Optical Center brand advertising: response to the plaintiffs

Arcom was alerted to an advertisement for the Optical Center brand shown on public and private TV channels, which included a religious reference.

It found that the message was not likely to offend viewers' religious convictions, in that it contained no remarks aimed at discrediting a particular religion, and was not proselytizing. It is therefore not contrary to the schemes set out in article 5 of the decree of March 27, 1992, which lays down the general principles defining the obligations of television service editors with regard to advertising, sponsorship and teleshopping.

Moreover, the principle of secularity does not prohibit religious references on public service channels.

The Authority therefore considered that the diffusion of the message in question had not infringed any legal provision.