Siding with France's National Association for the Prevention of Alcoholism and Addiction, a Paris court has ruled that alcohol ads on the Internet are illegal and ordered brewer Heineken to delete beer ads from its websites in France, the AFP reported Feb. 15.

The court ruled that the Internet ads violated a 1991 law that bans alcohol advertising on French television. The law only permits alcohol ads in print media, radio, and at the point of sale. Heineken had argued that the Internet was akin to the telephone and therefore not subject to the ban.

The court said the ads were illegal because they were not explicitly permitted under the law.