Orange appeals against Canal Plus “denigration”
05 Jan 11 -

While negotiations continue over the possible sale of its channels to Canal Plus, France Telecom/Orange has taken its long-running case against its pay TV rival for “denigrating” its TV ambitions to the Paris court of appeal, according to local reports.

The move follows a decision in November by the country’s competition regulator to reject most of Orange’s complaint against Canal Plus, which relates to comments made by Canal Plus executives when Orange launched its premium TV services two years ago. Orange, which has accused Canal Plus of systematically denigrating it and menacing and putting pressure on Orange and on potential partners, has appealed against the regulator’s decision. The competition regulator found that while Canal Plus had attempted to create a negative image of its rival, the comments did not go beyond the bounds of normal commercial rivalry.