FRENCH INTERNET SUIT DISMISSED
ENGLISH-ONLY WEB SITE ILLEGAL, GROUPS CHARGE

The first test of whether France's disputed language law
applies to the Internet ended in a fiasco Monday when a court
threw out the case against an overseas branch of Georgia Tech on
a technicality.

Two state-approved watchdogs promoting the use of the French
language had filed a complaint against the Georgia Institute of
Technology's French campus for using English only on its Web
site.

The plaintiffs, Defense of the French Language and Future of
the French Language, accused Georgia Tech Lorraine of breaking a
1994 law requiring all advertising in France to be in French.

The Paris police court dismissed the lawsuit, saying the two
private groups should have notified a public prosecutor first.

The legislation, named after then-Culture Minister Jacques
Toubon, was part of a battle to protect the tongue of Moliere and
Racine from the growing international use of English.

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Z.Batagelj,  URL: http://www.uni-lj.si/~fdbatagelj/zbys.htm