MOSCOW, February 18 (RIA Novosti) – A popular website in the Siberian city of Irkutsk has been fined about $2,800 for a post featuring the slogan “Sex & Drugs & Rock’n’Roll,” the Sib.fm news website reported Tuesday.
The local branch of the Federal Antimonopoly Service fined the Irk.ru website over an invitation to a local pub party posted on the site by an unknown user on January 21, 2013. FAS said the ad violated Russia’s laws on advertising with its “offensive and rude content.”
The website’s management appealed the penalty in court, saying that the entry in question was user-generated content posted free of charge in a listing of local events, and should be considered general information, not advertising.
A court, however, found that the entry had all the characteristics of an advertisement.
The judge ruled that the slogan was directed at “promoting sexual promiscuity and the use of drugs” and fined the website 100,000 rubles (over $2,800).
The website’s management has appealed the fine in a higher instance court. The litigation continues.
