Gabon

The law prohibits tobacco advertising via television broadcast and radio.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to domestic TV and radio.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising via print press. This includes domestic newspapers and magazines.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to domestic newspapers and magazines.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising via print press, including posters, billboards, leaflets, or signs. Therefore, tobacco advertising via other domestic print media is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to other domestic print media.

The law prohibits all tobacco advertising, particularly on TV and radio. However, the law does not explicitly ban cross-border advertising broadcast from outside of the Republic of Gabon. Therefore, the regulatory status code of “Uncertain” has been assigned.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should make it clear that the ban covers tobacco advertising and promotion on both domestic and cross-border media, including TV, radio, and other means of broadcast such as satellite and cable.

The law prohibits all tobacco advertising. However, the law does not explicitly ban cross-border advertising. Therefore, the regulatory status code of “Uncertain” has been assigned.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should make it clear that the ban covers tobacco advertising and promotion on both domestic and cross-border media, including international newspapers and magazines.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising through any form of communication technology and any new information and communication technologies. This is interpreted as including internet communications.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to internet communications.

The law prohibits the posting of tobacco advertising anywhere other than inside of authorized points of sale. Additionally, the decree concerning the prohibition of advertising, promotion, sponsorship and underwriting of tobacco and its derivative products prohibits tobacco advertising on billboards, posters and signs.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to outdoor advertising.

Point of sale advertising is permitted in the law and permissible forms of tobacco advertising are subject to additional regulations.

In order to fully align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should impose a comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising and promotion, including at the point of sale.

The law does not address point of sale product display. However, point of sale product display is a form of point of sale advertising, which is allowed. Therefore, it is interpreted that point of sale product display is allowed.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit tobacco product display, including the visibility of tobacco products, at a point of sale.

The law prohibits all forms of advertising through any medium, with limited exceptions (point of sale advertisements) that do not apply here. Therefore, tobacco advertising through conventional mail is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising through conventional mail.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising through any communication technology. This includes telephone and cellular phone.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to telephone and cellular phones.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising, including “displaying in public any article of clothing, bag, umbrella, streamer, scarf or other article that obviously displays the logo or name of a cigarette brand or product derived from tobacco.” Moreover, a decree prohibits the distribution of “free or otherwise, objects bearing the name, brand or advertising emblem of a tobacco product, or the name of a producer, manufacturer or merchant of tobacco or a tobacco product, even when such products are of common use or consumption.” Therefore, brand marking is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to brand marking.

The law prohibits the distribution of a tobacco product or tobacco derivative product as a sample.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines in this regard. The law also meets FCTC Art. 16 (sales to and by minors) in this regard.

The law prohibits all promotional activities concerning cigarettes and other tobacco products. Therefore, promotions with a tobacco product are prohibited.

This provision aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines.

The law prohibits all promotional activities concerning cigarettes and other tobacco products. Therefore, competitions associated with tobacco products are prohibited.

This provision aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines.

Direct person to person advertising is not addressed in the law. However, the law prohibits all forms of advertising through any medium, with limited exceptions (point of sale advertisements) that do not apply here, and a decree prohibits manufacturers, importers, suppliers, distributors and consumers from engaging in advertising activity. Taken together, the law is interpreted as banning direct person to person tobacco advertising.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising through direct person to person tobacco advertising.

The law prohibits advertising of tobacco products, particularly on products that are not related to the tobacco product themselves. Therefore, the ban is interpreted as covering brand stretching.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines in this respect.

The law does not specifically prohibit reverse brand stretching, but the ban on all forms of tobacco advertising and promotion, other than at points of sale, is interpreted as including reverse brand stretching.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Guidelines with regard to reverse brand stretching.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising on any articles that are mainly sold to young people or primarily used by them. This is interpreted as including toys that resemble tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to banning toys that resemble tobacco products.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising on any articles that are mainly sold to young people or primarily used by them. This is interpreted as including candy that resembles tobacco products.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to banning candy that resembles tobacco products.

The law does not address retailer incentive programs. Therefore, the law is interpreted as allowing retailer incentive programs.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including retailer incentive programs.

The law prohibits most forms of advertising of tobacco products including in “films and other video clips including scenes of consumption of tobacco products.” The law is therefore interpreted as encompassing paid placement tobacco products in TV, film, and other media.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film, and other media.

A decree requires that films and other video clips depicting scenes of tobacco consumption be classified by a notice that says “prohibited for those under 18.” Therefore, the law is interpreted as allowing unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products.

In order to align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should impose a comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising and promotion, including unpaid placement of products.

The law prohibits all financial or in-kind contributions by the tobacco industry to events, activities, individuals or groups.

The term “sponsorship/underwriting” is defined as “any public or private contribution made to a third party in relation to an event, a team or an activity whose purpose is to promote a brand of cigarette or any other tobacco product, bearing in mind that this event, team or activity would continue to exist without this contribution.” A decree further prohibits the tobacco industry from engaging in any philanthropy or patronage, or conducting any misinformation campaigns. Taken together, the law is interpreted as prohibiting all forms of tobacco industry sponsorship or events, activities, individuals or organizations.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines in this respect.

The law prohibits all financial or in-kind contributions by the tobacco industry to events, activities, individuals or groups.

The term “sponsorship/underwriting” is defined as “any public or private contribution made to a third party in relation to an event, a team or an activity whose purpose is to promote a brand of cigarette or any other tobacco product, bearing in mind that this event, team or activity would continue to exist without this contribution.” A decree further prohibits the tobacco industry from engaging in any philanthropy or patronage, or conducting any misinformation campaigns. Taken together, the law is interpreted as prohibiting all forms of publicity of financial or other sponsorship or support by the tobacco industry.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines in this respect.

The law does not specifically address misleading advertising and promotion. Misleading packaging and labeling of tobacco products is also not prohibited. However, the law does prohibit most forms of advertising and promotion, but it is unclear whether misleading advertising and promotion specifically would be included. Therefore, the regulatory status code “Uncertain” is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should specifically prohibit misleading advertising and promotion.