More Group Could Face French Fine

Following the announcement last week that More Group, the billboard operator, was renamed Clear Channel International (see Newsline), the group is reportedly being fined by a French commercial court for faking its own research.

The Decaux Group, which at one point was also in takeover talks with More Group (see Newsline), tried to sue More for £1 million after it apparently circulated a fake document which More claimed was published by Carat (see Newsline), and which portrayed Decaux in an unfavorable light.

However, according to a spokesperson at More Group, contacted by Newsline this morning, the company has not been found guilty of forging a document, but only of criticising Decaux’s panel in Renne, France. Decaux apparently placed ads on private land, and More Group claimed that its own ads would be more effective due to its positioning on public roads, places etc.

As well as this, More maintains that Decaux failed to win any damages which it tried to claim, and that the fine of Fr30,000 imposed by the French court was to cover the charges for publishing the legal case, although this ruling has yet to be confirmed.

More Group referred to the case as a ‘trivial commercial spat’. Decaux were unavailable for comment when contacted by Newsline today.

More Group: 0171 287 6100 Decaux: 0181 746 1000