decency, including standards on dress and exposure

Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 on the Regulation of Media and its Executive Regulation (in force 31 October 2024): media and advertising content must respect public decency and the country's societal values

Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, Sections 3-4 (prohibition on publishing, exhibiting or arranging any advertisement containing indecent representation of women), with exceptions for bona fide artistic, scientific, educational or religious use

KPI Pedoman Perilaku Penyiaran dan Standar Program Siaran (P3SPS), decency and modesty (kesopanan dan kesusilaan) provisions, issued under Undang-Undang No. 32 Tahun 2002 tentang Penyiaran

Network Standards and Practices broadcast advertising content guidelines on nudity and sexual content

Strafgesetzbuch (StGB) Section 86a (Verwenden von Kennzeichen verfassungswidriger und terroristischer Organisationen), punishable by up to three years imprisonment or a fine, with narrow exceptions for education, art, science or news reporting

Criminal Code Section 112 (lese-majeste: defaming, insulting or threatening the King, Queen, Heir-apparent or Regent is punishable by three to fifteen years imprisonment)

Advertising Law of the PRC, art. 9(1)-(2): advertisements shall not use or covertly use the national flag, anthem, emblem, military flag, military songs or insignia, or the names or images of state organs or their personnel

Law No. 5816 (Ataturk'u Koruma Kanunu, Law to Protect the Memory of Ataturk), criminalizing insults to Ataturk's memory or the destruction of objects representing him

Loi n. 86-1067 du 30 septembre 1986 sur la liberte de communication, art. 14 (televised or radio-broadcast advertising of a political character is prohibited)

Ofcom Broadcasting Code Rule 2.12 (broadcasters must take precautions to maintain a low level of risk to viewers who have photosensitive epilepsy), applied with the Ofcom/ITC Photosensitive Epilepsy Guidance technical flash and pattern thresholds

NAB Japan (National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan) and NHK Guidelines on Video Techniques in Animated Programs, issued 16 April 1998 following the December 1997 photosensitive-seizure incident during the animated program Pokemon; self-regulatory, adopted by individual broadcasters into the program standards required under Broadcast Act art. 4

No binding US federal rule restricts flashing imagery in television advertising; photosensitive-seizure risk from rapid high-contrast flashing is documented in epilepsy medical literature and is voluntarily addressed in US broadcast production practice

Play Media advertising acceptance standards, flashing imagery

Ofcom Broadcasting Code Rule 2.3 (potentially offensive material, including violence, must be justified by the context)

Deutscher Werberat (German Advertising Standards Council) guidelines on violence and discrimination in advertising, self-regulatory

Arcom (successor to the CSA) recommendation on the protection of children and teenagers in television programming and advertising

Network Standards and Practices: individual broadcaster advertising-standards departments (e.g. ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) restrict weapon and violence depiction in commercial time

Charter of the French Language (Charte de la langue francaise), CQLR c. C-11, art. 58 (public signs, posters and commercial advertising must be in French, or in French markedly predominant alongside another language); art. 58.1, introduced by Bill 96 and in force since 1 June 2025, further tightens non-French trademark display conditions

Loi Toubon, loi n. 94-665 du 4 aout 1994, art. 2 (mandatory use of French in the designation, presentation and advertising of a good, product or service)

Vlaams Mediadecreet and the Decret sur les services de medias audiovisuels, language of commercial communication

SFDA and SASO mandatory halal certification and labeling regime for food products; GAM Media Content Standards requirement that content respect Islamic dietary norms

ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology) mandatory halal certification scheme, standard UAE.S 2055-1:2015, for meat and animal-derived-ingredient products

Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties, art. 409 (criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual conduct); UAE Media Council content standards under Federal Decree-Law No. 55/2023 require content to align with the country's societal values, applied by the regulator to bar media seen as promoting or normalizing same-sex relationships or LGBTQ identity

GAM Media Content Standards: media and advertising content contradicting Islamic values and public morals is prohibited; applied by the regulator to content perceived as condoning or promoting same-sex relationships or LGBTQ identity

Advertising Law of the PRC, art. 9(8) (advertisements shall not contain pornographic, superstitious, terrifying or violent content) and art. 9(7) (shall not hinder public order or violate good social conduct)

No statute or broadcast code numbers this; the number four (shi, a homophone for death) and nine (ku, a homophone for suffering) carry documented cultural superstition in Japan that advertisers and product designers conventionally avoid

No specific UAE media-content article names individual gestures; the thumbs-up gesture is documented in cross-cultural literature as equivalent to an obscene gesture in parts of the Arab world, a reputational and decency risk under the general public-decency standard rather than a separately citable provision

No binding US federal rule restricts humorous or satirical advertising content; documented brand-reputation risk from culturally insensitive humor (repeated real-world ad-campaign controversies and withdrawals) is the basis for flagging, not a statute or code

18 U.S.C. 1464 (broadcasting obscene, indecent or profane language); 47 CFR 73.3999 (FCC enforcement of broadcast indecency and profanity restrictions)