Possible ban on certain colour schemes?

[Azumanga Davo]

Link

Mostly concerning the part of the article from about halfway down.

I'm rather concerned that certain colour schemes could bite the bullet in future thanks to anti-tobacco campaigners. Let's face it, if you see a black and gold F1 car and that makes you want to buy cigarettes, I'm afraid it's you with the problem, not the F1 team itself.

And of course, if this set the precedent, then it's goodbye to the red and white chevron, sayonara to anything yellow and black. Heck, you could even argue multiple blues could go thanks to numerous Ligier and Bennetton main sponsor connections.

If anything colour scheme associated should go, then make it the obvious culprit: Philip Morris. Their not-very-stealthy-at-all barcodes and other brand covering schemes are more damaging than a black and gold car. Your thoughts on the subject?

[Bagwan]

Slammer , I'm here in Canada , and I haven't heard any grumblings about this so far .

From the way they have dealt with liveries in past years , allowing the red chevron , and then the barcode on Ferrari cars , I wouldn't be too worried about this .

That said , the anti-tobacco lobby is strong here .
Many stand shivering outside with thier addictions , as pneumonia added to emphysema and lung cancer solves the problem .

[SGWilko]

if you see a black and gold F1 car and that makes you want to buy cigarettes.....

Would that not have been the original point behind the JPS Lotus?

[Somebody]

And of course, if this set the precedent, then it's goodbye to the red and white chevron, sayonara to anything yellow and black. Heck, you could even argue multiple blues could go thanks to numerous Ligier and Bennetton main sponsor connections.

That's scaremongering. What matters here is not merely the colour scheme, but the *pattern* and *intent behind it*. "Lotus" Renault are directly and intentionally mimicking the late-70s/early-80s Lotus livery IN TOTAL, and those Lotuses only ran in that colour scheme because a group of tobacco merchants paid them to. Ergo, they are effectively reviving the JPS sponsorship even without a penny changing hands.

You'll note that last year's very yellow & black Renault, a similar homage to a past non-tobacco paint job (Renault's early 80s scheme in their own corporate colours) raised nary/an eyebrow in Canada even if it shared colours with the late-90s tobacco-sponsored Jordan.

If anything colour scheme associated should go, then make it the obvious culprit: Philip Morris. Their not-very-stealthy-at-all barcodes and other brand covering schemes are more damaging than a black and gold car.

PM should indeed withdraw their poisoned claws from Ferrari. The "problem" with Canada pressing them comes from the facts that (a) red & white (albeit a darker red) are historically associated with Ferrari going back to before the sponsorship era; and (b) Santander are also associated with bright red & white...

[Mark]

Although they deny it, it *is* a copy of the JPS Lotus. But that was run how many years ago now? I suspect many won't even realise.

[Somebody]

Although they deny it, it *is* a copy of the JPS Lotus. But that was run how many years ago now? I suspect many won't even realise.

Well, that was TF's face-saving excuse for going back to green/yellow - that he hadn't realised JPS was still a live brand and using those colours.

And the law seems to be deliberately framed to exclude "I suspect many won't even realise" as a defence. As long as *one* person in Canada makes the link, there's a potentially actionable case there. Of course "potentially" doesn't have to translate into action - the Canadians aren't obliged to prosecute every case, and even if they were, LRGP could just remove the gold strips for that one race to get round it, leaving a black car with gold sponsor-stickers.

[Mark]

I can see their point. But as far as I know Renault are not in receipt of any money from the owners of JPS? Which has to count for something.

Although I disagree with the premise, if that's Canadian law, then that's that. There's nothing to stop them running a different livery in Canada..

[nigelred5]

So a black car with gold lettering is illegal simply because a single particular brand of cigarettes is also sold in a black package with gold lettering?


Can The canadian govenment prove that the team is receiving financing from Imperial Tobacco and subliminally advertizing cigarettes. Of course not, as that is NOT the case. IS IT? Maybe if there hadn't been a 25 year break since that livery was actually last linked with a cigarette brand and Imperial Tobacco had been proven to be sponsoring the Lotus Renault team, I might say there was some manner of a case, but it's just BS. I suppose I can't have a baby blue and white car either? Or a red and white car? or a yellow car? or a white car? Or a silver and black car?

Wasn't Canada going to impose a law banning ANY branding of cigarette packaging whatsoever? Everyone would have to sell generically packaged cigarettes with a simple name on the package?


Yet another case of liberal f-tards screwing with peoples lives.

[ShiftingGears]

They aren't being paid by a tobacco company for that livery, so as far as I am concerned, any correlation with tobacco branding is purely coincidental and unintentional, and the Canadian government should find something better to blow taxpayers money on.

[Somebody]

So a black car with gold lettering is illegal simply because a single particular brand of cigarettes is also sold in a black package with gold lettering?

No, a black car designed to evoke a JPS fag packet is illegal.

Can The canadian govenment prove that the team is receiving financing from Imperial Tobacco and subliminally advertizing cigarettes.

Financing isn't required. Given that big companies (not just tobacco, look up "Hollywood accounting" some time. Or the company structure of F1's own holding companies post-CVC takeover) have a habit of deliberately obfuscating their accounts until they show that black is white, they went for the nuclear option and banned anything with a clear & obvious VISUAL link and any sort of trail to go with it. In this case, LRGP -> Try to copy 70s Lotus -> 70s Lotus design paid for and designed by 70s JPS -> JPS still use the same basic design/colour scheme today.

I suppose I can't have a baby blue and white car either? Or a red and white car? or a yellow car? or a white car? Or a silver and black car?

Sure you can, so long as you don't copy specific designs from the packaging.

Wasn't Canada going to impose a law banning ANY branding of cigarette packaging whatsoever? Everyone would have to sell generically packaged cigarettes with a simple name on the package?

They aren't being paid by a tobacco company for that livery, so as far as I am concerned, any correlation with tobacco branding is purely coincidental and unintentional,...

It's a direct, INTENTIONAL copy of a livery JPS designed and paid for to evoke their fag packets. If LRGP didn't realise that, they're morons.