Revised Advertising Law to Come into Force from September 1

source：　 date：2015-09-07　 author：

On April 24, the 14th session of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress passed the revised Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China (the "Law") for implementation as of September 1, 2015.

Consisting of six chapters of General Provisions, Criteria for the Content of Advertisements, Code of Practice for Advertising, Supervision and Administration, Legal Liability, and Supplementary Provisions, the revised Law lays down stricter rules for medical, pharmaceutical, health food, and tobacco advertisements, among others. The new Law stipulates that a minor under the age of 10 shall not be employed as an advertising spokesperson and that an advertising spokesperson shall not recommend or endorse a product or service which the spokesperson himself or herself hasn't used. The Law also prohibits the publication of tobacco advertisements in mass media as well as in public places, on means of public transportation and in outdoor spaces, along with the delivery of tobacco advertisements to minors in any form. According to the revised Law, the illegal release of any false advertisement shall be subject to a penalty which is between three times and five times the advertising cost and where the advertising cost cannot be ascertained or is apparently too low, the penalty shall be between CNY200,000 and CNY1 million.