Alcohol producers’ websites could be outlawed

Amendments to the bill on alcohol advertising on the Internet could see drinks producers left without websites.

The bill says that “advertising of alcoholic products must not be placed on websites,” rather than “websites registered as mass media,” Vedomosti reported. This extends the ban on advertising to all sites, not just those of registered publications.

The amendment is being discussed by the Federation Council.

Alcohol market experts are unclear on whether company websites should be considered alcohol advertising or simply information about the goods, and whether they could be shut down under new regulations.

Alcohol producers and Internet companies were not consulted when the bill was drafted, said Efes Rus representative Kirill Bolmatov.

The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service is not yet sure how it will fight violations on the Internet, said Tatyana Nikitina, deputy head of the service’s advertising and unfair competition department. In addition, while the bill proposes a fine, it is unclear what to do with websites not registered in Russia.